It’s really important to hit the right notes. Just ask a singer, since most listeners can perceive a wrong note even if they aren’t musically inclined. Some singers seem naturally incapable of being off key, and here we have the automotive equivalent of one of them. Like Frank Sinatra showing up to audition for American Idol sits a star on a dingy urban curb surrounded by younger vehicles that share none of its tonal beauty.
Plenty has been written about the first gen Rivieras on CC, but would you believe there has never been a full Curbside Classic feature on the 1963 model? This seems like a good opportunity to rectify that, with a focus on the development of the introductory model as well as plenty of photos further down of a Midas-touched survivor.
Today it’s hard to picture the first Riviera as anything besides a Buick. Yet, as GM [slowly] conceived their response to Ford’s 1958 four-seater Thunderbird hit, the division to sell it hadn’t been chosen. In the Thunderbird’s first year, GM got a new president, John Gordon, and a new styling chief, Bill Mitchell. Gordon gave Mitchell direction to start working up ideas for a car. Did Mitchell know even at that early date that the car-to-be would be a highlight of his career and legacy? Perhaps, because he really took the project to heart.
Mitchell started at GM in the Cadillac studio and in 1937 drew this LaSalle concept (Cadillac’s 1927-40 companion make), evidence that the idea for the Riviera’s fender tips had been percolating in his head for quite a while.
1940 LaSalle seen at National Funeral Museum (my CC article)
Mitchell also said in a post-retirement interview that the Riviera fender tips were meant to evoke the grille of the LaSalles. The 38-40 models bear the closest resemblance.
1955-58 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
He didn’t settle on a full design concept until a trip to England in 1959, where he was inspired by a foggy encounter with a Rolls-Royce. The sharp-edged parts of the Rolls’ styling was the inspiration for the roof, rear deck and fender tops.
1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica
He further wanted “Ferrari flavor” in the car, which can be seen in the front end and smooth flowing body sides (and possibly the vents). Both cars also sported classic long hood/short deck proportions and sparing use of brightwork, which would become Mitchell hallmarks. The general euro influence can also be seen in the rear wheel openings more open than typical of American cars at the time.
Mitchell recruited veteran GM designer Ned Nickles to do drawings. After the England trip, Mitchell tagged this Nickles drawing as the basis for the project going forward.
The drawing made it to clay model form in 1960 notably unchanged blow the beltline. Clearly, the Riviera was not always thought of as a coupe-only model. The overall shape of the production car stayed pretty faithful to this concept. One major change was the rear wheel openings were opened up, in keeping with the European theme Mitchell had settled on.
In fact, as late as mid-1962, a convertible was being seriously considered when this fiberglass model was photographed (previously covered here).
As cool as a Riviera convertible would have been, I think they were wise to keep things simple and just focus on the elegant coupe. What wasn’t so focused was the form that the headlights would take. As seen in the early styling exercises, hidden headlights were always in mind. Mitchell wanted to put them in the fender blades with opening doors, but that was ruled out as requiring too much engineering development.
If they couldn’t be hidden, how about just putting headlights ON the fender grilles? Cooler heads prevailed, fortunately.
Headlights cleanly contained in the main grille were settled on, at least for the time being. The final design, internally called XP-715, was completed in 1961. Bill Mitchell imagined the car as a Cadillac and called it La Salle II, a nod to his affection for Cadillac from his time there and his first big success designing the 1938 Sixty Special.
What division would get it remained undecided. Cadillac turned it down, since they were selling about as many cars as they could build and didn’t want to take on a new model. Chevrolet also declined, since they were also pretty maxxed out on production. A Chevy Riviera sounds preposterous, until you remember that the Thunderbird was a Ford. The remaining divisions all wanted it, but Buick wanted it more. If any part of General Motors could be considered “struggling” in the early 60’s, Buick was it. Their production was down over 50% from their mid-50’s peak and they saw the XP-715 as a great flagship from which to launch a divisional reinvigoration. They enlisted their ad agency to help them win over Corporate with a slick presentation, parts of which ended up being used in Riviera’s early promotions. Mitchell was adamant that whatever division did the car, they couldn’t change the design. Buick manager Ed Rollert said they liked it and wanted to leave it as is, winning Mitchell’s endorsement.
After the styling was completed and Buick got the car, Mitchell continued to have a sense of ownership in it. He wanted a “no compromises” mentality to developing the car, which he thought of as special. He would send assistants to engineering and manufacturing to make sure it was being done right. He needn’t have worried too much, as Buick staff also took the car very seriously and gladly took the No Compromises ethos to heart.
Though many parts were taken off the shelf, including drivetrains and the cruciform frame design, the body structure was specific to the car and chassis optimized for its mission. Details were sweated, such as getting unique suspension bushings, Buick’s best finned aluminum brakes, and tires designed especially for the car.
Also taken off Buick’s shelf was the name Riviera, which was so perfectly suited to the new personal luxury coupe it seems like it was always meant for it. Buick buffs will recall it was used on all hardtops from 1949-58 and Electra coupes in 1959-62.
From the earliest conceptions, Mitchell saw the car as having performance between a comfortable sedan and a sports car and his vision prevailed. This was achieved by using the same standard 325hp 401c.i. engine as the Wildcat and Electra but designing the body to be 200-300 pounds lighter than those. Additionally, a bored out 425c.i. version making 340hp was developed and offered only in the Riviera for 1963 (it would be standard in Riviera for 64 and optional in those cars in 64-66). The sports car personality only went so far, as no manual transmission was offered, but rather Buick’s two-speed Dual-Path Turbine Drive automatic (nee Dynaflow) was the only choice in 63 (replaced by the three-speed Super Turbine [Hydramatic] for 64).
As exceptional as the body and chassis were, the interior was just as well-executed. Like its Thunderbird target, and in keeping with the European theme, front seating was buckets only with a standard, integrated center console. Riviera was obligated to share its large Double Circle instrument panel and dash with other 63 Buicks, but the upslope of the console and door control panels matching the forward sloping dash angle is unique (and really appealing!). As compromises go, this one was pretty painless as it’s a beautiful dash. It had probably the most functional center console in the industry, with a gearshift, cigarette lighter, ashtray, storage, floor lights, HVAC ducting, and optional tachometer (not present here).
The detailing is wonderful, as seen on the door panel with its real wood veneer, chrome switchery, and sublime handles. There is also a door handle on the backside of the armrest for the rear seat passengers. I neglected to photograph it, but the rear seat is quite attractive, too, with bucket appearance and a large metal center speaker panel.
On the way to adapting the LaSalle II to production, Buick settled the headlight conundrum by swapping out the single lamps for duals. That’s not surprising, as by this time all American higher end or luxury cars had dual headlights. This picture shows the fender tips are actually grilles and contain turn signals like the LaSalle II.
Further reflecting GM’s and Buick’s desire to make the Riviera special, they engineered some features for the car that would be firsts in the industry. The windshield and backlight used a new adhesive mounting system that made them more flush. The side windows used no chrome framing around the glass, which convertibles and hardtops had always had up to that point. Developing this technique may be why the side glass is flat rather than more modern curved glass. Frameless glass would become universal within a few years and Riviera would get curved in its second generation. The Riviera pioneered flat wiring harnesses for better reliability and packaging.
Buick bragged in their brochure about the effort put into building the car, thus: “After you examine a Riviera you’ll find it hard to believe that it’s not a custom-made car… We think it’s the finest quality you can buy in an assembly-line-produced automobile.”
Our curbside feature car doesn’t just look great in photos, it’s truly a phenomenal specimen. It’s mostly original with 46,000 miles and sports most options available. It may have led a charmed life, but it’s longevity in this condition may also be an indication that Buick’s big brochure bragging wasn’t blatant bloviation.
I might have chucked this flawed photo but I still need it to show off the amazing interior. The leather upholstery is original. 1963 was the only first-gen year leather was available, optional with the Custom interior which included the wood on the doors and much fancier armrests (leather wouldn’t be available in Riviera again until 1974). Options present include tilt wheel, remote side mirror, power driver seat, power windows (but not power vent windows, also available), air conditioning, AM/FM radio, and Guide-Matic headlight dimmer.
Gauges are gorgeous, though you’ll have to be content to be an idiot with only lights for oil, temp, and volts.
One of the few options the car doesn’t have is the 425 engine. The 401 a.k.a. Wildcat 445 should be plenty adequate, though, with 325 horsepower and the eponymous 445 lb-ft of torque. There is just enough patina under here to testify to the unrestored condition, but not so much that it doesn’t still look fantastic.
1960’s-vintage T3 headlights are present and accounted for.
Another option is the wire wheel covers. With the hindsight of living through the 70’s and 80’s, these might strike some as a little cheesy on a car like this. I don’t think it is at all, though. In 1963, fake wire wheels were still a fairly novel accessory. Automakers offered them for a few years in the mid 50’s, then dropped them.
The 63 Riviera was one of the first cars they were available on again, so the public didn’t generally have stereotypes in their minds about them. The Riviera’s are quite good looking, with parallel wires and nonfunctional spinners as was common on 1960s-era fake wires. Real wire wheels like the LaSalle II had would have been an attractive feature, but I would guess it was felt they would intrude too much into Cadillac territory in price and image. If you want the look of Mitchell’s concept car, the wire hubcaps are the closest thing available from the factory.
When I spotted this fine machine, I got to meet the owner who was very friendly and allowed me to paw all over the car getting photos. He recently bought it out of Connecticut and is the fourth owner. It reportedly was a one family car for about its first 40 years. According to him, the main refurbishment has been resprayed paint on the sides to fix door dings. Looking at it, one would think the whole thing has been repainted as perfect and well-matched as the finish is. He describes driving the car as incredibly smooth with imperceptible shifts from the Dynaflow.
The only real blemish is the Riviera badge above the left taillight, which an over-enthusiastic previous owner placed there. As if anyone needs a badge to know what model Buick this is! Strangely, after gaining fame for a year in the public’s eye, Buick felt the need to put a Riviera badge on the rear for 64-65 and drop the Buick badging.
In the title, I refer to the 1963 Riviera as hitting all the right notes. It’s a figure of speech and in this case it’s true literally. This Riviera is equipped with Buick and Cadillac’s famed Four Note Horn. What are the right notes, you ask?
The standard two-note horn consists of “seashell” or “snail” units mounted on the radiator support in the notes of A and F. The two downright musical looking instruments mounted on the underside of the hood are the C and D notes. Anybody who knows music, please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that makes an F6 or Dmin7 chord. In the Key Of Excellence!
The owner hit the horn for me, so I can personally report it’s loud and sounds distinctly train-like. That’s not a coincidence, as trains use 3 to 5 trumpet horns in a similar fashion. They’re just air powered and louder.
Yes, the Riviera hit all the right notes metaphorically, too, proving to be loved and popular as a new car and maybe more so years later as an example of what GM could do at it’s full engineering and design strength. Buick limited 1963 model production to 40,000 and sold exactly that number. That was still far less than the Thunderbird despite a 3% lower base price, which was perhaps the consequence of getting beaten to a new market by five years. The 64-65 would sell just shy of the 63, before climbing some in the second generation (66-70) and especially so in the fifth generation (79-85). It’s the inaugural generation models, though, that are first in the hearts of many classic car lovers. Beautiful notes never to be played again.
photographed 11/6/23 in Houston, Tx.
Much of the historical info on the Riviera’s development was drawn from a March 1985 Collectible Automobile article and the book Great Cars Of The 20th Century by Brown, Langworth, et al, P.I.L.
related reading:
Curbside Classic: 1964 Buick Riviera – The Peak GM Experience by P.N.
The Great 28, Car #2–1963-65 Buick Riviera: The Buick I Can’t Buy by Aaron65
Console Stereoside Classic: 1963 Buick Riviera – The Ride And Sound Of Tomorrow by me. A testament to how far Buick marketing went to hit the right notes, they actually sponsored a music record to promote the new Riviera.
I was born a few years after these were built, so it’s difficult for me to grasp how influential this car’s style was. I saw all the cars the ’63 Riviera influenced before I saw a ’63 Riviera, which tends to blunt how much sway the Riv actually had. By the late 1960s, the crisp look with Coke-bottle “hips” on the rear fenders was everywhere, but in 1963 it was very uncommon. It may be the first car the comes to mind when I think of Bill Mitchell’s styling ethos. And even though this car was all about style, it seems the engineering was up to snuff too, not always the case on style-leader cars.
I tried to buy one of these, back in the day. Had things all worked out with the dealer. Had a 425 engine and the dealer was going to install 4 speed and wheels from a Wildcat convertible that he couldn’t sell (because of the 4 speed). But being just out of the service, I was unable to get the financing, necessary..
These were such beautiful cars. “63 is the year I’d want. Only chance to get one with the Dynaflow.
The owner’s comment about imperceptible shifts is more correct than perhaps he realized. The feel and sound of a Dynaflow changing pitch as it accelerates is a sensation lost to time. Such a smooth rush of power.
Love those horns too. I didn’t realize Buick had them as an option. A neighbor had similar horns on his 56 Chrysler New Yorker.
In addition to the horns and the sound of a shiftless Dynaflow under acceleration, Buick left the automotive world with more than a few aural delights. The unmistakable exhaust note of their OHV straight 8 and the mellow tone of older Sonomatic AM tube radios are two more that come to mind.
good article
#1 – to me, the 1958 Thunderbird is one of the ugliest cars, ridiculous in fact
#2 – read that GM borrowed much of the 1963 Riviera styling not just from Rolls, but more so from VW’s Karmann Ghia
#3 – read that VW actually cribbed the Karmann Ghia from Chrysler
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2017/11/10/virgil-exner-actually-didnt-mind-that-the-karmann-ghia-directly-copied-his-1953-chrysler-delegance
#4 – that by extention means so did Buick
#6 – lastly, I think the 1963-4 Pontiac Grand Prix absolutely rocks and has endured the test of time better than the Buick (hat tip to Engel’s Lincoln)
read that GM borrowed much of the 1963 Riviera styling not just from Rolls, but more so from VW’s Karmann Ghia
You read that somewhere? MAD magazine? 🙂
Seriously, that’s the most unlikely association between two cars’ styling I’ve ever heard. How about what your eyes say? Do you actually see where GM borrowed “much” of the K-G’s styling? I can’t see where they borrowed any of it.
But to each their own…
GM borrowed the styling from Rolls Royce for the 63 Corvette. After the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, the Viet Nam war started and GM knew we needed some sexy cars to get our minds off of the fact that the stock market crashed. That and the price of hamburger was high.
I don’t see any Rolls Royce in my ’63 ‘Vette….
I don’t feel that way about the 58-60 T-bird. It’s not my favorite, but I do like them. More so as a convertible, because the hardtop roof and its positioning on the body is its worst feature IMO.
I can definitely see the Chrysler in the VW K-G. I really can’t see the K-G in the Riviera, beyond maybe a vague euro curviness.
I agree the 63-64 Grand Prix is a great design. Better than the Riviera?…eye of the beholder I suppose but the GP was not nearly so different from other Pontiacs as the Riviera was from other Buicks.
I can definitely see the Chrysler in the VW K-G
Of course you can, as both were done at Ghia.
The question as to how much Exner directly contributed to the design of the D’Elegance is a mystery that will never be fully revealed, as Exner/Chrysler was by far Ghia’s biggest customer. There’s no doubt it was a collaboration; and clearly many of the so-called Exner Ghias had design elements that predated Exner’s involvement. I have no doubt that Ghia contributed at least 50% or more to them. Which of course explains why Exner had no problem with Ghia using some key design elements in the K-G; he knew it wasn’t really his design.
I loved the original series of Rivieras, but my fav was the 65.
I meant the 65 GranSport!
As I have previously posted:
First dinner at the dining commons, freshman year. ’63, Baby blue, Navy leather, with a very attractive blonde driving. She dated the football team & fraternity, we became good friends, however.
Always loved her and the car. Sadly she died 2 years ago (RIP).
Sorry for your loss. Evidence that1963 is getting to be quite a long time ago despite the condition of this Riviera. That’s the year my mom graduated college (and she’s still around thankfully).
The Ned Nickles convertible illustration is interesting…looks like inspration for 67/68 Impala. Love the original 63/4 Riviera with the exposed headlights and more delicate rear styling…and this one is a perfect period color combo in my book. Congrats to the owner.
I’m loving those horns!! Wow, what a beautiful sound. Thanks for posting the actual car sounding the horns.
I don’t think I have ever seen an American car built after 1973 I like the look of or have desired, but this, the 63 Lincoln and 66 Oldsmobile Toronado are simply stunning in form and detail, I cannot think of any better looking big cars from anywhere
That horn, magnificent I have always liked the US car horns you here in Film Noir but never realised a 4 note horn was a thing, would love one on my Rover P4
The Wrong Trousers!
I taped that on PBS in the 90s and played it until the tape wore out.
I don’t think I have ever seen an American car built after 1973 I like the look of or have desired, but this, the 63 Lincoln and 66 Oldsmobile Toronado are simply stunning in form and detail, I cannot think of any better looking big cars from anywhere
That horn, magnificent I have always liked the US car horns you hear in Film Noir but never realised a 4 note horn was a thing, would love one on my Rover P4
The 63 Lincoln in particular?
European horns have gotten better in recent decades, I think. They certainly used to be incredibly wimpy compared to American horns. Researching this article, I had the thought that they were probably one note, though I couldn’t find any specific reference to that.
Funny that someone in charge didn’t want to pay to engineer the hidden lights, then it had them for all of one year.
The two-level bumpers on an early version must be an homage to the ’34 Cadillac/Lasalle’s fragile biplane bumpers, also a single year feature. I wonder if the Rolls he saw was the same one that inspired the ’80 Seville’s bustleback. ’58 Hooper RR below.
Funny that someone in charge didn’t want to pay to engineer the hidden lights, then it had them for all of one year.
Classic GM move!
I never knew about the early Riviera four-note horn, but that’s a distinctly different (and more pleasant) chord than the one GM used on later luxury cars like the ’90s Buick Park Avenue. Those had a diminished chord for the lower three notes with a 7th at the treble end (sorry, don’t know the proper musical name for it). Basically a train-whistle sound.
Did those have a 4 note horn? I haven’t been able to find any reference to the option past the 1985. I believe Cadillac had it into the 90’s but I also haven’t been able to find a definitive end date their either.
I’m 110% non-musical so the description of the horn note was WAY over my head. But the video clip, wonderful! Thanks for including it. As a kid 6-7-8 year old kid, these were beautiful and distinctive cars. Far more special than any Cadillac of the time.
Thank you for a wonderful post about a beautiful car. There are sometimes cars that are just right, but they are rare in general production cars. In my eyes, the ’63-65 Riviera is like a custom coach built car, like a Facel Vega. The second generation model had to use the E Body platform shared with the El Dorado and Toronado. Still beautiful, but a bit more generic, (at least among it’s platform mates) I think these later models resemble a Motorama show car. Rivieras have always been about style, though they couldn’t escape the Brougham effect at the end of the 1970s. They still retained some of the show car pizazz, especially at the end of their run.
I had read speculation that VW cribbed a bit of style from Exner’s Ghia show coupes, they had the prominant quarter panel hips. I don’t see any Exner influence in the Riv. Mitchell wanted Rolls Royce and Ferrari in his first Riviera
I had read speculation that VW cribbed a bit of style from Exner’s Ghia show coupes,
Speculation? There was no speculation, as both were done by and at Ghia. This was 100% public knowledge and of course blatantly obvious.
The question as to how much Exner directly contributed to the design of the D’Elegance is a mystery that will never be fully revealed, as Exner/Chrysler was by far Ghia’s biggest customer. There’s no doubt it was a collaboration; and clearly many of the so-called Exner Ghias had design elements that predated Exner’s involvement. I have no doubt that Ghia contributed at least 50% or more to them. Which of course explains why Exner had no problem with Ghia using some key design elements in the K-G; he knew it wasn’t really fully his design.
My Dad had a gently used 1962 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, sort of a brown with a black leather interior and black top. I was 12 in 1963 and was hoping he’d trade the Cadillac for the Riviera bit money was tight. He did end up getting a one year old 1965 Buick Electra 225 convertible before he and my step-mother moved from Boston to Charleston SC. But later in life, we both bought 1985 Rivieras. I was a captain in the Air Force and traded in a clean 1983 Pontiac Grand Prix. I still admire the 1963 Riv though.
That four-note horn makes gorgeous music. I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive piece in the ’63, and especially liked the buildup ay the beginning that referenced the car’s stylistic references. Many high points in this fantastic article. Exceptional.
Thanks for the kind words, Joseph!
He describes driving the car as incredibly smooth with imperceptible shifts from the Dynaflow.
I hope they’re imperceptible, because they don’t happen! 🙂
The Dynaflow (in Drive, where it is almost 100% of the time), or Turbine Drive as Buick called it by 1963, does not shift from zero to whatever top speed is. It DOES have a “passing range” operated by the throttle linkage, but that actually changes the stator angle in the torque converter rather than perform any downshift.
Occasionally in for sale ads, I’ll see a Dynaflow car represented as having a two-speed automatic, but that’s not really accurate. Although it does have an emergency low range, it is engaged through the manual selection of “L” on the shift indicator, and will hold that gear until the valves float or the engine blows up.
Regardless, beautiful car in beautiful shape!
Thanks for the details! I have a hard time getting my head around that transmission.
There’s also a planetary gearset within the torque converter itself, which mechanically multiplies the torque of the first turbine at low to medium speeds by 1.6:1. The torque on the first turbine varies, and the converter’s reaction sun gear eventually overruns, so there’s no discernible shift point, but there is a “shift” of sorts. This is in addition to the effect of the stators.
I would often strike the same pose of this male model when admiring the body of my American automotive “Venus Di Milo” of the 1960’s.
Me too! I’d also be wondering at my amazing huge black garage.
Coming from England in 1966, I decided that my car should be a Ford Mustang. I did not care for most sedans, but always admired the 1963 Riviera. I guess it looked to me like something Bentley would have made. One day in the winter of 1968, I had just gone out to buy fireplace wood when I drove past a used car dealership with a 1963 Riviera on the forecourt. I had left home in my Mustang, but immediately traded it for the Buick and drove it home along with a trunk full of wood. Although today I drive a lovely Jaguar XF, I still think the Riviera was the most beautiful car I have ever owned
In 1966 my parents test drove a 63 baby blue Riviera. I wanted them to buy it, but they ended up with a 64 Cutlass convertible, a very nice car. When I was 15, by brother and I went shopping for a Riviera. This was in 1972, We found several, but they were out of our price range. We finally found an all black 64 that we could afford. It was my first car (his second). We shared it for a year until I bought his half. I had lots of adventures in it and it stayed in the family for 35 years. Sadly, most of those years, it was not in running condition. I would love to have another one.
A worthy addition to the CC canon!
As a 6 year old whose family bought a new 64 Cutlass, these cars were unremarkable to me for a long time. At that time I saw this (and the 63-64 Coupe DeVille, among others) as just another version of what a modern GM car was supposed to look like. It was like our Cutlass, only more expensive
Later I could see what a delight this design is, in a way that sets it apart from even the most attractive of other GM offerings of the period. Some designs are just “right”, and this is one of them.
Thanks! There are probably quite a few people around when it was new who didn’t fully appreciate the car until years later when it was clear GM would never and could never make something so beautiful again.
My father bought my sister a 63 Olds 88 holiday Oldsmobile I wasn’t allowed to drive it but I was allowed to keep it clean and wash it wash and wax it I would still like to have one