Buick Riviera 'Boat Tail'
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 3
Introduction
The '63
Buick Riviera was blessed
with some of the finest styling to come out of Detroit,
however during the following years the style had begun
to look much like all other American cars of the 60's,
and had lost the once unique classiness of the earlier
model.
With the Ford Thunderbird winning the sales race, GM
enlisted styling boss Bill Mitchell to design the 1971
model and the result was truly magnificent!
With an aggressive front end, beautiful curved hips and fastback
roofline, the true magic of the design was featured
as the curved wrap-around glass flowed into a majestic
"boat tail" rear end.
Powered by a huge 7459cc V8 producing 330bhp the car was capable of reaching
speeds in excess of 125 mph (200 km/h).
Although controversial when released,
successive Riviera's became smaller, uglier and far more conventional, ending
the allure but ensuring this model would forever be remembered as a true classic.
