1964 Buick Riviera

GM design chief Bill Mitchell’s “personal luxury” land yacht set sail as a sophisticated merger of Ferrari GT car style with Rolls-Royce luxury

Although Buick was primarily a luxury line, in 1963 it issued a sports model, a beautiful coupe called the Riviera. It was America’s answer to the Ferrari GTs, a car for Buick’s most affluent customers. As such, it was delivered with a host of standard features, including two-speed wipers with washers, back-up lights, glare-proof inside mirror, parking brake signal light, safety buzzer, wheel covers, electric clock, license frame, padded instrument panel, trip mileage odometer, smoking set, front and rear bucket seats, courtesy lamps, deep pile carpet, center console, heater and defroster, and frameless side windows. The 1963 Riviera was immediately recognized as a timeless design and Buick saw little need for change in 1964. A new, stand-up hood ornament and revised Riviera scripts on the front fenders and right hand deck were the major changes. The car on offer here was purchased in April 1973 by an employee of a Buick dealership in Westwood, NJ. The man...