GM's Beautiful, Aborted 1963 LaSalle Becomes the Buick Riviera - See The Original Proposal!

Learn more about what the 1963-65 Riviera could've looked like!

[@flubberlane8437]

That interior is pretty high tech for its time.

[@robertkeeney3898]

I remember sitting in one. The seats were like pods I had never seen that before.

[@timgibson3754]

😁

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

65 with the hidden headlights like what swayze drove in roadhouse is one of my favorite cars ever

[@Diogenes1360]

As Archie & Edith Bunker once sang in the opening credits to (All in the Family), "Gee our old LaSalle ran great, Those were the Days" . . .

[@gregsayles9253]

Yep 😅

[@RedneckHillbilly-ho9md]

Awe ya beat me to it, lol

[@marshallr4797]

Dayum - thank you. I never knew the actual lyrics

[@trudygreer2491]

That kept playing in my head as I watched this!

[@jamesrecknor6752]

EDITH! ....Aughhhhchie

[@johnwwirtanen1283]

To me, the final clay mockup [12:42] does appear to have quad headlamps. Look at the horizontally ribbed front fender extensions. It looks like there is a transparent glass like inner shell which the horizontal ribs are laid over. You can see the hint of headlamps peaking out from underneath both the left and right sides.

[@DanEBoyd]

I think you're right.

[@AlbinStegne]

It looks like the silver version at the 7 minute mark on the video has hidden headlights as well.

[@michaelwhite2823]

1960. Wow. Of course cars are designed years before but the 63 Riviera was so modern looking it is hard to imagine conceived in 1960.

[@67marlins]

That's a good point...considering what was popular in 1960.

[@dustin_4501]

GM wanted to get away from the 58 chromemobiles they invented the future in these days.

[@jamesrecknor6752]

What a improvement from the 1959, 60 Buick Grotesque 500.

[@markman7]

This car marked the new direction in GM styling with Bill Mitchell taking over from recently retired Harley Earl.

[@dustin_4501]

@@jamesrecknor6752 Really 59 and 60, were bad look at the 58 Buick.

[@davewoodmancy5124]

These Rivieras ARE the most beautiful automobile of any American manufacturer if not the most beautiful in the world

[@RoyalAagesen]

My dad has an original 1963 Riviera that’s been moved garage to garage for the past 50 years it has 93,000 miles on it and very little rust and it’s an Iowa car it’s the vehicle in my profile picture

[@jack002tuber]

One question about skirts. If a Mini Cooper had skirts, would they be called miniskirts? 😃

[@dustin_4501]

No pun intended...

[@jack002tuber]

@@dustin_4501I told ten puns hoping one made people laugh. No pun in ten did.

[@markdc1145]

I never tire hearing about the history of the first Riviera. Loved seeing all the clay model proposals and it seems that the design was very focused even in 1960. Show me a more elegant and timeless car.... go ahead, I'll wait! 😆

[@rogerhinman5427]

Those are the Rivieras I'd like to own. That La Salle proposal was gorgeous.

[@jamesthurber4730]

I owned two Riviera's, a '63 and a '67, Both were stunning cars, the '63 was smaller which I liked, and had a great exhaust note. The larger '67 was less sporting, but very luxurious, close to the Eldorado that debuted that year. I didn't know the story about La Salle, thanks for sharing!

[@halhenryg]

Did like the four-door proposal for the LaSalle. Thanks Adam, another exquisite behind the design incite.

[@hughwalker5628]

The 4 door styling cues seem to have found their way onto Cadillacs of 64/5/6. As a styling mule, it seems to have been very influential. I also notice that the tail lights with the logo were appropriated years later by Ford for the '77 Thunderbird. For 1960, its an astonishingly vision of what was to come.

[@mattdirks7896]

I really like the way the 66/67 Novas look.

[@jameslandi4688]

Your research and historical narrative make your videos engaging and entertaining.

[@jbthor9032]

Sleek smooth styling. I remember seeing the LaSalle cars from the year 1963, and the Buick Riviera came along. People were still driving them into the 70's.

[@JeffKing310]

Beautiful car for sure! I love seeing the clay prototypes- kind of reminds me of the old classic car magazines where they would show development models. Great content Adam, love the channel!

[@Romiman1]

Preccious stuff as always! About that "Bill Mitchell Front", also have a look at the German Opel Diplomat from 1969 to 1977...

[@viccionetti5907]

As a senior in high school in 1964, my (non existent) bank account was short the nearly 5 grand needed to buy one. Fast forward 38 years, I finally acquired a fully restored ‘64 in midnight (Diplomat) blue with white interior, 2 four bbl’s..power everything. I treasured it yet drove it as often as possible..weather permitting, and let her go after 18 wonderful years. I always preferred the more classic front end sporting dual headlights on each side of the grill with the parking lights in the louvered side lamps, bombsight hood ornament and “RIVIERA” script on the trunk lid. Still think about her😊

[@robertrhodessr3664]

I wish you could add a photo, your car sounds really sweet.

[@tombrown1898]

The 4-door proposal is stunning. Very Buick in appearance, not like anything from Cadillac. There was a business education teacher at my highschool, who drove a while '63-'65 Riviera. He also had a fondness for Nehru jackets. Ah, the Sixties!

[@danr1920]

You can get interior upholstery for the 63-65 Riviera from Clark's "Corvair" parts. It's kind of strange. Clark's Dad had a Riviera and did the tooling for the Corvair's, so he did it for his Riviera!

[@61rampy65]

I'm a total Corvair guy. I buy a lot of Corvair stuff from Clark's, but I completely forgot about their love of the Riviera. Your comment impressed me!

[@larry6795]

First time to see this early concept of the Riviera, thanks…I’m a proud owner of a 65 Riviera.

[@MrSloika]

I'm glad they didn't attempt to relaunch the LaSalle nameplate. Some old time car names....LaSalle, DeSoto, Oakland to name a few...should remain with the dead.

[@MarinCipollina]

GM wasn't about to relaunch the entire LaSalle division.. It would have been a Cadillac, had Cadillac wanted it. It just would have been a model name.

[@eartha911]

Riviera. My favorite USA car ever made. I was 6 when my parents bought a new Marlin Blue 63. It was such a gorgeous car, but a true lemon. They got the dealer to trade for a black 65, and it was a wonderful car. When I was 12 we were at the dealership in Asheville NC, and they were unloading a new green 69 Riviera. It was stunning, and it was in our driveway a few days later. It would become my first car when I turned 15. Thanks for this, Adam. You press a lot of awesome memory buttons.

[@jerrystaley1563]

Adam, That last picture of the prototype LaSalle (followed by the pics of a '65 Cadillac & '66 Chevy Nova) certainly appears to be sporting quad headlamps as the outer ones appear to be lurking behind some sort of plexiglas covers with horizontal bars etched into them. The headlamp diameters seem too small to be the larger single lamp versions. Clear headlamp covers appeared on some mid-1960s Chrysler products and I remember a 1965 Motor Trend cover that had "sneak" drawings of the proposed 1966 cars with a drawing showing a '66 T'Bird with clear headlamp covers. So that design motif must've been popular back then with Detroit designers. JJS

[@fomfom9779]

1962 Pontiac Grand Prix. 1963 Split Window Corvette Coupe. 1965 Buick Riviera. 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. 1978 Cadillac Seville. Off the top of my head, those are my favorite GM designs of the '60's and '70's. I'm sure I forgot something.

[@mrnobody3161]

Good taste another for me is the 67 GTO.

[@dustin_4501]

1960 and 1965 Chevrolet Impala, 1973 Chevrolet Caprice, 1967 Oldsmobile Delta 88, 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass.

[@Primus54]

1961 Impala SS bubble-top.

[@SeanFlaherty]

Series II Corvair.

[@62Madison]

Bill Mitchell loved the circle in a circle hub cap theme used on ‘70s Pontiacs and his last show car “the Phantom”- it’s a throwback to classic cars from the 1930’s.

[@sped6954]

Those taillights on the clay car @ 05:15 give off a Chevrolet vibe to me. Like an early '70s Caprice, only missing the reverse lights between each taillight.

[@ikeknight-r7001]

Truly ahead of its time! Looks like the The late 1970's Bonneville from the sides, front like its own design.

[@Channelscruf]

At 7:45 it looks like there are another set of headlights hiding behind the outside ‘grills’.

[@cdstoc]

The beautiful final LaSalle model had outboard headlights hidden behind the fender grills. Single headlight units were larger diameter than the quad lights and wouldn't have looked the same on grill. I'm glad Buick kept the original design, that first-generation Riviera has long been one of my favorite designs ever.

[@OnkelPHMagee]

Yeah, I wondered about the prototype at the 7:00 mark. Having the outboard lights hidden but the inboard one visible was a new twist.

[@foolishwatcher]

@@OnkelPHMagee Absolutely, that model shows the outboard lights behind the closed grills, like a double exposure photo. Looking at all the different design studies, I would even argue that this design was planned right from the start. At 2:00 you see a small part of the grill below the lamps, so maybe there was only an upper clamshell, as there was also only one lamp. This model also looks to me the same as the final at 7:00. The one at 2:58 isn't clear, but might just show them in closed state. 4:00 obviously has hidden lights. I would guess they abandoned this design in the 63-64 Riv to reduce costs, but reintroduced it in 65 with the now stacked lights.

[@billolsen4360]

That final LaSalle model also looks a great deal like the 1968 Chevy Nova front end.

[@davidwashington2827]

Beautification, at its finest! Especially when the Buick Riveria, introduced the hidden headlights. I wished today’s cars manufacturers, designed and built cars and truck, like the models of these early day and era.😍🔥👍🏽

[@MrSloika]

Aerodynamic and safety requirements means that everything on the road now looks like everything else on the road.

[@willjay916]

I must be watching this channel too much. I picked up the similarities to the Nova front end and how appropriate the 4 door La Salle front end would be for an electric vehicle. Good job training us Adam!

[@Terraceview]

Gorgeous designs, all of them but I especially love the final one at 7:01 and I see headlight behind the clear glass as other have already spotted.

[@christianheidt5733]

Stunning vehicle 🤩!!!

[@jjkbigman]

That four door minus the front end looks like a mid 70s mercury

[@MarinCipollina]

Just no.

[@cargogh]

Mercury Marquis must have copied the back fender.

[@roadcalm3303]

That four door proposal looks a lot like the 65 & 66 Wildcats.

[@Jaegov]

Owned a 72 & 73, but always loved and wanted the 65. They were a special vehicle. The 4door version is very reminiscent of the 67 Wildcat in my opinion.

[@MostlyBuicks]

Since the Nailhead is one of my favorite engines, I am glad Buick got the model.

[@patrickhite3026]

Ive owned several Rivieras. A 65, 80,83,85 & a 93..My dad had a 63 as did my older brother who drove it from Nashville to Anchorage Ak in 68..We were definitely into Rivieras. My 65 was but my favorite with 85 a close 2nd..It was .White / White half top with red leather & bose system...I must have had 20 coats of wax on that car..It " glowed" in the dark..LOL. All beautiful designs.

[@shiftfocus1]

Until your recent video on this design, I had not noticed the flat side glass on these cars. I find that a bit surprising on such an advanced and expensive design. Curved glass would have made the greenhouse so much more harmonious with the lower portion of the car.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. I liked viewing the design proposals as it shows what they were thinking at the time at GM. Two Chevrolets were later influenced by the La Salle proposals the Chevrolet Nova and the 1967-1968 Chevrolet Caprice. It seems the influences run deep at GM. That four door had potential if it was slightly shorter, but Caprice later had that look. Oldsmobile and Pontiac even though the did not win the contest, still did well when they got the Grand Prix and Toronado. They went on to be legendary. Cadillac did well too for passing because Eldorado came later. This was a great view into things. Thank you again.

[@dlvh007]

Another good job here Adam. I'd heard about this "LaSalle" some time ago, but had not seen it until now. Thanks much for the pictures and information!

[@timgibson3754]

Really looks good through a fisheye lens

[@joebutchko2223]

I like watching these evolution studies.

[@cmoore7700]

Went to a car show yesterday and saw a ,1939 LaSalle in black and a burgundy interior. My buddy never even heard of it. The car was beautiful. Stay well and thanks for the video

[@josephfinleyjr8502]

Those side vents were used on the 63 Pontiac X-400 show car 😎🏁🏁

[@MarinCipollina]

Thanks for this one, Adam ! "Suddenly it's 1968 !" That could have been the tagline for the Riviera, it was so contemporary looking in 1963.. I really don't understand Cadillac turning their nose up at this one, I find that decision very puzzling indeed.. But that 4 door hardtop sedan is just to die for. I can't believe that didn't make it to production.. That is just dreamy !! This was peak General Motors.

[@dustin_4501]

Maybe they didn't want competition to the Eldorado.

[@MarinCipollina]

@@dustin_4501 The FWD personal luxury Eldorado showed up 4 years after Riviera.. I think it's more of a response to what they missed than fearing any competition. Besides, the Eldorado that DID exist in 1963 looked like a De Ville or Fleetwood and was rear wheel drive.

[@dustin_4501]

@@MarinCipollinaAnd the Riviera had is own look, unlike the Eldorado, and was a two door luxury car too.

[@motomuso]

I can't speak for everyone but I don't believe you can ever do too much on the first and second generation Rivs.

[@jamieandrade7094]

The Riv's with the turn signals hidden in the fender peaks behind the horizontal lines actually had a cornering lamp option just below the turn signal reflector. It has it's own reflector that is aimed at 45 degrees from the front of the car. If you look hard enough you can barely make out the cornering light reflector. They included the reflector on every car even if the option wasn't ordered "to save a few pennies" as Adam would say!

[@RichMander1]

7:13 Check out the fender pontoons.. there’s lights hidden behind the grilles

[@volktales7005]

Back in the '80's, my Dad's friend had a dark metallic green '65 that was his daily summer driver. A beauty of a car, they were not worth much then and I could have bought it for cheap. As a teenager, those gas bills would have been crippling, so stuck with the old VW bug instead... Wish I had that Riviera today...

[@bbb462cid]

If I couldn't have found the 64 to '66 Sting Ray Coupe I was looking for...I would have bought a 1963 Riviera, I'm really a Buick guy. GM couldn't do much wrong during this time and Buick styling was off the charts.

[@stevevogelman3360]

The silver car has lights in the front of the fenders behind plastic lenses. Doesn’t it?

[@jamesweidinger1117]

Buick advertised it as "The iron fist in a velvet glove".

[@61rampy65]

I remember that as the 65 Ford Galaxie with a 427. Maybe Buick did it first?

[@BubbaSmurft]

I too, recall that as the Ford 7-litre tag-line (not necessarily 427)

[@maxr4448]

Growing up as a kid in he 60's, feel lucky to see the 60's cars introduced every September, or rare March /April release. To me the Early Classic car's > 1910's to the Thirties, and the '60's are the smash hits mostly of beautiful cars

[@DanEBoyd]

I don't know Adam - that image @7:00 of the final LaSalle version appears to have four headlamps, with what appears to be outboard bulbs lurking beneath what appear to be translucent covers, there at the front corners of the fenders, similar to a '65. That four door model does look very good - its side view almost flows more elegantly than the two door!

[@compu85]

The prototype at 7:22 has hidden headlamps in the fenders too - the bright camera flash makes them visible.

[@jeffe4297]

7:00 I could be wrong, but it looks like there is a headlight on each fender (behind the glass or clear plastic).

[@61rampy65]

I thought that, too.

[@MarinCipollina]

I thought so as well.. Thanks for saving me the comment.

[@Cadillac61]

Truly a beautiful car! Imagine “the 1963 Chevrolet Monte Carlo”. Since it was also offered to Chevy.

[@dustin_4501]

The new 1963 Chevrolet Riviera, but probably not since Chevrolet would be afraid of take away Corvette sales.

[@MarinCipollina]

@@dustin_4501 It wouldn't remotely compete with Corvette on any basis.

[@dustin_4501]

@@MarinCipollina Maybe people didn't want something so sport as the Corvette and would get a Riviera instead.

[@cargogh]

I kept seeing some '70 Monte Carlo in it.

[@dustin_4501]

@@cargogh Is called the bottle coke style.

[@Jack_Stafford]

Beautiful car, and wonderful job Adam! I enjoyed the previous video about this generation, and this video even more so! Can hear the enthusiasm for this incredible machine. Hope a similar vid is coming for the next generation! My friend has a 69, and I'd love to share you video with your unique knowledge and approach that honors these cars SO well! Thanks!

[@RareClassicCars]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jamesmcdonald5026]

Buick always made some of the most attractive and well designed American cars. I still have a '16 lacrosse and it the nicest, most comfortable car I've ever had.

[@scottdiamond7133]

Great video

[@howardgreenman2908]

It would appear the designers got the basic design down right from the start. Only smaller details like the lights and bumpers changed over the course of the different clay models. They must have recognized the body lines were so perfect from the start they didn’t need to be messed with.

[@markcollins457]

You pointed out something i noticed on many GM cars of this period. The front fender area above and forward of the wheel arch has similarities in the Riviera the Chevrolet full size the Nova and even the Corvair and Cadillac all have the same design theme. Its funny you mentioned this point its something that i noticed as a teen back in the 60's (Car nut for a long time).😊

[@sunahamanagai9039]

That was fascinating. However, I didn't really know La Salle that much so I went to look it up. Looks like it used to be a GM brand, an equivalent to Cadillac? So I take it La Salles were also designed under Bill Mitchell? To me it's a real shame those biplane bumpers were ditched. But an important element that was added after the La Salle proposal was the clam shell headlamps imo.

[@jefffixesit60]

That final LaSalle proposal (shown from 7:00~8:10), is indeed a beautiful design. I believe those are wire wheels with knockoffs, and I'm certain that there are 4 headlights! Two exposed high beams in the grill, plus two, outboard dual beams behind ribbed plexiglass, Miller-themed covers. A very cool look! Thanks as always Adam, you're the best 😁

[@oaklakeman]

The four door model looks a lot like the 1965 Electra 225

[@arthuroconnor4300]

The 4 door model looks a lot like a 65/66 Buick Electra 225

[@budmatto9205]

The 4 door concept is pretty interesting though I would think that it would have competed with the Bonneville and possibly even the high end Electra 225. It is pretty though - mid 60's GM styling is the best.

[@arnesahlen2704]

Extraordinary! THANK YOU ADAM🙏 for showing and describing these rare developmental takes on Riviera history. To quote a Nat King Cole hit song: "Unforgettable, that's what you are... "

[@67marlins]

This is a very good mini-documentary, befitting the legend of LaSalle and the well-intentioned thoughts of many intelligent folks at GM and Buick at that time. Well done, thanks for posting.

[@joecutro7318]

Thanks for this! Love that 4-door proposal. Sleek!

[@John-i3t9o]

On the 4 door Riv proposal, if one looks past the grille, it looks rather Lincolnese.

[@joen7795]

The 1963 to 1965 Rivieras I would rate as the absolute best styled autos in US history along with the 1965 Pontiac. I am a Chrysler apologist. I owned mopars but I should have gone GM then. (daylight opening? what's that?) The final 65-65 Riviera with EITHER 4 headlights exposed or hidden look great! ( I don't care for Cadillac Seville shear styling. At least a little of "Coke bottle" is much better in MHO. I don't like the 1966 Chevy II. Some do. I don't like it at all.) After 1965 Pontiac suffered badly from "change for the sake of change". GM could have continued 1965 styling for at least several years. But back then the belief was for yearly change. (As a Chrysler apologist - 1962 Fury and Dart they were NOT Exner styled. Exner did not approve! SO DROP IT ! Exner was in heart attack recovery, not capable of finalizing a "good" style. The front clip of the 1962 Plymouth was okay. Rear clip, totally unacceptable.) (Also: Put the 1960 Fury beside of the 1970 Porshe 917/30 Sunoco auto. That Porshe was a literal big winner. Exner was ahead of everyone! Excess? Absolutely. Aerodynamic? Absolutely.)

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩🍩☕️👀😎👍. As a kid the first one I saw 👀 at the Eastern Airline terminal, Silver & Black most beautiful car I had seen at the time ! 👍👍👍👍

[@brianmoore6306]

The four-door LaSalle model looks very similar to the 1965 Buick Electra 225. I had a '65 Electra and this looks very similar.

[@arnesahlen2704]

10:05 ish - haha, the vertical-bar grille recalls 1957 Plymouth. Super.to.see how many.views in just 1-2 hours. You've earned your popularity.

[@brianbrusseau3233]

My cousin, Mark Confortzi ,retired from becoming the chief designer at Ford, mentioned to me that the 1963 to 1965 Buick Riviera has been recognized by some of the worlds greatest automotive designers as one of best designed vehicles ever.

[@bmerlin376]

Great video! PLEASE do a video on all of the Riviera Silver Arrows. These were truly stunning cars that everybody overlooks.

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

GM had a decade or so of some of the most beautiful cars anywhere; and then it all went kerflooey. Nowadays one has to stare at the badge to know what it is.

[@allegory7638]

For May 1960 that clay buck was just light years from what was in production on that date.

[@pt008]

7:00 final 2-door proposal, looks like there are lights inside the clear fender front point/forms?

[@rager1969]

Yeah, the 1965 Nova and the 1910 Miller race car is like looking into a mirror. Did that sentence make sense? I hope not,

[@john-dz6wk]

When i was about 10 or so i liked this car i bought a model of 63 rivera put it together maybe painted it too i dont remember ,but it was my favorite car . J.f.pa.***

[@DennisNieves-fm4sl]

One of the most beautiful coups ever produced. One of my top ten cars i'd own if the chance. The boattail another.

[@Peter-w2e]

I really learn a lot from you. Thank you.

[@jonclassical2024]

Nice reporting again Adam, very much enjoyed. Happy Easter!

[@seH2i]

Looking at that badge at the rear below the trunk line at 5:15 it is close to what Chrysler 300's (2005 and up) have.

[@AlexanderWaylon]

It would be interesting if you explained the hierarchy of GM Design and why these designs get pushed down unchanged or they do not get allowed to make changes. I know you did a porch chat grazing this topic. However I think it would be really entertaining and informative about 20th century GM products if you explained how an incident like this takes place.

[@fob1xxl]

Georgeous car. One of GM's best. In my opinion, they even surpassed the design in the 1966.

[@UberLummox]

I'm split between the '65 & the '66. I had a '65 in the '80s. I ran an ad in an area swap & sell guide looking for one when I was about 17! The '66/7 has since grown on me. It's aged VERY well. Either way, they have to be thee best looking Post-War US cars.

[@randyfitz8310]

I drove a 1965 Riviera for several weeks when it was two decades (young trying to sell it for a friend) truly a wonderful motorcar.

[@barry5643]

Most or all of the front end treatments here are beautiful. I actually like the LaSalle grilles even more.

[@Colorado_Native]

At 2:54 that almost looks like a convertible top. Looks good. Thanks for posting this video. Good job.

[@john-dz6wk]

The front of that le salle without the lights on sides looke like chevy nova .***

[@mumwifeteacher]

Great looking car. Looks like cars 5 years newer

[@robertcox1726]

Outstanding bit of automotive history

[@timmcquerry6068]

Mid 60s Riviera's Always one of my VERY FAVORITE cars!😊

[@jamesengland7461]

That's one sleek car! I like every one of the proposals and the fruition

[@leaburnpatey2596]

The 4dr shows remnants of the styling of the front of 68 Caprice. The quarter panel flanks and skirt reminds me of the 71to 76 Pontiac Grandville

[@SomeGuyInSandy]

The four door Riviera near the end of the video... Almost everything from the front wheels back is pure Buick Electra 225. I had a 65 Electra, and it looked just like that.

[@onkelmicke9670]

Opel Admiral/Diplomat B