Buick Riviera is an elegant retro classic

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

"Buick Riviera" - a car that was produced in the United States from 1963 to 1999. In total, there were more than 1,100,000 of these machines in the world. They were loved for their great design and excellent technical performance.

Today the Buick Riviera is a luxury, retro car that can only be found in collections. After all, it is quite expensive. The very first generations of this model can be purchased for at least 2,500,000 rubles or more.

A bit of history

Buick's Riviera first appeared in 1949. It was one of the first dual-core hardtops. True, the more accurate name of the car sounded like Buick Roadmaster Riviera.

And in the 1950s, General Motors decided to build a self-contained car that would belong to the luxury class. And the first "Riviera" was released as a Cadillac XP-715 model. The style of the new car was incredibly elegant: pointed nose, low seating position. No wonder he quickly gained popularity. For any further changes, the leadership of Cadillac was notaccording to. It was enough for him that this model also sold superbly.

That is why in the 1960s the model with many changes migrated to the Buick brand. From the design side, the differences were minimal.

First Generation

The first-generation Buick Riviera featured a special body style. The car engine could be 2 options:

• 6, 57 L;
• 6, 96 y.

The model had a unique automatic transmission, distinguished by the presence of twin turbines. The brakes were hydraulic booster.

In October 1962, the Buick Riviera was presented to the audience. The minimum price of the model was 4333 US dollars. The following year, the company's specialists developed more powerful versions of the car, which made a splash among motorists. The new car could reach a maximum speed of up to 185 km/h.

Today, the first generation of the Riviera is considered very valuable by collectors. Indeed, at the time of its appearance, this car was the most luxurious and beautiful among all American cars.

Second Generation

1966 was marked by the release of a model in a new design. The body has become more figured, slightly lengthened and expanded. At the same time, there was no ventilation window. Due to the large dimensions and increased weight category with the same engine, the acceleration of the car became much slower. Thanks to this update, sales of the model immediately jumped up.

The 1967 Buick Riviera came out with a newengine. It was a new V8 engine with 360 horsepower. With. He showed real wonders of performance. During the operation of the car, fuel consumption has decreased significantly. This, too, could not but affect car sales - they grew noticeably.

Changes at the Buick Riviera happened every year. In 1968, a more rounded bumper design appeared. In 1969, the mesh grille changed its pattern, and the parking lights took on a different shape. In 1970, the designers did their best, and a completely different car came out in terms of styling. Inside, the engine has been noticeably improved.

Third generation

In 1971, "Riviera" came out again in an updated design. It was developed by Bill Mitchell and Jerry Hirshberg. The result - the car has lost its sporty character. And the main advantage of the new generation is the appearance of Max Trac. This is a special traction control system that did not allow slipping while driving on slippery roads.

The 1972 Buick Riviera hasn't changed much. At the same time, its sales dropped significantly. Therefore, they began to produce a car in smaller quantities.

The third generation Buick Riviera was unsuccessful, so the creators thought about changing the characteristics of the model.

Next Generations

In total, 8 generations of the Buick Riviera were produced. Every time something changed in him: either the inner content, or the appearance. As a result, in 1995 a model with a powerful engine was released. The car accelerated to 60 km / h in totalin 7 seconds. At the same time, the car appeared impressive dimensions. It turned out to be a kind of sleeper - very powerful, but at the same time invisible on city roads. In addition, it has become the most economical in fuel consumption.

In 2007, at the Shanghai Auto Show, the attention of many visitors was riveted by the new concept car "Riviera". In 2013, another version of the model was again presented at the auto show. Both machines were developed by the PATAC organization. They combine a pleasant retro appearance and modern electronics. This is a kind of rebirth of the Buick Riviera.

Reviews

About the Buick Riviera, the reviews of the owners are diverse. Of course, this is a luxury model that not everyone can afford. The older the car, the more expensive it is. But everyone who hunts for it wants to get their copy at any cost. Most often these are collectors who rarely use the Buick to get around.