Buick Riviera Cars For Sale In Canada

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The Riviera is the pinnacle of the Buick family of luxury coupes. The car was awarded with extravagant style and a colossal power reserve. The designers were tasked with combining the dynamics of Ferrari and the respectability of Rolls-Royce. The luxury coupe is based on the Oldsmobile Aurora. In the lines of the rear part of the roof, you really guessed Rolls-Royce, and the front fascia was "in the box", like on a Ferrari. The appearance of the Riviera had nothing to do with other Buick models of the era, although it used a standard Buick frame.sky, only shortened and narrowed. The model was produced exclusively with a coupe body, thus becoming one of the founders of the emerging American class of cars "personal luxury coupe". In an incomprehensible way, the Riviera caught everyone's attention and became the flagship of the Buick model line, immediately securing its success in the United States. In 1963, 40 thousand units were sold, in 1964 - 37658 units.

The base engine was a 401 cc V8 with 325 hp, but for only $ 50 a 425 cc, developing 340 hp could be ordered. The engines worked in tandem with a dual-band automaticcic transmission. The sophisticated suspension solution gave this rather massive (1717 kg) car an amazing liveliness. The anti-lock braking system facilitated effective braking. The impressive size of the model provided the driver and passengers with a comfortable seating in the cabin. The internal equipment was fully consistent with the class of the car.

In 1964, Riviera received a cosmetic, unobtrusive redesign, and the two-band "automatic" was changed to a three-band one. The next year they made changes to the front hourb body (the headlights were hidden behind the cladding, and the taillights were built into the bumper) and another 34,586 cars were sold. At the same time, a "sports" modification of the Grand Sports (GS) appeared, which included stiffer shock absorbers in the suspension, a relatively "sharper" steering wheel, rubber with a slightly lowered and widened profile on wheels of a dashing design. Optionally, the GS-model could be equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission and a 425 engine forced up to 360 forces, and its maximum speed was 125 mph.

In 1966, the production of the second generation Riviera began. Mashwell, completely renewed, making its shapes smoother and more curved. Now she had a common body with the Oldsmobile Toronado, but only the internal structure of the body was common, and the external cladding panels and, accordingly, the general appearance were very different from each other. The Riviera was a large squat coupe with a sloping top (fastback type), without B-pillars and a front end with protruding front fenders. The second generation received a longer wheelbase and a much more massive two-door coupe body. Sales increased to 45 thousand units. In 1967they stopped using 425 engines on Riviera and offered new 430 cc engines, which were more flexible, more reliable and produced the same 360 "horses".

In 1968, the appearance of the car was updated, retaining the wheelbase of 3.02 m. The uniqueness of the image disappeared. The Riviera became even more related to Oldsmobile's Toronado. But unlike the front-wheel-drive Toronado, the restyled Buick Riviera retained the rear-wheel drive. The grille and front bumper were redesigned, and the headlights were still hidden. A Gran Sport option was still offered and could accelerate the 4,222 lb coupe.130 mph. In 1969, the design remained practically unchanged: body moldings with a silver accent were added and the body contours changed slightly. In 1970, there was a redesign that brought a modified grille, similar to other Buick models, the headlights were no longer hidden, the body lines changed and, in general, the car became large and awkward.

In 1971, a completely updated Riviera comes out. The new look was so unusual that the car was either loved or hated. The exterior received an unusual design with a tapered tail section in stle "boattail" (boat stern) and a huge rear window. The "trendy" styling gave the car individuality, but scared off the general public. The average American shopper was unprepared for such a catchy appearance. As a result, sales fell below thirty-five thousand cars annually, despite the fact that in 1969, Riviera cars of not the most successful model managed to sell almost 53 thousand units. In 1973, almost everything remained unchanged: the same design, albeit with a reduced "tail", the same 455 V8, producing 250 liters.with.

In the crisis 70s, along with the general loss of its "face" by American cars, the Riviera also loses its originality. In 1974, the Riviera lost its boat tail and elegant body lines, and the weight increased to 4,572 pounds. The 455 cc motors now only produced 210 hp. net and continued to decline in power. Power continued to decline until 1978, when the 455 was replaced with 350 and 403 cc V8s. The car did not win fans. Big, untidy, with sluggish plastic of the side surfaces, with boring and inexpressivewith an integral roof line. Sales fell again. It was not possible to sell more than 20 thousand cars of this sample per year, and in 1975 only 17306 copies were able to find their buyer. However, the car was kept in production for three years. In 1979, the Riviera received front-wheel drive. The car has become shorter and lighter, in addition to its traditional 8-cylinder traction, it has found a 6-cylinder (turbocharged V6), and in addition to its traditional closed version, since 1982, an open one. The demand for the updated car has jumped sharply.

Next"Facelifting" was required only by 1986, and it affected mainly the rear end of the body. True, at the same time the car lost its version with a V8 engine and henceforth was supplied only in a six-cylinder version. Not released after 1985 and open model. In 1989, a restyling was made, the model was lengthened by 11 inches (approximately 26 cm). In this form, the model (which in 1991 received a new radiator grill) was produced until 1993. The 1994 Riviera does not exist.

The new Riviera appeared only in 1995 (on the front-wheel drive G-platform), being releasedLinen in the then fashionable "bionic style", which is characterized by smooth contours. This generation has sold 23,350 pieces. By 1997, sales had dropped to 14,097 vehicles. Buick decided to release the 1999 Riviera as a limited edition. About 200 of this number went on sale under the name Silver Arrow. These modifications received a special shade of silver paint and the corresponding emblem.

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