1972 Buick Riviera Classic Retro car
The Buick Riviera is a nameplate that was used for many decades by the Buick Company, lasting from 1963 through 1999 with a total production reaching 1,127,261. TheBuick Company has been in business since 1902; actually David Dunbar Buick had a company that affixed porcelain to cast iron. In 1899 the plumbing business was sold and the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company was formed. The purpose of this company was to produce gasoline engines, mostly for farm and marine use. In 1902 the company was reorganized as theBuick Manufacturing Company. As such, the Buick name is one of the old continuous automobile producers in American history - and the world.The Riviera name has been in use for nearly four of those decades. But its history also goes much deeper, as the name 'Riviera' first appeared on a Buick in 1949. It was used to designate the new two-door pillarless hardtop, known as the Roadmaster Riviera. A couple of years later, in 1951, the Riviera was used to designate the Super 4-door sedan. The Super Riviera had a wheelbase that was 4-inches longer than the standard Buick Super and featured luxurious appointments such as extra interior trim. The Roadmaster still outclassed the Riviera, but it was close.
1972 Model of luxury car- Buick Riviera
Buick again used the 'Riviera' name in 1955, this time for its four-door pillarless hardtop vehicles. For the next few years, the 'Riviera' hardtops would be available on all Buick lines, which included the Buick Special, Buick Century, Buick Super and the Buick Roadmaster.The name 'Riviera' appeared alongside other model names until 1963, when it finally became its own model. Buick had been watching the market change during the 1950s with popular personal luxury car introduction such as the Ford Thunderbird. The Thunderbird had done really well at targeting a unique niche; its two-door sporty performance was similar to that of a Jaguar E-Type and Chevrolet Convertible, but not to the extreme. It married both comfort and performance into a package that was highly sought after by the American public.
The first generation of the Riviera had a distinct and memorable design; the third generation followed suite. It had a 'boat-tail', fastback two-door hardtop design courtesy of Bill Mitchell's guidance and designed by Jerry Hirshberg. The wheelbase was extended to 122-inches and powered by a 455 cubic-inch V8 engine. In order to comply with EPA emission standards, the compression ratio was lowered and horsepower now rated at 255. The Gran Sport had a slightly higher rating, at 265.
The design of the third generation Riviera was not well received, as sales were at 33,810. This was nearly identical the following year, with 33,728.
In 1974 the 'boat tail' roofline was replaced with a more conventional design. Most of the front end design was retained, such as the grille which came to a point and jutted forward. Slight modifications were made to keep it modern, but by doing so it lost some of its distinction. A landau half-vinyl roof was available on the list of options, as was the Stage One package which had replaced the Gran Sport in the prior year. A total of 34,080 Gran Sports had been produced.
In 1975 the front-end was modified, losing its forward-jutting appearance and incorporating quad rectangular headlights into its design. In the rear, the parking lights in the fenders wrapped around the sides. Sales for 1975 were 17,306 and raised slightly for 1976, at 20,082.
The Stage One was no longer available in 1975; in its place Buick offered the S/R which did have performance features, just not as potent as its predecessors.
The trend towards large cars had been appropriate with larger engines. As emission standards, government regulations and oil embargos had lowered the horsepower rating for the engines, most marques reduced the size and weight of their vehicles. For the Riviera in 1977, the size decreased and now built atop the B-platform. The wheelbase measured 115.9-inch wheelbase and a length of 218.2-inches. The standard engine was a 5.7-liter V8 which offered 115 horsepower. A more powerful 6.6-liter Oldsmobile engine was available, improving horsepower to 185.
1978 was Buicks 75th anniversary and to celebrate they offered a special 'LXXV' option for the Riviera which included a special two-tone paint scheme and additional luxury amenities.
Combined, sales for 1977 and 1978 were nearly 50,000, at 46,673. Of the two years, 1977 was the stronger with a total of 26,138.
In 1979, the Riviera was redesigned and reconstructed. It had a front-wheel drive layout for the first time, sat on a 114-inch wheelbase, and shared a design with the Oldsmobile Toronado and the Cadillac Eldorado. Motor Trend named it their 'Car of the Year.' A variety of engines were available including the Buick 350, and a turbocharged V6 engine that displaced 3.8-liters and produced 185 horsepower. The 350 was dropped in 1981 and replaced with an Oldsmobile 5-liter unit with 140 horsepower. By this time, the V6 252 cubic-inch engine was now standard.
In 1982, the big news was the addition of a convertible. This was the first time a convertible was offered on the Riviera. The following year, the Riviera Convertible was asked to pace the cars of the Indianapolis 500.
In 1986 the design and construction again changed, now having a unit body construction. The wheelbase measured 108-inches with a length of 187.2-inches. The engine lurking beneath the hood was a V6 which had a SAE rating of just over 140. A four-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 440-T4 was the only gearbox available. Disc brakes were standard. The Buick Riviera was ranked fourth on Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1986.
Sales were low for this generation of the Riviera. The best year was in 1986 which saw 22,138. Things went south from there, with 1989 being one of the better years with 21,189 units produced. For 1993, only 4,555 units were produced, partially due to its shortened model year.
The Riviera name was not used in 1994 but re-appeared in 1995 on a G-body platform. The car had a 231 cubic-inch V6 engine and an optional supercharger which had 225 horsepower. Horsepower increased in 1996 to 240. The design was very modern featuring a rounded and curveacous body. The wheelbase measured 113.8-inches and had a length of
1972 Buick Riviera American sports car
On October 4th of 1962, Buick introduced their Riviera as a 1963 model. It carried a base price of just over $4,330 with most customers adding additional equipment and driving the price in the $5,000 range. Production was limited to just 40,000 units.Considering other American luxury-performance machines of the time, the Buick was one of the best. It had luxury, low weight, superior performance, and style. Motor Trend traveled from zero-to-sixty in eight seconds and reached the vehicles top speed at 115 mph. The large V8 engines did not help the vehicles gas mileage which was about 14 mpg.
The Riviera's second year of production saw little changes. The 'R' emblem now appeared on the Riviera and would stay there for the next thirty-six years of production. The most dramatic change was with the gearbox, which saw the Twin Turbine replaced for a three-speed Super Turbine 400, also known as the Turbo Hydra-Matic. The 401 engine was no longer available; in its place was the 425 cubic-inch unit which offered 340 horsepower. A second engine was available, the Super Wildcat, which used dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors which boosted power to 360.