managerLeeMaysreputedlyhatedthecar,and
wasthedrivingforcebehindtheshapebeing
toneddownsignificantlyfor1973.
Hehada point,becausethebuyingpublicwas
farfrombowledover.Rivierasalesfor 1971 hit
a newlowat 33,810,andthatdespiteplentyof
positivepress– inparticularforitstidycorner-
ingbehaviourcourtesyofrevised‘AccuDrive’
double-wishbonefrontsuspension.‘TheRiviera
is nowa handlingjewel,withoutlosingtoomany
ofitsformercharacteristicsonthestraight,’
proclaimedRoadTestmagazine.‘Thereis much
aboutthenewRivierathatwillnowappealto the
enthusiast.’Here,though,asinotherpublica-
tions,therewasconsternationaboutthatpointy
tail:‘Rivieraownerswouldbewelladvisedtobe
awareof thelethalweaponin theirhands.’
Asbefitsa modelthatwouldcontinueto actas
theflagshipof theBuickrange,theRivieracould
boastanimpressivespecification.Andalthough
it stillsatonanall-steelseparatechassis,there
wasinnovationtobefound,too,notleastin the
optionalMaxTracsystemdevelopedbyGM’s
in-houseACSparkPlugDivision.Essentially
theforerunnerto today’stractioncontrol,it used
a smallcomputerandtwosensors– oneonthe
speedometerdriveandtheotheronthefront
brake– todetectdifferencesinspeedbetween
thefrontandrearwheelsandregulatewheel-
spin.Cleverstufffor1972,as wasthe‘Full-Flo’
ventilationthatdrewinfreshairandspatout
thestalethroughlouvresin thereardeck.
‘Our’Rivierais a ’72,sodoeswithoutthose
vents– whichcouldonoccasionsuckexhaust
fumesbackintothecar– andfeaturesa bold
eggcrategrille,alongwithrubberinsertsforthe
bumpers.It’stestamenttothefundamental
successofthedesignthatthoseweretheonly
tweaksata timewhenwholesaleyear-on-year
changeswerecommon,thoughundertheskin
therewasa 5bhpdropinpowercourtesyofa
lowercompressionratioandtheintroductionof
exhaust-gasrecirculation– a tasteof whatwasto
comewithtighterFederalemissionscontrols.
Notthatthereis anythingremotely‘green’
abouta ’72Riviera.Boththestandardcar,as
here,andthe10bhplustierGranSportfeatured
a whopping455cuin(7.5-litre)V8,introduced
in ’67to replacetheaged‘Nailhead’unit,mated
toa three-speedTurboHydramatic 400 ’box.
Todriveit’sprettymuchas youwouldexpect:
softandshimmying,witha ridethatbattersroad
bumpsintosubmissionas effectivelyas a hydro-
pneumaticCitroën,andfeel-freepower-assisted
steeringthat’ssharperthanyouexpect,with
fewerthanthreeturnsfromlocktolock.
ForallitsperceivedsportinessintheAmeri-
canautomotivepress,thejoyoftheRivierais
cruising,allfourwindowsdown,withanelbow
onthesillanda fingerkeepingthesuper-light
steeringincheck.Thehuge,electricallyoper-
atedandvinyl-coveredbencheasilyseatsthree,andthere’slittledoubtfromwithin that this was
onceanexpensivemachine.The engine-turned
facingsforthedashboard– which reflects the
exteriorwitha pronouncedvee – has controls for
the(optional)split-levelair-con, plus there’s
cruisecontrolandanintegrated radio. It’s a car
thatperfectlyencapsulatesthe‘personal luxury’
conceptandimpartsa satisfying sense of well-
being,themutedrumbleofthe V8 just distant
enoughtoforgethowmuchfuel it’s drinking.
After1973,andinparticular following the
1977 downsizing,theRivieraname was progres-
sivelydilutedandincreasinglyindistinguishable
fromlowlierBuickmodels,finally petering out
in’99aftermorethana million had been built.
Therehavebeenattemptsto revive it with a pair
ofgullwing-dooredconceptcars – revealed at
theShanghaiMotorShowin2007 and 2013 –
butin a worldwheretheBuick brand stands for
rebadgedVauxhall/Opelmodels, and the kind
of designbraverythatsingledout the early Rivi-
erasis generallydiscouraged,it seems destined
toremaina namefromthepast.
Nowonder,then,thatinterest in the original
carsis climbing.Thisbynomeans concours
example– broughtto theUKfrom its birthplace
in Flint,Michigan,in 2013andrecently emerged
froma privatecollection– wassold by Historics
inJulyfora shadeover£16,000. Perhaps the
underappreciatedboat-tailis finally joining its
illustriouspredecessor,making a style statement
in itsownrightratherthansimply being a car for
crooksandcrookedcopstosmash up in Holly-
woodblockbusters.Abouttime, too.Thanks to Historics (01753
639170; historics.co.uk)130 Classic & Sports Car September 2019
‘It perfectly encapsulates
the personal luxury idea,
the muted V8 rumble just
distant enough to forget
how much fuel it’s drinking’