Riv

Whither the portholes? (Photo by Richard Lentinello.)

Why is it just about every issue of Hemmings Classic Car magazine I get has some car I wanna blog?
This time it’s a 1964 Buick Riviera.
Buick’s Riviera debuted for the 1963 model-year. It was styled by Ned Nickles, etc. but could be said to be GM styling head-honcho Bill Mitchell’s first styling triumph.
Some of the best auto-styling ever done was under Bill Mitchell. Which was good because those were my college years.
The Big-Three Detroit auto manufacturers were branching out from doing only Chevrolet/Pontiac/Buick/Oldsmobile/Cadillac, Ford/Mercury/Lincoln, and Plymouth/Dodge/DeSoto/Chrysler and perhaps Imperial.

Humble beginnings.

Their first move was the 1953 Corvette, followed by Ford’s Thunderbird, meant to compete with Corvette.
Corvette was little more than a sportscar body on Chevy parts.
Then for 1958, the Thunderbird was expanded into a four-seater, defining a new market segment, the personal-luxury car.
Essentially four seats, but only for one or two people.
The market for six seats was sated. The Big-Three had to turn elsewhere to increase sales.
It was no longer one car in the garage. Now it had to be two.
For 1960 Chevrolet debuted its Corvair, Ford its Falcon, and Plymouth its Valiant.
All were secondary to major offerings, the full-size Chevrolets, Fords, and Plymouths.
The Corvair was the most unique; an air-cooled engine in the rear, with little connection to the standard Chevy.
The Riviera is Buick’s interpretation of a personal-luxury car, the format begun by Ford’s four-seater Thunderbird.
Off-and-running. the Big Three were soon making variations far from their full-size cars; Ford’s Mustang, and soon the mid-size platforms from GM, Chrysler, and Ford.
Buick’s early Riviera was the best looking personal-luxury car. It wreaked of Mitchell, responsible for the Corvette Sting-Ray, and the second generation Corvair.
All were extraordinarily good-looking. Sharply creased with good lines.
With its Riviera, Buick broke away from its hoary traditions of portholes and the waterfall grille (also called “shark’s-teeth”).

A four-holer (RoadMaster).

Buicks had portholes in their front-fender sides during the ‘50s. Faux exhaust ports. Buick’s Roadmaster had four per side, anything else was three.
The waterfall grille began after the war. It went away during the ‘60s, but now you see it again.
Even the portholes reappeared after disappearing during the ‘60s.
The Riv has none of that. No portholes, and the grille is Ferrari egg-crate.
About the only thing wrong is those giant enclosures at the front of each front-fender. They were for four stacked headlights, so they say, and I think the headlights gravitated there in a few years.
But for 1964 they’re in the grille, and they look fine. Those massive enclosures hold turn-signals.
The only thing wrong with this magazine Riviera is the color. To me, white or a darker color would look better.
Maybe I’ll try “replace-color” with my Photoshop.
Thanks to Mitchell the Riviera is the best-looking of the personal-luxury cars. A mode that lasted over a decade.
Sort of a sportscar. Powerful and fast, but not a true sportscar.
This Riv is owned by an addict of British sportscars. But he prefers touring his Riviera.
Makes sense to me. Long ago I had a Triumph sportscar, and I hated long distance with it.
It assaulted you with wind-noise and other racket.
I’ve graduated from sportscars. I also need something pillar-to-post, and sportscars ain’t.
This Riv is a looker, but I think I’d want something that handles better.
Plus the mileage is atrocious.