Vehicle Description
1979 Buick RivieraVery low mileage: 22,848 miles with
documentationOne family owned car since newPurchased new at Gilbert
Buick in Ellisville Missouri on 2/16/1979Debut year for
sixth-generation model; first year for front-wheel drivePastel Blue
exterior (code 21) with Light Blue Landau (code 22T) vinyl roofBlue
cloth interior (code 161)350 CID V-8 engine with four-barrel
carburetor (VIN code R)Turbo Hydramatic 325 three-speed automatic
and a 2.41 final driveAir-conditioning, cruise control, power
steering, power brakes (front discs), six-way power driver?s seat
and power front passenger seat, power windows, power locks, power
antenna, tinted glass, remote driver and passenger sideview
mirrors, auto-level control, tilt steering column, intermittent
windshield wipers, side window defrosters, cornering lights,
digital clock and electric truck releaseDocumentation includes
original owner?s manual in selling dealer?s original envelope;
original bill of sale; Federal Communication Commission?s Rules and
Regulations Part 95 for Citizens Radio Service booklet, various
receipts and copy of the broadcast sheet This one family owned,
outstanding low mileage Riviera has been garaged and pampered all
of its life and really shows! The Buick was purchased at Gilbert
Buick in Ellisville Missouri on 2/16 of 1979 by John and Mildred
Hartman of St. Louis Missouri. They owned and cared for the car
until 2013 and then the Riviera was inherited by their
nephew.Converting it to front-wheel drive and restyling it like its
sister cars from Cadillac and Oldsmobile did wonders for the sales
figures of Buick?s Riviera in 1979. This excellent example has
fewer than 23,000 miles on it! After sending its full-size sedans,
coupes and station wagons through the downsizing machine in 1977,
followed by its mid-size models in 1978, it was GM?s large,
personal luxury trio?s turn in 1979. This car is nearly a foot
shorter than the previous model year Riviera with a two-inch drop
in wheelbase.Manufactured in GM?s Linden, New Jersey factory (VIN
code E), during the first week of December 1978, this Riviera was
shipped to Art Haack Buick in St. Louis, Missouri. However, it
ended up across town at Gilbert Buick, where it served as a
demonstrator car until February 16, 1979, when John and Mildred H.
bought it with 1,132 miles on the odometer. They drove the car
until their nephew, Larry F., inherited it on September 12, 2013.
He stored the car until July 31, 2018. One of 52,181 Rivieras made
in 1979; one of 37,881 Rivieras made with this engine.Finished in
an unusual Pastel Blue (code 21) that resembles Mint Green in
certain light, the car?s paint and trim are in overall excellent
order for being 40 years old. The car has a complementing, heavily
padded (code C04) Light Blue Landau vinyl roof (code 22T) with
opera lamps that is in remarkably good shape for its age. Notable
are the condition of the fiberglass filler panels between the
bumpers and the body. The front one shows minor blemishes while the
rear one looks great. This Riv?s bodywork is straight and solid,
the engine bay is extremely tidy, the battery appears new and the
chrome bumpers are in very good order. That year, the Riviera
received an all-new, fully independent front and rear suspension
with torsion bars, a standard rear stabilizer bar and transverse
leaf springs. It rolls on Goodyear Invicta (most appropriate!)
whitewall radials, size 205/75R15 at all four corners. Each tire is
mounted on a steel wheel topped by a wire wheel cover. All tires
and wheels are in very good shape.Under that long hood is a 350 CID
V-8 engine (VIN code R) with a four-barrel carburetor. Backing this
motor is a Turbo Hydramatic 325 three-speed automatic transmission
and 2.41:1 gearing. Driver convenience features are plentiful ?
air-conditioning, cruise control, power steering, power brakes
(front discs), six-way power driver?s seat and power front
passenger seat, power windows, power locks, power antenna, tinted
glass, remote driver and passenger sideview mirrors, auto-level
control, tilt steering column, intermittent windshield wipers, side
window defrosters, cornering lights, digital clock and an electric
truck release.Inside, the optical illusion continues as the car has
a blue cloth (code 161) interior that appears green at certain
times of day. The 55/45 split front bench seat is in excellent
condition, as is the rear bench. The matching carpet mirrors the
seats? condition. The nearly flat floor provides additional foot
and leg room compared to a similarly sized rear-drive car. The
headliner is also in nearly flawless order and includes reading
lamps for those in back along with the standard overhead courtesy
lamp. The fuel gauge stays on half full when power is off. The
inner door panels are in great condition though drivers should take
care where they park because the doors are longer and heavier than
those on most contemporary vehicles. The instrument panel is in
near-excellent order, too, and finished in a wood veneer for added
warmth. That veneer spills on to door panels as well. Rounding out
the interior is a factory AM/FM stereo with a Cobra CB radio
(that?s a 10-4, good buddy!).Nineteen seventy-nine saw the debut of
the first front-wheel-drive Riviera. Built on a trimmer, 114-inch
wheelbase, it shared its mechanical design and platform with that
year?s Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado. The Riviera
became Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1979, the first Buick so
honored since 1962. Styled in the traditional long-hood, short-deck
personal luxury car proportions, the car?s laid-back windshield
angle and its formal, sharp rear roofline (at some angles, the rear
window appears to be past 90? vertical!) proved to be a new
expression in luxury. Coupe competition to this Riviera in 1979
included BMW?s 6-series, Buick?s own Electra, Cadillac?s Coupe de
Ville and Eldorado, Chrysler?s Cordoba and LeBaron, Dodge?s
Diplomat, Lincoln?s Continental Mark V, Mercedes-Benz?s 280CE,
Mercury?s Cougar and Oldsmobile?s 98 and Toronado. Documentation
includes original owner?s manual in selling dealer?s original
envelope; original bill of sale; Federal Communication Commission?s
Rules and Regulations Part 95 for Citizens Radio Service booklet,
various receipts and copy of the broadcast sheetJust as when it
debuted in 1963 and when it was re-designed in a ?boat-tail? style
in 1971, the Riviera was meant to inform others that you had
arrived, you made it big. This is an exceedingly well taken care of
survivor that rides and drives great and must be seen in person to
be fully appreciated. Make a point to stop by MotoeXotica Classic
Cars to view it today!VIN: 4Z57R9E110836This car is currently
located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on
the odometer shows 22,849 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a
clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!Note:
Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to
the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.
