Vehicle Description
1995 Buick Riviera
The Riviera name first appeared on a special 1949 Roadmaster that
made the history books as the first hardtop coupe, providing an
open greenhouse with no B-pillar. Still, most old-car fans consider
the Riviera to have been born in 1963. The 1963 version Riviera was
designed to compete in the hot new "personal luxury" segment
launched by the 1958 Ford Thunderbird four-seater. These powerful,
intimate, well-appointed cars were selling well-92,798 T-Birds in
1960, a big jump over the 21,380 two-seaters sold in 1957. Style
and flair sold cars in this market, so Buick design chief Bill
Mitchell specified a "Ferrari-Rolls-Royce" look with a long hood
and a short deck-aggressive, yet elegant. Thx to Csaba Csere from
CnD for his help on this script!
For consignment, a low mileage, (30,545), supercharged, European
emulated aero design 1995 Buick Riviera. There are a few faults on
the cosmetic front, and it may be in our dancing noodle section of
Classic Auto Mall, however the design and supercharger lends this
luxury coupe merit to occupy our Hallowed Halls.
Exterior
It's an adventurous design in both profile and detail. The overall
shape is relentlessly curvaceous, with hardly a flat panel to be
found. Both ends of the body are strongly tapered, particularly in
front where you can see just as much of the nose of the car from
the side as you can from head on. The rear end also tucks in,
though somewhat more modestly, to firmly grasp the full-width tail
light assembly. From the side, the Riviera looks to have a touch of
cab-forward design, with the greenhouse set substantially forward
on the body. It also has the downward curving trunk line that Buick
employs on the LeSabre/Park Avenue and that appears in more
exaggerated form on the Infiniti J30 and several other models. The
long, smooth curves of the Riviera's body are unusually free of cut
lines and extraneous chrome trim. There's some brightwork around
the grille, the taillights, and the side windows, but otherwise,
there's only a neat body-colored trimming set into the sides. The
full length character line that runs atop the fender breaks up the
smooth flanks nicely. Platinum Beige Metallic bathes the panels
which have well minded gaps. The body does contain some overall
scratches and dings, as well as on the rocker there is an "ouchie"
of pulled away plastic. The mid section 3 dimensional trimming has
peeling paint, The wheel hubs look like the Weather Channel
hurricane logo on the radar, and these wheels are a bit rough with
some peeling paint on the edges and they have been curbed.
Interior
Buick designers continued on the same adventurous path when they
styled the Riviera's interior. The only traditional touch is the
large cowl that extends from door to door and overhangs the entire
instrument panel. On the other hand, the new-look dashboard is
flat, simple, and decorated far less than any other Buicks. Visual
interest centers on the large, round, white-on-black instrument
dials, the round warning-light clusters, and the round air vents.
In fact, the theme uses 16 such circular elements. Except for a
slight offset between the steering column and the main instrument
cluster, the layout is symmetrical and coherent. The climate
controls and the stereo system are easily reached in the center of
the dash and everything is nicely accessible and easy to see. Some
of the vast, plastic surfaces may seem uninviting in a premium car,
but Buick has applied plush materials judiciously, ( like large
grain walnut applique peppering the dash and doors as well as the
console), where they work to the best effect. For example, as the
dashboard wraps into the doors, the facing material switches from
veneer to soft plastic, and the panels near your elbows are
luxuriously padded. The seats offer similar evidence of intelligent
design. Their padding and shape were developed after extensive
research into seating-pressure distribution, the goal being to
avoid the pressure points that can cause discomfort during long
drives. The back seat is comfortable and decently roomy for a
two-door car. Two adults will find ample legroom and adequate
headroom in the outboard seating positions, while the center
position is best reserved for small fry. This rear seat is easily
as good as any offered by its competitors. Beige carpeting is below
and shows a bit of staining and discoloration, and above is a fuzzy
beige broadcloth headliner which has a few wrinkles on the edge of
the retractable sunroof panel.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a factory correct3.8 Liter supercharged V6. It
has EFI and on the back is a 4T60E 4-speed automatic transmission,
and a 2.97 final drive axle. Dual exhausts are on for the easier
exhale. All fairly clean and corrosion free and considering how
much cast aluminum no corrosion is a real plus.
Undercarriage
Underneath rust free framing and stamped floor pans are noted. No
rust whatsoever is on this undercarriage. Independent Macpherson
struts are on front, and on back independent coil springs for the
suspension. Power disc braking is all around.
Drive-Ability
As I slipped inside it was luxurious in an American way, although
it appeared as a European car would. It fired right up and off to
the test track where it performed nicely with bias free braking,
and good acceleration. The horn button is now on the dash, (which
begs the question why wouldn't one just fix the damn thing?!), the
ABS light is always illuminated, and the windshield washer has
given up on squirting. Also noted the dash top is a different color
than the factory original which could be a replacement due to sun
fade.
A Euro design, some supercharging to add excitement, and a nicely
appointed interior leave me with a smile as it is decidedly Buick,
but with a European look. The dinner bell is ringing.
1G4GD2217S4711108
1-USA
G-General Motors
4-Buick
GD-Riviera
2-2 Door Coupe
2-Manual Belts, Front Airbags
1-3.8 Liter V6 Supercharged
7-Check Digit
S-1995
4-Orion, MI Assy Plant
711108-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
