Vehicle Description
1956 Buick Roadmaster Riviera 2-door Hardtop
On December 3, 1952, Buick's general manager, Ivan Wiles, boldly
predicted that the division would be selling 750,000 cars annually
by 1960. History had shown that a lot can happen in the
often-fickle auto industry over an eight-year span, but Wiles had
good reason to expect a rosy future. Wiles' prediction, it seemed,
was not only spot-on, but four years early. Buick's front office
fully expected that number to climb- Wiles reportedly offered a
new, optimistic 900,000-unit projection-when the assembly lines
were updated to begin production of the 1956 models.
For consignment, a Roadmaster Riviera Hardtop that was the
beneficiary of a complete restoration in the late 1990's and is
showing 75,447 title verified actual miles. The engine had
undergone a freshening up with new heads at this time as well. It
then went into storage unit this past summer, (2023), when it was
brought back to life and now lives in full living color, (well
actually black and white but it is truly a very colorful design and
has a whole palette of wonderful features).
Exterior
Led by the elimination of the racy "electric razor" grille in favor
of a more contemporary V-shape design the front end comes to us
replete with a circular model plate flanked by fine, horizontal
bars. Dagmar-style bumper guards were replaced by units containing
faux running lamps, their outer flank sporting a small, secondary
upper wrap-around bumper. The sweep-spear trim is crisp and
delicate and provides the delineation line between this car's upper
Dover White paint and lower Carlsbad Black. Paint retains its
luster and was well applied at the time of application. A few areas
of paint chip offs are seen on seams and nicely preserved chrome is
noted on the ventiports, which were elongated and have a swept-back
vibe. Roadmaster front fenders are crowned with Buick's traditional
"gunsight" ornament, while a jet-inspired hood ornament is recessed
into the panel and has a gridded opening for some airflow. Side
steel panels have the swoop spear which is nice and shiny and this
runs through panels which have well minded gaps along either side.
The roofline is just sexy with front and rear wrap around glass and
a very thin B pillar. Chrome edging is all over windows and glass
on its edges. For the back of the car the spear levels off on the
rear quarters and these form a chevron shape for the side view
where the tail lights are embedded. A nice wide trunk lid wraps
around the rear of the car and dives downward to a wrap around
bumper with openings on either corner for exhaust exits. Bands of
chrome wrap the trunk lid and a ROADMASTER badge is written across
the bottom. This large and in charge vehicle floats on 15 inch
chrome capped G78-15s which are bias plys from 1992.
Interior
In keeping with the exterior black and white theme, a swing of the
doors reveals white and black horizontal tuck and rolled door
panels which interplay to form shapes that house the actuator and
cranks and an integrated armrest. The white is slightly soiled and
cracked on the armrests. A foursome of power window toggles are
seen on the driver's side door. Inside, the split bench in front
and a full bench in back use some awesome 50's patterns with a
black seat that is tuck and rolled and sports a small asterisk and
50's star pattern within it. The pattern rolls up on to about a
third of the way old the backs where white takes over and utilizes
black piping to accentuate the seats shapes. A chrome strip covers
the edges and hinges for the backs. The back seat is in this same
pattern and stretches across for extra space to accommodate more
passengers along for the ride. A large white steering wheel with
chrome aplenty for the horn ring and tri star center fronts a wide
wrap around metal dash which has a black top, an aluminum
horizontal ribbed center strip where the speedometer resides along
with various square gauges below along with a few knobs and pulls
the radio and an above the glove box clock. Below this is a white
metal panel with more pulls, a few warning lights, and the
ignition. In its center is a large vertical ribbed chrome speaker
covering with a few surprise push outs. Below is the climate
control box. Black carpeting floods the floors and presents as very
clean. A white headliner is hanging tightly above and has a few
chromed ribs stretching across it for some extra bling.
Drivetrain
Under the hood in a patina engine bay sits a 322ci Fireball V8. It
is original to the car and has a single 4-barrel carburetor under a
massive air cleaner covering and large intake cylinder in black.
Some paint chip off is noted on the valve covers. A Dynaflow
2-speed automatic is on the back and works with a 3.36 geared rear
axle to move this mass of metal down the highway.
Undercarriage
Lots of patina and some heavy undercoating which has spotty black
rattle can areas of retouching is throughout the inner fenders and
floor pans. A solid X frame supports the car and an older dual
exhaust is noted with the passenger side having a large hole in it
and is very rusted. In front some oil blowback from the bottom end
is noted. The suspension includes front independent with coil
springs and rear leaf springs. Power drum braking is on all 4
corners.
Drive-Ability
The car fired right up and on the test track it performed well. The
car exhibited nice smooth acceleration, good bias free braking and
all functions were working nicely. The bias ply tires were a little
impedance to the overall handling.
An earlier restoration showing some age but still a wonderful
example of an era where chrome excess and design was king and sold
a helluva lot of cars for Buick. This example can be driven right
out of our door and into your garage to be enjoyed for years to
come. Or you could work it back to perfection fairly easily. Up top
you!
7C5008521
7-70 Series Roadmaster
C-1956
5-Wilmington, DE Assy Plant
008521-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
MOD 56 76N-1956 Roadmaster
STYLE NO 56 4737X-1956 Roadmaster Riviera 2 Door Hardtop Sport
Coupe
BODY NO BW********-Illegible
TRIM NO 731-Ivory Cordaveen & Black Star Nylon
PAINT NO CCA-Dover White, Carlsbad Black
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 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.
