Vehicle Description
1969 Buick Riviera Hardtop
Riviera is a hallowed name in Buick history, and while it was
originally applied to GM's first hardtop version of the 1949
Roadmaster, a sister car to the Cadillac Coupe de Ville and
Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, it came to prominence as its own model for
the 1963 model year. This new car represented General Motors'
design department at the top of its game; it was a clean sheet
reimagination of a premium Buick coupe created by stylist Ned
Nickles and his team of designers and modelers, under the careful
direction of vice president of design Bill Mitchell.
For consignment, a 1969 Buick Riviera hardtop with a title verified
53,980 actual miles. In 1969, Buick's tag line was "Wouldn't you
really rather have a Buick?" and the ad for the Riviera claimed,
"the look is new, personal, and impressive." And we have to agree.
There's something special about this era of Buick, and the Riviera
design does not go unnoticed, more often than not finding a new
home, courtesy of Classic Auto Mall.
Exterior
A luxury car combined with a sports car is the mantra for this 1969
Riviera and the fascia, redesigned for '68, is striking in its
uniqueness which is quite the feat because '67 was unique in its
own right. Inboard hidden headlights become part of the grille
while bold marking lights provide square beacons on the outer edge
of a chrome bumper that is as much an aesthetic frame as a safety
device. Our car wears a coat of Copper Mist, the color it was born
with, and is dressed up with a polished rocker panel, wide window
trim, and Riviera spelled out on each of its four sides. Polished
15-inch chrome steel wheels and adherent shiny hubcaps add even
more flash to the fastback-like profile that ends with a tail that
rivals the front for interest, inset longitudinal tail lights
appear to squint at the base of a sloping deck lid and flow through
vents, and they're embedded in a chrome bumper that wraps around
and contours along a circular side marker. The paint and panels are
excellent and we could not find any glaring exterior flaws.
Interior
Black vinyl door panels are button tufted as was common in the era
and these show some patina and could use a careful detail to bring
them back to life. Cloth buckets with similar button tufting with
the driver's showing some age but are in very good condition
considering the soft texture of the velour, while the back bench
and passenger seat are in great shape. A simple black steering
wheel fronts a gauge cluster that is all squares, also period
popular, and has a mid-panel that is adorned with woodgrain
applique that surrounds several toggle switches and the climate
panel. To the right, an AM radio with the imaginative feature of
having BUICK spelled out on the five pushbuttons resides in its
factory home. Although the woodgrain vinyl is peeling from the
center console, the shift plate is chromed and arched and putting
it into gear is akin to nose up in an airplane, pulling through the
half circle until it clicks into D. Talk about party tricks and
conversation pieces! Meanwhile, black loop carpet covers the floor,
the stitch ribbed headliner is in nice condition, and the trunk
shows usage and would benefit from some new finishing mats.
Drivetrain
Surface rust makes an occasional appearance on an otherwise clean
engine, this one is a 430ci V8 rated at an impressive 360
horsepower, fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor and backed by a TH400
3-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the 10 bolt rear
axle with 3.07 gears. Power assisted drum brakes are noted on front
and rear wheels.
Undercarriage
The underside has its share of surface rust and patina, but it's
all there and sound in structure. Dual exhaust flows through
glasspack style mufflers before finding their way to the back where
they terminate behind the rear bumper. The pans are dry and so is
the rear differential. Suspension is your basic coil springs up
front and a 3 link with coil springs and panhard bar out back.
Drive-Ability
A few taps with the right foot primes the pump and we start the big
430 which sounds muscular upon firing. The moment we've been
waiting for, moving the shift lever into drive is half the fun of
driving this car! It's about as fun as when we got a Big Wheel with
the hand brake! Meanwhile, the car tracks straight on 60 series
tires and has good visibility outside of the broad C-pillars, while
delivering brisk acceleration and decent handling as well. Some
things we note as not working include the horn, the A/C, and the
epic headlight doors are not opening. Also, the power windows are
very slow. All other gauges, lights, and functions work as they
should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions
were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee
these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
This is a stunning car that will absolutely turn heads wherever it
goes. There's a list of incredibly daring cars that were released
in the 60's and the Riv ranks right up there as one of the most
unique. Less than 54,000 miles with solid bones and body makes this
a worthy candidate for your consideration. Rivs are special and
forever cool and this car will likely still be turning heads in 100
years. Buick needs to bring this shifter back, but for now, you can
own the original!
494879H939542
4-Buick
94-Riviera
87-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe
9-1969
H-Flint, MI Assy Plant
939542-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 69 49487-1969 Riviera 2 Door Hardtop
BODY EUC236238-Flint Body #
TR 698-Black Vinyl
PAINT 85B-Copper Mist, Black Top
04B-2nd Week April
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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