This is a 1965 Buick Riviera GS, its restoration was completed in 2017, and it still retains its matching numbers 425 cubic inch, 360 bhp “Nailhead” V8 putting out 465 lb ft of torque.
The first generation Riviera is perhaps best-remembered today for its headlights, which on some variants were hidden behind doors in the fender grilles. The Riviera was General Motors’ first concerted entry into the personal luxury car genre – dominated at the time by the likes of the Ford Thunderbird.
Fast Facts: The Buick Riviera GS
- This 1965 Buick Riviera GS was restored in 2017 and keeps its matching-numbers 425 cubic inch Nailhead V8, rated at 360 bhp and 465 lb ft of torque. It represents the top performance specification for the model year, paired with a Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission.
- The Riviera debuted in 1963 as General Motors’ focused entry into the personal luxury segment, aimed squarely at the Ford Thunderbird. Built on its own platform, the first generation combined sharp styling, rear-wheel drive, and V8 performance in a more restrained, European-influenced package.
- Designed under Bill Mitchell’s leadership, the 1963 to 1965 Riviera earned widespread praise from leading automotive figures including William Lyons, Sergio Pininfarina, and Raymond Loewy. Later generations evolved in size and character, including the dramatic 1971 to 1973 boat tail models and a 1979 shift to front-wheel drive.
- This example is finished in code 624 Flame Red with a white vinyl interior and wood trim. Equipment includes power steering, power brakes, power windows, AM FM radio, power antenna, and power trunk release. It is scheduled to cross the block at Mecum’s Glendale auction on March the 20th.
History Speedrun: The Buick Riviera
The Buick Riviera was a personal luxury car produced by General Motors from 1963 to 1999, spanning eight generations and for almost 40 years. The Riviera was originally developed as GM’s response to the Ford Thunderbird which had enjoyed significant sales success – the Riviera was marketed under the Buick nameplate but stood apart from the rest of the lineup – it was never a high-volume model, and that was very much by design.
The first generation Riviera is perhaps best-remembered today for its headlights, which on some variants were hidden behind doors in the fender grilles. The Riviera was General Motors’ first concerted entry into the personal luxury car genre – dominated at the time by the likes of the Ford Thunderbird. Image courtesy of General Motors.
The first-generation Riviera (built from 1963 to 1965) was a sharply styled hardtop coupe with a distinctive coke-bottle silhouette, penned under the direction of Bill Mitchell. Built on a unique platform shared with no other GM vehicle at launch, it had a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and was powered by Buick’s 401 or 425 cubic inch “Nailhead” V8s. It earned praise early on for its styling, elegance, and its excellent performance, especially compared to the many bulkier American luxury cars of the time.
The design of the first-gen Riviera was so successful that the usually reserved Jaguar founder and designer Sir William Lyons commented that the team at Buick had done “a very wonderful job”, Sergio Pininfarina went one step further by saying that it was “one of the most beautiful American cars ever built; it has marked a very impressive return to simplicity of American car design.”
When it debuted at the Paris Auto Show, legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy said the Riviera was the “handsomest American production car” – apart from his own Studebaker Avanti of course.
In subsequent generations, the Riviera grew in size and luxury, often following along with General Motors’ overall design trends. The 1971 – 1973 “boat tail” Riviera remains one of the most polarizing and memorable American car designs of the era, with its fastback rear and prominent styling cues drawn from classic boat-tail speedsters – it’s considered highly collectible today.
Along with much of the rest of the industry, the Riviera underwent downsizing and platform shifts during the late 1970s and 1980s, eventually transitioning to front-wheel drive for the 1979 model year. The focus slowly shifted from opulence and overt luxury to technology, like early attempts at touchscreen controls and more modern interiors.
This is one of those automotive ads that people still talk about decades later. Image courtesy of General Motors.
The final eighth-generation Riviera (built from 1995 to 1999) returned to a curvier design, it was powered by a 3800 Series II V6 engine and was even offered with optional supercharging. Production ended after 1999 due to declining sales and changing market tastes, it seems unlikely the Riviera will ever make a comeback as an all-new model – but stranger things have happened.
The 1965 Buick Riviera GS Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1965 Buick Riviera GS finished in red, and now benefitting from a restoration that was completed in 2017. It keeps its factory-fitted, matching-numbers engine – the 425 cubic inch, 360 bhp Nailhead V8 with a hefty 465 lb ft of torque.
Power is sent back through a Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission, and the car rides on factory wheels shod with period-correct rubber. The paint is code 624 Flame Red and the car has a White vinyl interior with wood trim and a center console.
The car you see here is a 1965 Buick Riviera GS finished in red, and now benefitting from a restoration that was completed in 2017. It keeps its factory-fitted, matching-numbers engine – the 425 cubic inch, 360 bhp Nailhead V8 with a hefty 465 lb ft of torque.
As you might expect, it has power steering, power brakes, and power windows, and it has a factory AM/FM radio, a power antenna, a power trunk release, and a spare wheel and jack.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum on March the 20th in Glendale, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
