BUICK RIVIERA : Death and Resurrection of the Buick Riviera

In the 1960s and 1970s, Buick Riviera was GM's answer to Ford Thunderbirds in the "personal luxury car" market. Buick Riviera sales were steadily rising throughout its first seven years, until, in 1971, when an abrupt style change turned even diehard fans off, sending Riviera sales plummeting. In the following two decades, the brand never recovered its popularity, and the Buick Riviera just faded away.
This is the story of the Buick Riviera 1963 -1976

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Hello everyone! Can you PLEASE HELP US? We're looking for Subscribers. PLEASE support us by subscribing. IT'S FREE and we promise we won't bother you. We want to thank ALL who have supported our channel. It's because of YOU that we keep growing. As always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR VIDEOS! - (Danny and Michael) The Boca Brothers.

[@lancecooper4646]

The 71 Boat Tail ofcourse....reminiscent of the C2 Corvette....incredible body style 🔥👍

[@jamesslick4790]

I had a 1971 Riviera; I LOVED the styling! The "boatail Riv" was like nothing else on the road. (I also had a '71 Electra 225, So I was a big Big Buick guy.)

[@thecreature7856]

Listen I’m gonna say it the 71 is ugly as hell

[@BarnabyBarry]

My grandparents had the electra-loved driving it-total luxury!

[@jacobcallahan4813]

I absolutely love the 71 and 72 Riviera, I can't wait to get one some day

[@Primus54]

Not to be a “me-too-er”, but my instant reaction to your “which is your favorite” question was definitely the 1965 model year. Actually, 1965 was a great year for GM’s styling across all the divisions… perhaps it’s best year ever. Thanks for the video.

[@timalcorn4765]

I like the 1965 Riviera

[@honestone490]

I agree the 65 car year was the best ever for GM. My dad had a newly redesigned 65 Biscayne station wagon and even it looked cool to drive.

[@Primus54]

@@honestone490 Biscaynes were an excellent zero frills full size Chevy back in the day that could be bought for cheap!

[@barneymiller6204]

Yes, the 1965 GTO was nice too!

[@christopherkraft1327]

I like all the pre 1970 Rivieras, my favorite is the 69 Riviera, my aunt bought one new & as a kid I thought that was the coolest car ever!!! I thought that the 1970 Riviera was the ugliest with it's exposed headlights & rear fender skirts!!! Yikes!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🙂

[@jimbo97]

I LIKED the boat tail Riviera styling! 😊 I only had an '82 Riviera but I LOVED it!

[@jamesslick4790]

👍😊👍

[@Dan-ez6dr]

The 1967 Riviera is my favorite of them all. Super sleek exterior, fabulous interior, big power, great handling and excellent build quality . You only need to drive a '67 Riviera one time to fall in love.

[@CraigOffTask]

I own a 1964, which I love. I have to say that my very favorite year is 1967. It was much like the previous year, but I like the exterior look better with the script emblem on the front. The '67 model year remains the sexiest model year to me. Not everyone is a fan of the 430, but I love that torque monster. One of these days I hope to add a '67 (hopefully console car) to my stable.

[@TerryComo2010]

I think the boattail style was the best, unique and different.

[@joshuas8258]

1963 hands down. It was one of the most stunningly beautiful cars of all time and a masterpiece of American design. I like all Rivs from 1963-1968 (not a fan of the 70, boat tail Gen etc).

[@viccionetti5907]

My all time favorite (that I sold just last year after 18 years of happy ownership) is a 1964 midnight blue w/white interior example, with the optional two 4bbl carburetors, air, and all the other goodies. I was a high school senior in ‘64 and loved the ‘rolling sculpture’ that is this car. To me, the most beautiful car ever to leave Detroit. Had to own one and many years later a gorgeous fully restored example found it’s way into my garage.

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

The 1966 Riviera used GM's E-body that was shared with the 1966 Toronado and 1967 Eldorado. That Riviera used rear wheel drive while the other two cars used front wheel drive despite shared body and chassis engineering.

[@goditheway2184]

Old cars were the best. Just like these videos

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks!

[@brucehoelscher433]

Actually my favorite(s) were the ‘63/‘64. I think I saw one at the Worlds Fair (or some other show w my dad). It seamed so classy and almost futuristic. Probably lead to my love of my first car bought in ‘71 which was a ‘67 Buick Skylark Sport Coupe skirts and all! I did love that car. I sold it to my dad when I went into the Academy and he drove it until he passed in ‘84.

[@neilhartigan7456]

The pre-71 Buick Riviera we’re rolling art. They share the same platform with the 66 through 70 El Dorado and Toranado but weren’t front wheel drive

[@OLDS98]

You guys are knocking them out! This was grand. I look forward to part 2. I was watching with great interest. I like the 1963-1965, 1979-1985, 1989-1993 Rivieras. The 1975-1976 was decent. Thank you for a great video.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Glad you enjoyed it OLDS98! Thank you!!

[@califdad4]

My sister in law, drove a white 66 Riviera, she loved that car, so did I. My first car was a 70 Riviera I bought used in early 74, not as pretty as her's but did have the new Buick 455 engine. Mid year the 70 Riviera received smaller skirts , because of negative feedback from showrooms when it first came out. Personally, I liked the 71 -72 Riviera but you either loved it or hated it, nothing in-between.

[@doncnunez6231]

I am the 2nd owner of a 1966 Riviera GS bought on the night of Desert Storm fully loaded with Factory Carter twin Barrels, took 3 years to restore, resprayed in buick fawn Centari ,with tan matching vinyl bucket seats, Uniroyal belted Redline radials,cool thing is i never had to recharged the AC since i owned the to this day ,blows ice cold til you need a sweater!! I also am the original owner of a 1987 Buick Grand National 31,000 miles, T-Roofs some engine bolt on's not afraid of running against the newer Mustangs or Dodge's, Just love Hot Buicks!!

[@michaelupton3107]

One of my uncles had a gold colored 1970 model, and I kinda like the 1971-1973😊❤👍

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Wish I had one!

[@markwilliams5606]

The 69 Buick Riviera with the 430-400 Turbo transmission! Loved that Car. Took off the Quad carb and the manifold. Went with Elderbrock 750 Aluminum Manifold. Great running car.🇺🇸🏁💪

[@kylebrown6951]

Hey Guys another kool posting.. Personally I liked the boat tail it was different and stood out and still does today.. I just think the old commercials adds a great touch to the posting.. Keep up the good work..👍👍✌️🍻👋

[@richdorak1547]

Must have been great to be a car designer at Buick in the 60s !!!!! Beautiful Rivs.

[@dave900575]

Thank you so much for the videos. I discovered your channel a few days ago. It has been a treat driving down memory lane with the cars I grew up seeing on the roads and getting to ride in a few.

[@fordmuscleluis9710]

These are awesome Cars

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Yes they are!

[@kenstrauss5841]

I got my moms 67 riviera as a senior in high school ( 1973) . I drove that beautiful car until 1978 when I sold it when I moved to California . I wish I kept it !!!!

[@LifeisGood762]

Man I can't believe people didn't like the boat tail. My favorite Riviera.

[@BarnabyBarry]

It is like picking out 3 beautiful women-hard to discern!

[@jimowens381]

I loved the boat tail. Very unique!

[@usmale49]

My pick would also be the 1965! What a beauty! Great video...thank you!!

[@brianmoore6306]

Great Video. I enjoyed this a lot more than I first thought I would. Thanks for all the great vids!

[@1aikane]

1967-69 were the most beautiful. The 1974-76 are super cool. The 1995-1999 are nice too

[@robertdavila3780]

Great!!! Loved the Riviera, and the video, thanks.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jeffb5785]

The 1965 was probably the best overall but unlike most people, I loved the boat tail design and fell out of love with the car when the boat tail was gone.

[@mikeweizer3149]

P.S I totally agree the 1965 Buick Riviera was not only the sharpest Riviera but the sharpest Buick of all time !!!!!.

[@markdonnelly3277]

I had a 1964 with 2, 4 barrel carburetors, 1967, 1968, 1969 and a 1971, loved them all.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Very very cool, really enjoyed!!!! 👍👍👍👍

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for the visit! I like that channel of yours. Love me them model cars. I was telling my bro that I want my home office full of classic model cars. Thanks for watching!

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

@@ThisOldCarChannel Aaaaaaaa very cool!!!!!

[@christhomas835]

My first car was 73. God I wish I had her back

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Wow! Yeah...I wish I had a few cars that I've had in the past back. Thanks for watching. Hope you can help by subscribing!

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

There are still some out there. Keep searching. Just prepare to shell out a fairly large amount for a nice clean one. Good luck! _(8/20/2022)_

[@selimpullu420]

Thank you for this one. It is my favorite 👍

[@MostlyBuicks]

I actually like the orphaned year: 1970.

[@jeffreym.keilen1095]

My dad had a beautiful '73 Riv in the early '80's, I even learned to drive on it in '82. I later owned a very ugly '70 while in the Army in 1985. A friend of my dad's had a gorgeous '63 or 4 for years. I never cared for the '71/2, but guess I am bias to dad's '73. He did own another '73 in the '90's, but it was not like his first one. And we won't even talk about the '80 that he owned..... Great bit of Riv history on this vid. and reviving cool memories. Thanks for sharing it.

[@nk53nxg]

1965 with clam shell lights is automotive art.

[@CJColvin]

The Buick Riveras from the 60s are by far the best.

[@kirbywaite1586]

I've always wondered why, unlike the Eldiorado and Toronado these Rivieras were not front-wheel drive.

[@fonziebulldog5786]

The 71 is the year everybody wants today. Its just GREAT. 👍

[@philipe7937]

One of the most beautiful cars ever. I wanted to buy one, any year between 65 to 70 but I can’t afford them anymore.

[@arthurmickel2724]

I factory ordered a 1966 Riviera Gran Sport in the fall of 1965, bucket seats, belts, off-white interior, it was light, no extras, only the standard steering and brakes. It weighed 3600 with me and a half tank of gas. Went like hell, the best car I've ever owned. Unfortunately suffered temporary insanity and traded for a station wagon...duh.

[@jimlubinski4731]

1964 was my favorite, actually all of the first generation, followed by the '66 and '67.

[@tyronejones7341]

Hands down the '66 Riviera GS was the best looking model , especially in blue or gold.

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

always admired these Riveiras though never knew anybody that owned one though my late maternal grandmother owned a used 1984 Skylark when I was very young that she traded for a 2nd gen 1990 widebody Toyota Camry

[@__charles__]

My dad had a 1972 Riv ... White on White. I was 3 years old then, but looking at pics that ride was just super clean and loved that styling.

[@fergitapepita6397]

You've answered my favourite car story, the first Cougar, second favourite is the Dodge SuperBee, The '65 Riviera third, perfectly designed. Great vid, second time around

[@frankrivvi5553]

65’ hands down, great video👍

[@ahmadalanazy5551]

Hi , great video, thank u I still remember the one and only boat tail it was 1973 I was in the fourth grade ,u can imagine what's that do to ur imagination and dreams, it used to bark in front of the main door of my school, one those days God will I'll get me one😎

[@ludovicoc7046]

Ouch! I would not want to be a pedestrian hit by a '71 Riv. That's gotta be the most aggressive front end ever.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

hahah! Funny!

[@mikeweizer3149]

The only years of the Riviera that I didn't care for were1986-88( 1989-93 were a big improvement and I still liked the 1995-99verisons as well!.one of the last attractive Buicks I ever seen!!!!.

[@FullTimeGT]

Great Video! And my preferred one was 1965 also!

[@Leo-DaGreek]

I own a 67 & believe it’s the #1 model to have, how ever that’s my option .,it does need a paint job, but the maroon patina it has now really could use a heavy clear coat..it would be pretty radical ,And it needs a a head liner, and a redo on seats and carpet, it is a console package,parchment/black carpet.going through some Health issues,so I’m behind on this retro mod.🥲,your video always kept me dreaming!

[@glenkepic3208]

Nice !!! I'll be honest, i love all of these. Heck, i was like 6 in '63 but still remember seeing these for the first time. Mid '70s, friend buys a 'boat tail'. Car was great but heard it got wrecked. I don't know if he fixed it or let it go,,,, ThunderBolt and LightFoot car. Good but sad ending movie. Roll on !

[@dannyg6592]

The 1963-1965 Rivieras were some on the most attractive cars ever made by GM. I also like the 1966-1967 models and the 1971-1972 Boattails.

[@BarnabyBarry]

I had a 72 riv-like a boat-comfortable-everything powered-still miss it-

[@davidkastin4240]

Love the video 👍 It's not easy to pick a favorite yr Riviera but mine is the 70.

[@teresa67factoid95]

71 72 boat tail is drop dead gorgeous…always been on my wish list

[@anthonycollado4389]

My favorite Riviera was the 71 72 and the 73The rear window made the car look sexy sporty and luxury.

[@Santos.Sarmento]

Till the boring cars beyond 74, I love them all, highlighting of course the Boatail. But my favorite Riviera is the 66, maybe the most elegant and sexy American car of the 60’s and 70’s! Greetings from Brazil.

[@msticks3672]

My Dad had a 65 and it was my favorite car of his. It was his first Buick and he drove it for 10 years before trading it in. I had a lot of fun cruising the drive-ins when he let me drive it. Otherwise I was stuck with my mother's 1964 Impala with a puny 283! What a let down that was!

[@honestone490]

1966 was a great year. Styling was still similar to the 1965. However, getting rid of those ugly vent windows was long overdue. Vent windows made your car car easier to break into and they were also more prone to leak.

[@MrJestyler]

Best years were ‘69/‘70 year models. I wasn’t a fan of boat tails. These models years were much less so and made the car much smoother lines while retaining beefiness without awkward look.

[@sane.sinatra114]

I got a 1969 Riviera - love my car - but I also love the 65, and the boat tail is bad ass

[@rrw1250]

I love the Riviera’s up to 1970. Thought the boat tail was not in line with the radical styling of the Riviera. Couldn’t figure out what the stylists were thinking!

[@kevincothron5089]

1965 with the headlights is my favorite.

[@TheHelado36]

Can’t believe the boat tail style was not liked ! This style was extremely sexy !

[@dougobermann686]

1965 for sure is my all time favorite!

[@sauluribe7082]

The boattail Riv may remind a few of the Auburn Speedster of the 30's and a daring styling since the 59 Cadillac.

[@vassa1972]

Good stuff

[@winstonelston5743]

The '63-'64 models are timeless. The '65-'67 were not bad, but the '71-'73 models were dreadful. Beyond that they were just retrimmed LeSabre two-door sedans until the front-drive platforms came out.

[@reginaldburrell5590]

1967 1968 and 1969 were my favorite Buick riverias the mid 60s to me had the most sportier looks even 1966 and 1965

[@jeffwebb2966]

I have a 73 boat tail. You either love it or hate it. Ha. What is so great tho about most 60s and 70s cars is they are so low to the ground. Makes for cool cruising.

[@MrMarkOlson]

I love the 66-67 styling (but am biased as a '67 Riv owner). Next in line would be the 63-65, then boattails. It would be fun to have a '73 and just run around hitting things with that giant 5mph bumper. 😉

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

Boat tail for life. Prefer the early small bumper models… By the time I was old enough to have an opinion, the boat tail was already getting old, (we’ll say 1984 when I was 10) but I always thought it was one of the best looking cars ever made. I came close to buying one in the 90’s but had to back out of the deal that was almost sealed. That may be the one that got away… she wasn’t quite mint, but damn minty.

[@nycstarport8542]

IMO: '71, with the vents on the trunk; Beautiful.

[@montecarloss305]

I have a 74 GS Stage 1 Rivy and it kinda surprises me how much attention it still gets. People seem to really dig the double-decker taillights. Although I like my Rivy, I still think the 1972 was the pinnacle for exterior design on these.

[@BarnabyBarry]

Classic my friend

[@rjaraneta913]

My parents had a white 1975 Riviera, with white Landau roof with red velvet and leather interior. It was a gorgeous looking car that got a lot of attention and compliments. However, the car was a total lemon. It had electrical problems and was at a repair shop every few of months for it. The engine literally blew up when it was 3 years old. After their experience with the Riviera, my parents never bought another GM car and they stayed away from American cars until 2014.

[@michaelharden6538]

1965 was by far my favorite

[@paulzammataro7185]

My first car was a '63.....😎👍🏻...and I also like it because it predates the Riviera "R". The trunk lid says BUICK in big , capital letters, and it has the Buick shields in the tail lights.

[@howardkerr8174]

I like most model years of the Riviera except for that weird 1970 model. Sure, the " boat tails " look like the design came out with the scale all wrong. (It appears to be 10% BIGGER by mistake), but they aren't that bad compared to that " hot mess " that preceded them. I always thought that the 66(?) and 67 models were THE best Rivs, tho.

[@rogergoodman8665]

The Boattail Rivera as originally envisioned by Buick designers was supposed to be built on the "A" body platform but GM execs forced the design onto the "E" body instead. So yeah, things are a little out of proportion but I think the designers compensated pretty well considering.

[@jons.6216]

The 65s are always going to remind me of The Green Hornet's car even though it's a different model!

[@CR-zx2zi]

I know it was a different time but JFC the sexism in that commercial.

[@stephen8745]

The 71 Rivera suncoupoe was the rarest with only 300 produced. .The boat tail. Us a classic style awesome car

[@w41duvernay]

Buick's biggest mistakes was NOT having the 430 v8 engine be standards in every Buick Regal GS.

[@kpjasionwx]

Personally, I like the 1973 best - I owned a 68 GS about 20 years ago

[@rogergoodman8665]

I prefer cars that stand out from the pack & I can really appreciate the boat tails distinctive styling. The 71 model & the 63 model are the best looking in my opinion. All Rivies are cool though.

[@johnwebb167]

I have a 66 GS and a 72 Boattail their both special in their own individual ways and I would recommend anyone interested in owning one of these great machines to find the best possible example out there.

[@ACF6180T]

My 2 favorite Buick Riviera's are the 65 & 68 ! & they lost me with the boat tails ! What where they thinking ? Thanks for the video.

[@derrickjackson6737]

Real personal luxury back in the day

[@BootsBoudreau]

My favourite was the '72 because of the body style. It still had the big engine, but was unfortunately chocked up because of emissions.

[@ginofett]

1970 was my favorite. Had a chance to buy one four years ago and bought a nova instead. Still kicking myself... And pretty sure the logo was at the 9:00 mark. 2xl please...

[@offwithhishead2556]

The '65 is really nice, but a '72 is better! Dunno why. A '72 just makes me go all gooey.

[@moodiblues2]

My father bought a new Riviera in 1963. When I got my license, I stole it when ever I got a chance. I loved that car. The idiots at Buick destroyed it’s look in the 70s making it just another big awkward boat.

[@BruceMusto]

One of the cars I learned how to drive in, in 1974; was my brother Jimmy's 1972 Buick Riviera. Personally, at 15, I thought it was a pretty cool looking car.

[@BruceMusto]

That one comercial "the sunny slopes of exotic Flint Michigan" hahahahaha!

[@WhittyPics]

I always loved the Riviera