Vehicle Description
The day of the Riviera has arrived. For those of us who love these
cars, we've known for years that machines like this 1970 Buick
Riviera have been almost criminally under-valued. That's changing,
and once you see the extent of the preservation and quality of the
restoration and the long list of features in this gentleman's
muscle car, you'll understand why these are very special cars.
The Riv was fully redesigned in 1966 and incrementally updated
until 1970 when it received a final facelift for the 2nd
generation, and there are a great many enthusiasts who believe the
'70 is the best-looking of the bunch. Looking at this gorgeous Red
coupe (it's not quite Titan Red, but it's close), it's hard to
argue. For many years, the values on these cars meant that
restorations were rarely done properly and you never saw a big
investment. That's definitely not the case here, with
laser-straight bodywork, beautiful, higher driver-quality paint
with a deep shine, and good panel fit throughout. The work is about
three years old so it's no longer perfect, but you're going to have
to look pretty hard to see the flaws and touch-ups. The shape is as
striking today as it was 50 years ago, conveying a sense of power
and competence without resorting to stripes and wings. No, this is
a car for grown-ups, but you don't have to be shy to own it,
because you're going to get A LOT of attention. The chrome is in
good order, with massive bumpers fore and aft, the fender skirts
offer a touch of class, and that unique baleen-like front grille is
really an awesome design feature for the '70 model.
The beautiful white interior appears to be a combination of
preserved and restored components, with the previous owners using
correct patterns and materials when they were needed over time, and
it's always cool to see buckets and a console in a full-sized
luxury car. The dash would set the pace for Buick for the next
decade and this car is loaded with options including cold factory
A/C (with R134a refrigerant), a tilt wheel, power windows, and that
cool speed alert system inside the speedometer. Gauges cover only
the basics, so they've added a trio of auxiliary gauges under the
dash, just ahead of the middle console. And we have to say this
might be the coolest shifter ever. There's an aftermarket AM/FM/CD
stereo that sounds great, and inside the hushed Buick interior
(thanks in large part to the contrasting black carpet below), sound
quality matters, and there's a custom amplifier and a subwoofer
that handles the tunes. Out back, the absolutely cavernous trunk is
neatly finished with black carpets and has enough room to
accommodate almost any traveler.
That's the original, numbers-matching 455 cubic inch V8 under the
hood, which was rated at a very substantial 370 horsepower and a
towering 500 pounds of torque. It makes the big Riv feel downright
fast, but it's effortlessly smooth under all circumstances and just
ignores the drag of things like A/C and power steering. Dante Red
paint on the block gives it a traditional Buick look and the proper
'GS 455' decal on the snorkeled air cleaner lets everyone know
right away that this Riv can handle itself if it needs to. It
appears to be almost entirely stock, including the big Rochester
4-barrel carburetor that replaced the dual quads when the 425-inch
V8 was dropped. Factory exhaust manifolds feed a mellow-sounding
dual exhaust system which uses chambered mufflers for a factory
rumble. The TH400 3-speed automatic transmission was the only
option, but you already know it's indestructible, and the beefy
10-bolt rear end houses highway-friendly gears. Note that this car
has not spent its life being abused and it looks fantastic sitting
on Buick Road Wheels and big 225/75/15 Hankook white-wall
radials.
If you've been admiring these cars, now is the time to buy because
they won't be getting cheaper. This one stands out and gets
everything right, and it's still a fraction of the price of a
Chevelle or GTO. Documented with an original Protect-O-Plate, RPO
card, and owners manuals, this is the Riv you've been waiting for.
Call today!