Buick Series 40 Special Riviera

Buick introduced the Riviera midway through the sales year in 1955. Before it became its own line of Buicks, it was the elite luxury trim for the Series 40 Special, Buick Century, and most other cars produced by Buick. They were the first 4-door pillarless hardtops to hit the market.

Even though collectors tend to ignore the Special, these cars were built with the same Nailhead V8 that other larger Buicks were designed with. On top of that, they’re smaller than other Buicks of the time making them the highest rated cars that Buick produced for pure performance. On top of that, because they’re not considered among the most desirable options for collectors, they also sell for much cheaper than Centuries or other larger Buicks.

The Buick Riviera

By 1963, the Riviera was no longer a trim line. Buick began producing Rivieras and only stopped in 1999. By then, personal luxury cars were not dominating the market. There was a new player in the game: SUVs. In the years that followed, unibody crossovers would take over the whole market as Americans demanded height from their vehicles.

Nonetheless, the Riviera began as a foray into the prestige niche. These cars were meant to compete with highly touted and flashy European luxury cars. In fact, the name Riviera itself was a reference to the French Riviera. But one American company had already produced a highly successful personal luxury car. You may have heard of it. It was called the Ford Thunderbird.

GM was interested in breaking into the luxury market and used the Riviera name to do it. Rivieras were prestige models of cars like Special and the Century. The Riviera’s angular design was inspired by Rolls Royce. Chief designer, Bill Mitchell said that he wanted the car’s shape to resemble a knife’s edge.

In 1960, however, Buick was struggling with sales. The corporate leadership at GM was not at all interested in what Buick was trying to sell them. They decided to let each of their subsidiary companies compete to pitch them a personal luxury car model that they could get behind. Buick needed a win and they got it. In 1963 Buick produced the first Riviera Silver Arrow.

The Riviera had a distinctive look and feel. It sat on Buick’s cruciform body frame. On top of that, Buick added their twin turbine automatic transmission. The Riviera was not only meant to look good; it also had several features that improved its driveability Power steering was standard and the lighter body frame increased the performance of its Nailhead V8 engine. The wheelbase was only 177 inches, which was small for a Buick and it was only offered as a 2-door hardtop.

Sales of the Riviera increased year after year and established Buick as a major player with a legitimate prestige offering. Rivieras continued to be produced until 1999. But in 2013, Buick produced a concept Riviera for the Shanghai Motor Show. This Riviera featured electromagnetic suspension and 4-wheel steering – a nod to Buick’s tradition of producing eminently driveable cars.