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If
you mention Buick Riviera to any enthusiast they talk will inevitably
focus on one model. The boattail.
Which is interesting as
this unique car was considered a flop. In that assessment it enjoys
a similar infamy as the Edsel Ford. Cars that polarise buyers to the
extent it reduces sales. Yet, in the passage of time they become
collector items, highly sought after for not just uniqueness, but
also rarity. It was a bold move by
Buick to produce a boattail - a style popular in the 1920s and 30s.
The difference between
the original boattails and the Buick Riviera is the American car
plays homage to the boattail, rather than re-create the full boattail
appearance. The original boaties actually had a full rear end in the
triangular shape of a boattail of that era. The Buick instead
underwent a re-design that incorporated a token boattial across the
boot lid. If you think you have seen something similar, you probably
have. The window comes from the 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. Chevrolet and
Buick of course being from the GM stable.
 
The Rivera Boattail lasted for three years,
1971-72-73. It came about primarily necessity. The first generation
Riviera was launched in 1963 and was an instant success. It was
Buick's answer to the Ford Thunderbird. A large pillar less coupe
with style. The Riviera started life as an aggressive looking car
with sharp edges. The front in particular reeked of a car that meant
business with the bonnet line jutting forward and the grille angled
back. Large indicator lights on either side resembled columns holding
up the bonnet.
This was the first Buick
model to carry the Riviera name, although the Riviera name was used by Buick as
early as 1949 to denote a variant within its range that was a two
door, pillar less hardtop.
Pillar less meaning the B-pillar was missing. When Buick phased out
the Riviera name for hardtops, it released the Riviera as a model in
its own right. These first generation models sold more than 112,000
units in just three years.
The second generation
grew, as American cars tend to do, and the body shape was shared with
Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado. The car was rounder and
less distinctive than the first generation, but a selection of three
big V8s was still a formidable muscle car.
By 1970 the car's styling
was pretty much old hat. And, that was reflected in sales. There were
other makes also in the hard top coupe segment with more up to date
styling. But, the second generation Riviera had done its job and
almost 230,000 were sold in five years.
It was clear the 1971
Riviera needed to be a radically different car to keep pace with
other makes. The car that seven years earlier looked sporty now
looked dowdy. GM designer Bill Mitchell
had an idea that could return the sportiness to Riviera in dramatic
fashion and briefed Jerry Hirschberg, who would later on become head
of Nissan design. It was a controversial design, one that people
either loved, or hated. What looked great on the smaller Corvette was
expected to look just as good on the not insignificant Riviera.
Already a large car the 1971 Riviera was 76.2mm longer and 54 kg
heavier.
It was powered by a 455
cubic inch V8, that was detuned to meet environmental standards, so
it was slower. But it was specced up with traction control, a full
flow ventilation system.
With it's new found
appearance Buick had great hopes for the car. Yet, in its first year
just 33,812 cars were sold - the lowest in the car's eight year
history. Slight changes were made
for the 1972 model, but only a similar number sold in the third
generation's second year. For 1973 the 455 engine produced 186 kW,
with an optional 190 kW package available. The boattail remained,
but was slightly less pronounced. As a styling experiment history
would judge it as a failure. Yet, in its afterlife, the boattail has
become the most collectible of all the Riviera models. The reason is
simple and it has nothing to do with mechanicals or for that matter
rarity.
The boattail that caused
controvesy and buyer reluctance is the feature that now has so much
appeal for enthusiasts. It is by far the most distinctive Riviera
and along with the first generation is the most sought after. The
Rivera model ceased production in 1999 with 1,127,261 cars rolling
off the production line in it's 36 year life. Like other great US
cars such as Ford's Mustang, the Buick Riviera lost its original
concept and became overweight and mundane and in the end,
irrelevant.
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