In the late 1950s, General Motors realized the company lacked a competitor for the Ford Thunderbird in the personal luxury car segment. Ford built the T-Bird as a distinctively styled, two-door, four-passenger vehicle with both performance and comfort features. Even current Cadillac models, while they boasted luxurious adornments lacked distinguishing performance characteristics to rival the Thunderbird.

The first Riviera model, created by GM styling chief Bill Mitchell's as the Cadillac XP-715, was inspired by one of the world’s most luxurious cars. According to Hemmings, “Mitchell's inspiration for the original design was said to come from a Rolls-Royce emerging from a London fog. The coupe envisioned by Mitchell would have the Rolls-Royce's stately presence, but with the sporty lines of a Ferrari grand tourer, blending the best of both worlds.”

The resultant design was a Riviera with "knife-edged" styling, a low profile, and arguably muscle car performance. The two-door sedan was produced in the United States from 1963 to 1999, with 1,127,261 vehicles manufactured. However, the first generation (’63 to ’65) perhaps represents Buick’s most significant contribution to the luxury car market.

Here is a detailed look back at the 1965 Buick Riviera.

The First-Generation Buick Riviera (1963-1965) Could Not Outsell the Ford Thunderbird

Silver Buick Riviera
Via: West Coast Classics

GM’s first attempts at competing with the Ford Thunderbird included the 1961 Olds Starfire and the Pontiac Grand Prix a year later. Both cars fell short, but the Riviera, introduced in late 1962, proved to be a worthy competitor. The elegant two-door sport-coupe was superior to the T-bird in cornering, braking, and acceleration.

Despite superior performance, the Riviera failed to outsell the T-Bird.

1963 Riviera

The new Buick Riviera introduced in 1962 (for the ’63 model year) featured unique styling, including a low-profile roofline, rear-slanted nose, and wide roof pillars. Buick mounted the headlamps in the grill to maintain the car's sharp profile.

The interior design mimicked that of the Thunderbird with bucket seats both front and back, center console, and floor-mounted shifter. Typical, even for luxury cars of the era, the upholstery was vinyl, cloth combined with vinyl, or the optional leather/vinyl.

Although the first generation Rivieras were two-door coupé models, Buick mounted two sets of handles on each of the large doors, one within reach of the rear passengers for opening.

Buick kept the price down on the basic Riviera by making accessories such as power seats, power windows, and tilt steering wheel optional. Many buyers ordered these basic features as well as the optional AM/FM radio, cruise control, air conditioning, power door locks, and automatic trunk release.

Buick also offered wire-wheel covers, 15"x6" finned alloy wheels and the popular whitewall tires (rarely seen on today’s cars) as additional options.

Buick limited production of the first model year Riviera to 40,000 units, and the company sold all of them.

1964 Riviera

The second-year Riviera offered interior upgrades, including quarter trim, wood veneer door panels, and radio faceplate. The radio speaker was relocated from its position between the rear seats on the ’63 model to the instrument panel.

1965 Riviera

The concealed headlamps originally designed for the XP-715 concept arrived on the ’65 Riviera. A single electric motor mounted under the hood opened and closed the top and bottom clamshell doors exposing or hiding the headlamps.

Buick also redesigned the rear bumper to house the taillights, and the company deleted the fake side scoops found on the 1963-1964 models.

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The Luxurious ’65 Buick Riviera Boasted Muscle Car Features

Buick Riviera parked in a parking log
Via: Wikipedia Commons

While the first-generation Riviera models were considered by most to be luxury automobiles, they were equipped with some impressive powerplants.

1963 Buick Riviera Nailhead V-8 Engine

Buick's first-generation V8, the "Nailhead," instantly recognizable by its vertical valve covers, was produced in several displacements (264, 322, 364, 401, and 425). The ’63 Riviera base engine was the 401 cubic-inch Nailhead. The engine’s valves were tiny (resembling large nails, and thus the name) for an engine of its size but aided in producing plenty of low-end power. The 401 engine, with a single 4-barrel carburetor, produced 325 horsepower and 445 ft-lbs. of torque.

1964 Riviera Dual-Carb Option

While the 1964 Riviera saw very few body and interior changes, the engine generated the real excitement.

Engine options included the 401 V8 producing 325bhp @ 4400rpm, the 425 V8 generating 340bhp, and the 425 V8. A second 4-barrel carburetor could be added to the top 425 cu. in. engine boosting the power output by 20 bhp to an impressive 360bhp.

In 1964 Buick also introduced the three-speed "Super Turbine 400," automatic transmission, a significant improvement over the old Dynaflow-based Turbine Drive.

1965 Riviera GS Trim

For the last year of the first-generation Riviera, Buick ventured down the Muscle car path even further introducing the Grand Sport (GS) option.

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The Buick Riviera Grand Sport is the Limited-Edition Performance Model

Red 1965 Buick Riviera
Via: Pinterest

In 1965, Buick augmented the car’s performance with the introduction of the A-9 Gran Sport package, featuring, among other things, the 425 cu. in. dual-quad Super Wildcat" V-8 producing 360 horsepower. A positraction differential with a 3.42 ratio, free-flowing dual exhaust, and wider 8.45x15" tires all contributed to improved performance. The Riviera GS accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in a respectable (for the time) 7.1 seconds.

As a comparison, the much lighter 1965 Mustang 289ci GT, at a curb weight of 2,562-3,093 pounds, reached 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. The Riviera curb weight exceeded 4,000 pounds.

Of the 34,586 Riviera models built for the 1965 model year, only 3,354 were purchased with the GS package.

The 1965 Buick Riviera is a Collector’s Classic at a Reasonable Price

a white 1965 Buick Riviera in front of a brick building
Via: Exotic Cars of Houston

The Riviera with its pontoon fenders, gracefully creased formal rear quarters, expansive egg-crate grille, and luxurious interior represents the classic era’s styling better than most cars in its class and perhaps better than the much-hyped Continental Mark II. The elegant two-door sport-coupe even stole the spotlight from Ford's Thunderbird that had dominated the personal-luxury segment since '58.

Comfort, style, and a smooth ride are the 1965 Riviera’s hallmarks, and its unique appeal turns heads better than many contemporary models.

For collectors looking for a car from the early 1960s personal luxury car segment, they can’t go wrong with the ’65 Buick Riviera. Autotrader recently posted resale prices from $15,000 to $68,000.

Sources: classic-car-history.com, automobilemag.com, carfolio.com, carsmind.com

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