ALL BUICK RIVIERA PARTS ARE SOLD AT WHOLESALE
For Parts Assistance Call 1-866-546-2333 Toll Free
Buick Riviera Overview
Links To Buick Riviera Parts By Year
RIVIERA CONCEPT CAR
The Riviera name first entered the Buick line in 1949 as the designation for the new two-door pillarless hardtop, which was described in advertising as "stunningly smart." The Roadmaster Riviera(along with the Cadillac Coupe de Ville) constituted the first mass production use of this body style, which was to become extremely popular over the next 30 years. In 1951 the "Riviera" designation was also used on a version of the Super 4-door sedan. The 1951 Buick Super Riviera 4-door sedan featured more plush interior trim and a wheelbase (and overall lenghth) that was 4 inches longer than a regular Buick Super 4-door sedan. The Buick Super Riviera 4-door sedan was was still an inch shorter in wheelbase and length than the larger Buick Roadmaster. Starting in 1955 GM also offered a four-door pillarless hardtop body style, and the "Riviera" designation was also applied to these models. Riviera hardtop bodies were offered on all Buick lines in the next few years, including the Buick Roadmaster, Buick Super, Buick Century, and Buick Special. Since it was a body style designation and not a model, however, the Riviera name did not usually appear on the car. The last usage of the term "Riviera" to describe hardtops was 1963, as the formal designation of the #4829 Electra 225 Riviera four-door hardtop. Coincidentally, this was the same year the Riviera would become a separate model in its own right. In the late 1950s, GM began to feel the need for a personal luxury car to compete with the highly successful Ford Thunderbird- a uniquely styled, two-door, four-passenger car with an image of both comfort and performance. The design that became the first Riviera was created as a Cadillac model, the XP-715, possibly to be called LaSalle, after Cadillac's smaller "companion" car of the 1930s. Its styling was reportedly inspired by GM styling chief Bill MItchell's visit to London during the period, when he was struck by the sight of an elegant, custom-bodied Rolls Royce in the fog. He later said that "knife-edged" styling was what he wanted for the new model, but with a lower profile and a bit of Ferrari thrown in for performance. The design itself was penned by stylist Ned Nickels.
Buick Riviera Concept Car
