1965 Buick Riviera
Passing over such jewels as "Centurian" and "Drake," Buick product planners ultimately chose "Riviera," which evoked the elegance of the Italian and French coastal playground. Of course, it was a name long familiar at Buick, having been used for the make's pillar-less hardtops since 1949, but it would gain new meaning from the design on which it would now appear. The intensity Buick had built up in preparing its competitive presentation continued into its strategy for marketing the Riviera. Roland Withers, the division's head of marketing, was a man who did things in grand style. The Riviera would be crucial to Buick's recovery, and he wanted the car to have a special image.
For consignment THE Riviera to have with its hidden headlights, and this particular 1965 model equipped with the 425ci Super Wildcat Engine. The beneficiary of a recent respray and original interior other than the carpet, no rust car from California there will definitely be a rush for this gold nugget!
Exterior
Sporting a top-notch dark Verde Green (Green Green if translated from Spanish?) the respray is nearly flawless. From its raked forward functioning hidden headlights, to the clean rocker trim, wheel well trim, and special badging, side view mirrors, door handles and bumpers all chrome is in good condition with a few faults. The large steel slabs are straight and true and present with good gaps. Standard Buick rally style wheel covers are on all 4 corners of this car.
Interior
Miles of green vinyl with some V stitching, buttons and straight tuck and roll, in the form of large wide buckets in front, and a split by a V shaped speaker on the rear the front drivers bucket shows slight fraying at the stitching, and some wear on the side of the setback. Otherwise for original these seats are very fine. A rectangular console sweeps up the center, has wood grain appliqu, and houses a glovebox, and a nifty Seattle space needle style shift lever and knob. This console rises up the center of the dash with more V styling and wood appliqu, where it houses the air circulation controls and Buick radio. Dash is a combination of black textured vinyl and green paint. Wood appliqu is scattered throughout as well. Carpet is gold and in very nice clean condition and is covered carpet floor mats with Buick badging embroidery. Headliner is new and tight. One side note worthy of a mention... Secondary door handles are strategically placed on the inside rear of each door for speedy rear seat egress.
Drivetrain
The original 425ci V8 Super Wildcat engine sits within the original engine bay. Some paint chipping on the blue painted block and nice patina abound in here. The mill is topped by dual 4 barrel carbs and backed by a 3-speed automatic ST400 Super-Hydromatic transmission. Correct equipment for this car save for the dual quad intake setup which isn't original.
Undercarriage
A solid sturdy X frame is bordered by rustproofed floorpans, and solid rockers. Very little surface rust is noted, however some of the rustproofing has worn off over time. Independent coil springs up front and coil springs on the rear are the suspension. Brakes are power drums all around. A glass pack style exhaust is also noted.
Drive-Ability
A quick starter, and smooth accelerator there is plenty of power to get you up to speed in a hurry. The transmission shifted smoothly, and the ride was very nice and even handled well for a large car. Buick was not out for the handling mainly the ride, and this car is exemplary of that fact.
The mid 1960's were the beginnings of the muscle car wars, and this Buick with its Super Wildcat Dual 4 Barrel V8 is not to be left out of that battle. Also, the styling on this car gives it real provenance with mid 60's fans. This car mostly original, has been well cared for and sports a beautiful paint job and good chrome. Priced very right it will not last long as we've had one other and it went fast!
VIN Decode
494475H922063
4-Buick
94-Riviera
47-2 Door Hardtop Coupe
5-1965
H-Flint MI Assy Plant
922063-Sequential Unit Number
Trim Tag
02C-3rd Week February Build
ST 65 49447-1965 Buick Riviera 2 Door Hardtop Coupe
BODY FB 122056- Flint Body # TR 620-Green
PAINT JJ-Verde Green
ACC:
EX-EZI Glass
2K-Air Conditioning
4F-Remote Mirror
5KW- Seatbelts With Retractors
Door Guard Molding
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 450 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.