Many of you were quite impressed by all of the CCs that my nephiew Aidan showed me on the way home from school. Well, that turned out to just be the warm-up act; these kids live in CC heaven. After the reception the first post got, Aidan and younger brother Marcello were eager to show me all the old cars they’d become familiar with in their immediate neighborhood, so we leashed up the dog and took a little tour, all within just a couple of blocks of their house in an older neighborhood in San Mateo. You’re not going to believe how many iconic CCs they showed me. If their goal was to impress Uncle Paul, they succeeded admirably, starting right off with this very original ’66 Riviera GS.
This patina-rich Riviera sits in front of an older house, and the two look like they’ve both been getting minimal care and maintenance over the decades. This neighborhood has a lot of older folks, and the old cars seem to reflect that. In some cases, their kids may have taken over their homes and kept the cars on too.
The Riviera GS didn’t have any more horses under the hood, but it did handle better, thanks to a heavy duty suspension. Positraction also came with the package, but brakes were still drums, although they were pretty large and finned.
1966 was the last year for Buick’s venerable “nailhead” V8, the Wildcat 465, which refers to its gross torque output. It was rated at 340 (gross) hp, displaced 425 cubic inches (7 liters), and for 1966, featured the new Quadrajet four-barrel carb. But the previously-optional 360 hp dual-four barrel carb version was not available anymore, although it really wasn’t all that suited to the Riviera’s role as a refined personal coupe. Backing it was the THM-400 three-speed. A formidable and tough combination under that long hood.
Since the GS version included standard finned cast-alloy valve covers and a chromed air cleaner, I thought I’d better find a pic on the web to drive that point home, visually.
There were three front seating choices for the ’66 Riviera; a full bench, buckets, or these “Astro” split-back seats with folding armrest. One might think that the sporty GS would come standard with buckets, console and floor shifter, but not so.
I’m not so much worried about this “sunburn” up top.
But there’s some actual perforation on the C Pillar. That’s a bit unusual for a Bay Area car; maybe a weak spot on these cars. But I know many of you in Rustopia would consider this as just a minor blemish for a car this old.
Opinions will always be split about the ’63-’65 versus the ’66-’67, styling-wise, and I’m in the first camp simply because the ’63 was such a brilliant break-through car, and probably because it appeared when I was ten, a very impressionable age. But the ’66 does a pretty decent job of being in the difficult follow-up role. It certainly seems to reflect Bill Mitchell’s design ethos as well as any of the cars created under his watch, and I called it “The Ultimate Bill Mitchell-Mobile” in my CC of the ’66 Riviera.
Just across the corner from the Riviera and down past that Astro van sits another classic Mitchell-Mobile, this rather gnarly ’75 Firebird Trans Am.
It’s sporting the famous “Screaming Chicken” TA hood, but one that doesn’t look like it originally came with the car.
Its interior has seen better days, but it looks to still be a regular driver.
The shaker hood scoop is quite functional; maybe a bit too much so.
I’m assuming this is a genuine T/A, given the front fender vent and rear spoiler. The front air dams are missing, but the attachment points are still there.
Quite the colorful addition to the neighborhood.
A little ways down the street, someone’s hard at work on their big baby.
Across the street, there’s another one of those rare Fleetwood coupes. Odd. This neighborhood traditionally was Italian, so maybe that explains it? It might also explain the dearth of older Japanese cars.
But no neighborhood is complete without an Advance Design Chevy truck. Especially so if it’s in primer.
The future ponders the far distant past.
And what’s there down and across the street? Could it be a genuine CC Road Runner, one of the CC Holy Grails?
Afraid not…that chrome rear trunk panel alone is the evidence.
I’m not wild about the wheels, but then these hot B-bodies have been adorned with all matter of aftermarket wheels since just about the time they first saw the light of day. That would be 1969, in the case of this one.
It’s just a mere Sports Satellite. 318, perhaps?
But isn’t that hood from the Road Runner? Mix and match; the order of the day for these old muscle cars, real or fake.
We tuck down a little alley, and there’s one of my favorite trailers, a Spartan. Of course we’ve done a CC on them!
All right guys, ham it up with this red R129 SL. It is a bit closer in age to them than anything else we’re going to see on this walk.
Another Stepside Chevy truck, but a bit younger than the other one. From the mid-seventies, which might as well be a century ago to these kids.
I catch the tell-tale all-chrome window surrounds of a 300SEL W109 hidden in a driveway, barely visible in front of a truck jammed in right behind it. A 3.5 perhaps? I dare not hope for another CC Holy Grail, the 6.3.
Donnerwetter! It is a 6.3! (Update: I just noticed the license plate in the first picture). A bit worse for wear, sitting low on its empty air suspension and wearing W126 wheels. I bet it has some wild stories to tell.
Speaking of German cars, there just had to be an old VW somewhere around here. Sure enough, and this is a particularly desirable old Westie, from about 1964 or so. Shall we even mention the Ford Festiva in such august company?
We turn the corner on this building, and our eyes are dazzled by this bright red 1971 Challenger. It’s even sporting R/T badges and stripe on its flanks. Is it the real thing?
Just like the red ’69 Charger R/T was Aidan’s favorite on the first walk, so is this red Challenger now. Who can blame him? Time to celebrate this find, guys. And Penny gets to be in it too.
If you’d rather see it without kids…
Does the Challenger successfully challenge the ’69 Camaro for title of most iconic pony car of that era?
And I’m actually happy to see it doesn’t have 440 or 426 Hemi badges, as my trust in this being genuine R/T was a bit low from the first encounter. This improves the odds that it’s the real thing. Who would build a R/T 383 clone?
A column-mounted shifter on an R/T? My trust is evaporating. Or did the base R/T come with a column shift? Hard to imagine, but…some googling takes me to a 1971 brochure.
Sure enough; the Torqueflite is on the column unless the optional console is paid for too. But if one gets the standard three-speed manual, it’s on the floor.
A Deadly Sin and a Greatest Hit from the same era, posing together. Could two cars be more different in just about every way?
Ironically, we “owned” both of these cars for a short time, just a few years apart. Loved that Honda wagon; what a brilliantly space-efficient little car, very similar to the Honda Fit of today. And a ball to drive.
A nicely-kept K-G, sporting quad exhaust tips.
Time to head back; is there more? Oh yes there is. These Buicks are so dramatic, with their giant full rear wheel openings, which was really quite unlike any other mainstream cars of the time. It seemed to work, as Buick sales were on a tear at this time.
Even the boys know what year this Buick is. Why didn’t everyone put the year on their car badges?
The open hood was an invitation to get some shots of its engine, also the “nailhead” V8, but the original 322 CID version. In the Special, it was rated at 220 hp.
Let’s get some shots from several angles, to add to the collection.
The nailhead is a narrow engine, as is evident from all the room left on both sides.
Now that would be a nice place to sit on a drive down CA Hwy 1.
Listening to the V8 burbling along like a tug boat, never changing its engine tone much thanks to the Dynaflow transmission.
Someone’s unfinished project. In a dense neighborhood like this, everything is out in the open, with no place to hide one’s detritus from the neighbors.
Yes, Aidan; I do like big Ford trucks. There’s another one around the corner? I think we’ve got enough for today; time to head for home; which is just around the block.
On the way, Japanese car lovers get one more tidbit. I remember this house, just around the corner of the boys’ home, but with a different car in front of it.
This is what saw (and shot) there then, back in 2009. According to the boys, a very old man in his nineties lives there, and sold the big ’66 Bonneville wagon a couple of years back. Someone got themselves a gem. But there’s plenty of CCs still left in the neighborhood, as this little tour shows all too well.
Related reading: CA Vacation Walk and Talk: Nephew Aidan Shows Me The CCs ON His Way Home From School
1966 Buick Riviera CC Automotive History: Buick’s “Nailhead” V8 “Advance Design” Chevy Pickup CC Spartan Trailer W109 300SEL History 1970 Dodge Challenger CC 1986-1991 Seville GM’s DS#21 1987 Honda Shuttle Wagon CC 1956 Century CC mm
That Ghia’s a ’70 model and in such good shape! All of the rocker panel chrome is still there and the bumper doesn’t have a rust patina with a sagging overrider.
Yeah, that Ghia’s a beauty! Likely the original license plate from 1970. Signal orange? Whatever, I’ll take it.
Awesome to see young kids that have a keen interest in old cars. They’re the next generation of car buffs who will keep the candle burning after we’re long gone.
That ’66 Bonneville wagon is a BEAST! Fantastic.
It’s actually a ’65 – my family had the exact same car in white (with factory wheel covers and no aftermarket chrome strip along the side), with blue interior and factory air. Fondly remembered.
Wow! Love the variety. It’s like a buffet of CC’s! I’ll take the Advance Design Chevy and the stepside with the “Starsky and Hutch” wheels.
Great article with a cup of coffee on a quiet Saturday morning!
I’ll go for variety, myself. Civic wagon and ’56 Buick.
That Firebird would make a great get away car after holding up a liquor store in a mid 80s detective show
Correction on the Riviera bit, the dual quad 425 was still available in 1966 Paul. I don’t think the finned valve covers were part of the GS package, I think they were part of the dual quad option though. Still lots of nice stuff. The Riv was my favorite. It looks like there was a nice 2 door black GMC Jimmy Sierra Classic in front of that dead Citroe…er…money pi..nightmar..er…Mercedes. Did you get any pictures of that or were you in “tunnel vision” mode from the 6.3?
Not so, on both counts. Check out the ’66 Riviera brochure, which I did before writing this: http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1966_Buick/1966_Buick_Riviera_Brochure/dirindex.html
Also, my Encyclopedia of American Cars also shows the 340 hp as the only 425 available in ’66.
And yes, as to why I didn’t shoot the truck. There’s a lot of these still around; I barely notice them.
This Hemmings webpage suggests that the 66 Riv GS may have had the dual 4 barrels optional mid year:
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/buick/riviera/1601057.html
Not many made.
They probably had a few left over from 1965 they wanted to get rid of 🙂 I’ve come to learn that exceptions were quite common back in this era, so I’m not surprised.
Is it just me, or did twenty GM trucks survive for thirty years or more for every Ford that made it to three decades? Mid-70s Big-10 Chevys are so common as to be invisible, while Ford trucks old enough to have sealed beam headlights are as rare as Maseratis.
All the Fords must be here on the East Coast, as it’s almost the exact opposite over here. 70’s Chevys are pretty rare at this point, and the 80’s variants with the square lamps aren’t common either, but around here (Richmond, VA) you can barely throw a rock without hitting a 70’s Ford. It was pretty much the same in my last location (Durham, NC).
http://rivowners.org/features/evolution/evpt66.html
Straight from the Rivieras owners association site, and If THEY say it was available, it was available.
It was dealer installed until March 1966, then after that, the 2x4bbl Riviera 425 had it’s own engine code. “MZ”
So yes, a 425 dual quad Riviera was available in 1966. 179 were produced according to them. they made 3800 and something in 1965, and who knows how many more were probably done at dealerships, I’ve seen a 425 dual quad engine that was once in an Electra 255 sedan originally.
Riviera: The Tuned Car,
As I understand it, there is no internal difference between the two 425’s. The dual carb intake manifold replaces the single (standard) intake manifold. Peak torque does not change, which implies that the dual 4 barrels can’t feed more fuel into the engine at lower speeds, but can at higher speeds, yielding 20 more horsepower.
Had Buick offered the new 430 CID engine in 1967 with dual 4 barrels, I estimate horsepower would have been in the range of 390 to 400.
The beauty of these posts and the comments is the opportunity to always learn something new!
Yes, the dual quad was just a different manifold, and used the rather vintage Carter CBF’s, IIRC. I suspect that one of the reasons it was not offered initially in ’66 is that it likely had worse drive-ability than the single carb engine, and how many folks ever utilized the very upper end range of these engines. But they sure looked impressive.
That setup certainly was doomed with the coming smog controls.
I think that the dual carb setup was primarily intended to look impressive. There really was little upper end performance due to the nailhead design. One of my college professors (math) had a 64 or 65 Riviera with the dual carbs. He said that he filled the fuel tank, drove it around the block, flooring the engine briefly, then filled it again. It took a gallon of gas the second time. I doubt that the engine burned a gallon going around the block, but it was a good story. The class was calculus or differential equations, probably the first, as there was an engineering student taking it for a second or third time…
The pictured Riviera is a ’67, not a ’66, if the hood is original. The ’66 had “R I V I E R A” in block letters atop the grille, and script everywhere else; the ’67 used the script on the hood too, as seen here.
I was going by the grille, which is clearly a ’66 and not a ’67. A 1966.5? 🙂
License plate says mid-year 1966. My grandmother had its twin, almost sequential license number.
The “square” GS letters are also a clue that its a 1966, the 1967 GS letters were the more familiar “slanted” GS letters that were used on GS cars from 1967-1972 or so.
While you have a valid point about the block lettering, the grille and parking lights should have a horizontal bar across the mid section to be a 67. This car does not. Taking the block letter off and putting the script Riviera on would be easy.
Yes, it must be a ’66 with a ’67 hood. A ’67 would have a 4-way hazard flasher switch, a little post protruding at about 3 o’clock from the steering column. This would be seen in the interior photo above if the car were a ’67. My apologies. (My grandfather owned a silver ’66, non-GS of course. Traded it in for a ’71 Electra 225 coupe after he got a look at the ’71 Riv.)
The hood’s rust patina does not match the trunk lid (not that it should), or the roof, so perhaps it was replaced.
With all the room on both sides of the engine in the 56 Buick I wonder what problem there was with the 53 Buick’s that required the nailhead design. The 54 B and C bodies were new designs, which probably carried through the 56 model year, if not to 59. The nailhead was very limited on power, although torque was very good. The power limitation is best seen by comparing the 394 CID Olds engine in the early sixties when it develops 345 HP, while the 401 Buick seems limited to 325 HP.
It may have been a mental thing with the engineers. They’d been building straight eights forever, and were accustomed to having lots of room out next to the fenders for batteries and such, thus were perhaps reluctant to encroach any more than they had to. But otoh they certainly had had chances since 1949 to see plenty of Oldsmobile and Cadillac engine compartments containing V8’s, and the traditional side-opening hoods did also disappear with the advent of V8 engines.
One of the bigger mysteries that I would love to see properly explained. One the oddest combustion chamber designs ever; like a four valve pent-roof head but with only twp valves, both on one side. Very odd.
If in fact there was a problem with engine width, it would be found in the 53 Buicks with V8s. Why they did not fix the problem by the end of the 50’s is perhaps a more interesting question, although they had spent a lot on the dynaflows AKA turbine drive by then.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it come to CC spotting. I think we know who will keep this website blooming for the next 50 years! Best collection ever (to quote the comic book guy). I hope you arm these kids with cameras to keep adding to the CC collection. If I can have four of these cars, I want the Challenger, the Ghia, The Bus, and the 56 Buick. Nice to see CC back to it’s roots and San Mateo sure is a beautiful town.
The 56 Buick is lovely, but it looks looks like a big car that has had its ends truncated. I think the tires filling the wheel wells have something to do with that.
I like seeing the pickups especially the two flair sides. Anyone else notice the Steal Your Face sticker on the Merc? At first I thought the Trans Am had a broken front wheel due to the angle; I could see a car accidentialy hitting that. So was it originally red?
The Chevy truck with the old-school bed? That’s FLAREside, not flairside!
Of course; fixed!
Flareside was Ford’s name for it, Chevy called it the (now nearly generic) Stepside, and it’s properly Fenderside if it’s a GMC.
Yup it is a Stepside, not a Flareside which is a Ford term and one they didn’t introduce until later.
Are you sure?
Seriously, I acknowledged the mistake 24 hours ago, and the text was changed then. But thanks for piling on, which is what this feels like.
love the brown 1969 Cadillac Sedan Deville and the white 1965 Pontiac Bonneville wagon, I’m a big fan of the full size cars built during the 1965-70 period, I never even knew they’ve made a column shifter Dodge Challenger R/T until now unless if it was specially ordered.
Very cool Paul ya got me with the racing grey Chev pickup, the old VDubs are nice but I spent a while yesterday amongst a friends 63 Beetle and 66 Kombi van, the Beetle is completely restored just awaiting engine assembly and the van is his daily drive, Those old 2door Buicks are nice theres one locally on a used car lot we must revisit with my camera,
It is a ton of fun to go car shooting with kids. Too bad mine are too old to care anymore. What a sweet neighborhood Paul. It’s my experience that the more “lived in” a neighborhood is, the better the CCs. I guess that’s just common sense, old houses, old cars next to them.
My fave on this walk is the Buick Special. I love the swooping lines and curved dash. That steering wheel looks like it could drill for diamonds. Wouldn’t want that thing getting jammed in my chest in a collision.
Looks like a sweet area, full of nice fixer-uppers, both house and cars.
What a neat neighborhood. I like the old Spanish style homes as much as the cars and that’s saying a lot when the mix includes a 6.3 (!) and ’66 RIviera.
Paul did the kids have a favorite? The R129 perhaps?
I’ve been watching the prices on 300SLs and am surprised how affordable they have become (the 500SLs are even cheaper). I wonder if that comes from the fear of owning an old German car or fatal flaws specific to the 129. I think the AC system may be expensive to repair.
It’s nice to see kids interested in these old machines. Must be in the genes! I’m (slowly) restoring a 1925 Dodge Brothers touring car and my son can’t understand why….
Whoa, that T/A appears to be a 455… If the shaker is to be believed. And also must be something of the CC effect, I was blown away yesterday to see a mother and daughter getting into a late 6.6 semi clapped out but remarkably rust free T/A. Faded paint, vintage eagle st’s and everything.. Almost shocking in Nebraksa.
Hi all
Only one comment ever before on this great site (back in the frightening Paul leaving the joint days) but couldn´t resist posting this pic of the MB 6,3 living in the mean streets of my neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, since it´s considered a Holy Grail car and since your pictures feature family, I guess it was okay posting first ever picture with my daughter Ella in it. We have fun counting Audis on our way to school. Her grandfather drives one – so naturally they are a favourite. Thank you all for contributing – it never seizes to amaze me, the amount of combined knowledge and love applied here. Cheers!
Thanks; nice shot of Ella and that 6.3. It shouldn’t have whitewall tires, though!
Thank you. Them kids are the true treasures on those curbsides. I hope that makes sense in english :-).
Man, such variety. If going by the cars as they are, I’ll take the blue Fleetwood coupe; it’s near mint and likely has the 4.9 V8. But if we’re talking fully restored versions of each car, I want the 6.3! Black over red leather with color-keyed M-B wheelcovers, please.
I’m kinda digging that FWD Fleetwood, too – and normally I don’t like them at all. Maybe it’s just the setting, or it being one of the nicer factory colors and a somewhat rare model.
Amazing selection once again, and god do I wish I was on vacation driving that Buick – my favorite out of these – somewhere along the Pacific coast.
I don’t doubt the legitimacy of that R/T, but I have seen an even stranger “tribute car” – a Challenger 340 clone. Not a T/A, just a regular 340. There had just been an article on CC a few days prior about Slant/6 E-bodies and I snapped a picture of the registration sticker to check the VIN. Sure enough, it had been a 318 car originally. Kinda strange that someone went through all that trouble just to have it resemble a mid-range car, but the results looked great, very original, and so much more appealing than most clones I see.
On the same walk home I saw a very sad sight. A big Chrysler that looked like it was sleeping in some old fogey’s garage, surely on it’s way to the big junkyard in the sky – but not before donating it’s big block to another “tribute car”.
Sigh… the circle of life, I guess:
Poor New Yorker! Looks really clean except for the missing trim piece. Maybe a ’71?
Love the great selection of CC’s. My personal fave would be the 6.3 (though it not being in operable condition would dim the enthusiasm) or the Challenger. But they’re all quite worthwhile subjects!
I think there may be some truth to the link between older homes and classics on the streets. My neighborhood was, for the most part, built between 1900 and 1930, and many houses don’t have garages or even driveways. That results in quite a nice selection of vehicles out on display.