Vehicle Description
A coupe like this 1964 Buick Riviera is all about being a premium
V8 personal cruiser, but this one is a bit different. It's almost
more like a barn find story where this car has spent two decades
hidden away, and now after a big $$$$ investment, it has been
properly resurrected to hit the road and tell its story.
This first-gen Riviera ushered in a new age of style at Buick.
There were less chrome and more graceful angles that seemed to let
this coupe live up to its European namesake. But this one also has
a very American kind of history. It was long-term owned and spent
the last 20 years hidden from the roads. The car shows this history
with its correct Marlin Blue looking quite clean and complete in
the pictures, but when you take it to cars & coffee, there's an
aged-in style that's a catalyst to talk about its history. And the
reason why people will talk about this car is that we love the
first-gen Riviera. It was part of a new wave of premium personal
cruisers. So people don't have many stories about their dad owning
one, but they remember his boss having one. These were also famous
for bringing in the true Bill Mitchell era of styling GM. The
Riviera used brightwork more sparingly than its 1960s
contemporaries, so you truly recognize its placement. This is seen
on the wrap-around bumpers, cool Riviera-specific hood ornament,
and decorative intakes on the quarter panels. And the Rallye wheels
are a nice finishing touch for a vintage touring attitude.
A complimenting shade of blue inside makes for a striking color
combo against the exterior. The presentation looks highly original,
which means a ton of great details. You have button-top seating,
matching door panels, pillarless hardtop profile, and even the
classic AM/FM radio is still there for display. We especially love
the working interior light package that greets you with
illumination from the center console and C-pillars. And a personal
cruiser means this is a great driver's car. Bucket seats, a center
console, and a floor shifter are engaging. The factory dual-spoke
steering wheel gives you a commanding view of the brushed stainless
round gauge package.
Under the hood, you'll find a correct-style 401 cubic-inch Nailhead
V8. The engine bay is clean and has the same survivor-style
presentation as the rest of this car. But the real story comes from
digging deeper into the fundamentals. We have receipts for over $7k
invested within the last year to get this Riviera resurrected for
the road properly. It includes new items like spark plugs, wires, a
distributor, hoses, a water pump, an electronic ignition, and a
full fluid flush. They rebuilt key components like the fuel pump,
master cylinder, and four-barrel carburetor. It fires up readily
and runs strong where even supporting components are nice, like the
new Die Hard battery and aluminum radiator. It also has the right
easy cruising features like a three-speed automatic transmission,
power steering, power brakes, and a new set of modern touring
tires.
What we love about this car is that it's clean and quite complete,
but it's also imperfect inside and out. That extra age seems to be
a great catalyst to talk about its decades being hidden away.
There's value in the price if you want to budget for a respray or
redo the upholstery. But no matter how you choose to enjoy this
Buick, there have been the right investments to ensure you'll enjoy
the drive from day one. Call now!
