(first posted 3/21/2014) It’s become obvious that I like white cars more than most people, but even I’m getting an excessive share. A good portion majority of the CCs I’ve captured have been white: the ’66 Newport, the ’84 190E, the ’68 Electra 225 and now, this ’68 Riviera. The color tends to work well on cars that have sharply defined ridges and upright styling, but tends to wash out the contours of more full-figured models, and the Electra in particular looked bad in white. This Riviera earns a passing grade, and although different color would be vastly more appealing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show off this find.
Paul wrote up this very nice black 1966, a very fine example of its designer’s intentions, but this car is itself quite attractive, even though it helps illustrate the watering down of the original shape. That is, at least, what I’m led to believe by those who follow GM history closely. While not as clean and uncluttered as the 1966, the overall look is still reasonably aggressive and I’m sure someone was very happy to be seen behind the wheel forty-six years ago.
Certainly, the newness of its appearance would’ve been a selling point; this was a very ’70s American design, despite its introduction in 1966 and complete redesign for 1971.
GM really set the pace with the sweeping lines seen on the ’66 Riviera (and other cars). It may be hard to remember, especially as memories of the cynical seventies have ingrained themselves in our collective conscience, but these cars were quite fresh when introduced during a time when straight, long lines were all the rage. Full of curves and lacking vent windows, there were more uninterrupted surfaces than seen on much of the competition. It’s been said that Bill Mitchell had a smaller car in mind when his studio penned the second-generation Riv, and certainly, the added width in combination with soft contours gives an unintentional impression of mass for such a purportedly sporty conveyance, but compared to what followed, it’s still clean and dynamic.
From the looks of the 1968 facelift, the public responded positively to the roundness of second generation redesign, because the addition of the loop bumper only exaggerated its somewhat zaftig shape. Looking back four decades later, we can see this was a quickly passing craze, milked for all it was worth, with the ’69 and ’71 Chrysler C and B bodies, GM’s ‘68 A-bodies and other examples. Eventually Lincoln’s neoclassical look stole the show, and highly ornamented rectilinear shapes became all the rage, with GM playing catch-up until the debut of the Seville’s sheer look, which in turn influenced the appearance of the K-car, and the famed Ford Panthers. Interestingly enough, the next time organic styling was in fashion, during the early ’90s, it similarly coincided with a nebulous liberal ethos, only to be rapidly purged in favor of a more clearly defined aesthetic by the end of the decade, just as during the latter half of the ’70s. That’s reform and reaction for you; go figure.
It’s said that Buick was always the doctor’s or the banker’s car. If that’s the case, this Riviera might have belonged to a slightly unscrupulous plastic surgeon, or a broker who’d begun loosening lending criteria. GM was certainly getting loose with their definition of what a Riviera should or shouldn’t be, as this Strato-Bench seat shows. Earlier analysis at CC contends that Bill Mitchell was fenced in by a number of factors in designing succeeding Rivieras, including the energy crisis, a dwindling budget, and five mph bumpers. I would argue that the need to expand volume is what led to a vulgarization of the original concept, and one can’t ignore the significant influence of buyers who had more of an eye for fads and impressing neighbors than for good taste.
A styling studio has to take preferences of their audience into consideration, and to put it bluntly, I can think of more inspiring company than a gaggle of upper middle class suburbanites who, after years of hard work, have ignored their own creative impulse in favor of more practical and/or superficial concerns. Given such a context, Buick fulfilled its design mandate very well, with the Riviera achieving record breaking sales for 1968, marking the car’s second-best year (1969 being most successful). Regardless of expert opinion, the Riv was always second place in sales next to the Thunderbird, and as that car gained size and ornamentation, so did the Buick. Mitchell’s studio must ultimately be remembered for coming up with a solution for the Buick more elegant than either of its E-body stablemates or any contemporary rival from Dearborn.
Looks aside, there were other reasons to go with the Riviera over its corporate siblings or other domestic competitors. For one thing, the Buick didn’t complicate an already ponderous experience by burdening the front tires with the task of transferring an enormous V8’s torque. While GM had by this time begun earning a reputation for better handling than Ford at the same time Chryslers were beginning to lose their dynamic edge, Car and Driver’s ample (and highly qualified) praise for the Riv’s dynamic abilities wasn’t shared with the Toronado. In an August ’66 test, they praised the Buick’s handling and drivetrain, commending its quick steering and stability, while in an April ’68 test, they lambasted the Toronado for its alarming understeer when driven with any verve. The criticism of the gigantic V8 perched atop the Olds’s front wheels is predictable, but praise given to the Riviera still comes as somewhat of a surprise to those who primarily remember its later incarnations. For all the effort involved in engineering the Toronado and Eldorado, it was the old cruciform frame which most effectively met the demands serious drivers had of a full-size sport sedan.
Despite its competence and exclusivity with its unique frame and substantially different body, however, the Riviera failed to close the gap with the Thunderbird, which continued to sell in larger numbers (except in 1969, when Buick moved 3,000 more units). This remained the case throughout the second-generation Riviera’s model run, even though Ford famously missed the mark with the 1967 redesign.
For all the theories about the rot setting in at GM beginning around this period, it doesn’t seem that the engineering was bad. People may have chosen cars like the Thunderbird over the Riviera because of all the glitz and gadgetry, but the Buick had it all over the Ford when it came to performance, being a genuinely athletic large American car. That’s another important thing to remember, especially as such qualities became increasingly uncommon by the ’70s.
The final verdict on this car, as always, is up to our readers. You can choose to dismiss the ’68 Riviera for its poorly judged facelift and underwhelming interior, or you can embrace it for offering a rare, performance-oriented option in the personal luxury class.
Related reading: 1968 Thunderbird and 1972 Riviera
I think there are few cars that were so stylistically successful and/or daring for much of their lifespans than the Riviera. For me, any model from ’63-’69 is beautiful (the ’68-’69 a little less so, but still wholly acceptable); the ’71-’73, while not my cup of tea, was at least taken in a bold direction; the ’79-85 was among the most interestingly styled of that era (CC to come soon); and the ’95-’99 was unmistakable as a Riviera (and polarizing).
I’ve warmed up to this particular Riv over time. It would look better in a darker color, but looking at this one in a crowded parking lot just emphasizes how ugly new cars are.
The Generation 1 and 2 Rivieras are among my favorite cars of the Sixties and I’d take one over a T-bird any day.
Just finished reading the CC review of the 1968 Thunderbird. Whereas the Riv was dripping with bold, sleek yet full-figured athleticism, the Bird was all about the gingerbread – gobs of tacky styling cues pasted awkwardly all over.
The finishing touch? Those landau bars. It was a bridge too far – sorta like Rodney Dangerfield topping off a polyester suit ensemble with a 14k solid gold chain.
Loop bumper aside, the Riv had all of the stylistic makings of a wonderful luxury performance cruiser with the powertrain to match. And unlike the Toronado or Eldorado, you got the tried-and-true rear-wheel drive setup. “GO FAST WITH CLASS”, indeed.
T-Birds had Landau Bars since 1958, not as if they were suddenly added in 1967.
The Thunderbird Landau was introduced in 1962.
Although I always saw this slogan on T-shirts being worn by guys with GNX and GS Buicks this 68 Riviera is definitely a Buick that fits the “GO FAST WITH CLASS” mantra.
GM forget the “Class of World Class” or whatever lame slogan you’re using with Buick now. For the T-type and GS Buicks adopt the slogan: “Go Fast With Class.”
You’re welcome.
People don’t want to go fast with class now. Just give ’em a trapezoidal-wheeled-thingy with “apps” and let the nanny doo-dads keep them alive while they’re texting pics about what they had for lunch today, and they’re happy.
Not that I’d ever generalize….
Still a beautiful machine. These appeal to me in the way the ’79-’81 Firebirds do.
Both had slightly less attractive front-end restyles but nicely updated tails as compared to their immediate predecessors (’66-’67 Riviera/’77-’78 Firebird) — I’ve always preferred the license-plate-in-the-bumper look — it just looks cleaner to me.
Make mine a floor shift car please.
Nice but not as nice as the early models.I must be one of the few fans of the boat tail and the 66 T bird.
I love the this Rivieras, bur I like the 66 and 67 best. I own a 67 myself. It’s realy nice, 172.000 miles on the odometer, rebuilt Th400, original 430 engine and rear axle. It’s a great cruiser for long trips, quiet and relatively good handling. The engine is realy nice, always enough power, and gets 18-20 mpg on the highway (Norwegian speedlimit, 55-65 mph). The only bat thing I can think of is the ride. The ride is quite harsh on bad roads. I don’t know why, It has always been that way.
Has anyone else driven this Riviera (66-70) and can say something about the ride on bad roads? Is it kind of harsh, or is it just my car?
In general , American cars like these can be made to ride either ” floaty ” or handle acceptably if harsh compared to more modern cars .
As I drive a lot and as fast as I can make them go , I always go for the harsh ride over the floaty GM ride they usually came with .
-Nate
Ok. But I want the typical american fullsize ride. And I have changed 4 coil springs and the shocks trying to get these soft ride. But I got no change in the ride comfort.
I think maybe the cruciform frame has something to do about it?
If anyone know anything about it, let me know 🙂
I have never thought that GM cars of that era did all that well on bad roads. Ford Motor Company was the king of isolation back then, and gave the smoothest, quietest rides of all. The better ones (like full-sized Lincolns) would pitch a bit, but handled bad roads fairly well. Mopars gave the most road feel but the least isolation. GM was kind of in the middle, with some body flex added that would eventually turn to shakes/rattles on bad roads.
I presume you are running radial tires? One point is that the manufacturers always used to call for ridiculously low tire pressures in order to smooth the ride. However, pressures like 24 psi front and 26 psi rear that were common specs would turn the cars into sloppy pigs, so I have always run with higher pressures in the older cars – at the expense of ride on bad roads.
Thank you for the reply 🙂
I’, running with radials, 235/75 -15. Tire pressure around 30-35 psi. But with lower tire pressure the car must use more gas? or?
It’s a lot of bad roads in Norway, and the best car I have ever driven is a 1975 Lincoln Continental. It just absorbs the bumps and cracks in the roads. Even a new MB S-Class or a BMW 7-series can’t do this better. The Lincoln was also very very quiet. I actually think the Continental does this better than the Mark-series.
The best GM cars I have driven, when it comes to quietness and road isolation, is the 78 Cadillac Eldorado and the 77 Buick Riviera (B-body). The 77 Coupe DeVille was not as good as the Eldo or the Riv from the same era.
My 67 Riviera is powerfull, fast, loud when you push it, quiet when cruising, very good handling, in fact it’s the best fullsize american car I have ever driven when it comes to handling, but the car crashes a bit over potholes, and it does not float around.
When I cruise on fine roads in 55-65 mph it’s very quiet and comfortable in fact, it only misses some headrests 🙂
My guess, based on how well your Riviera handles and rides harshly, is that it has the optional heavy duty suspension. Was this car an original import to Norway? Because my memory tells me that GM upgraded suspensions for many of the cars it exported. But even if this was a US-spec car, it may still have had the optional suspension (stiffer springs, shocks, sway bar, etc).
My Riviera was imported to Norway in 1997, the year the car was 30 years old. This is because of the Norwegian tax-rules, saying that cars older than 30 years get no taxes. I don’t think it was sold any new Rivieras here in Norway, a least not so old. After WW2 Norway was a poor country and everyone could not buy a car until 1960. You have to be a doctor or something special who needed a car at work. Only exception was East-European cars, because we could change some of our ressorces to the East-European cars. All of the other car-producers wanted money, and money was really tight those days….
Well, the Riviera was a one owner car from California. The first owner registered the car in November 1966 as a 1967 model. I have replaced both the coil springs and the shock absorbers to the original spec, not the heavy duty. The only thing that is not original with the front end is the sway bar. The sway bar looks like it is a heavy duty. But I have had a hard time to find a original sway bar.
Considering the age of the car, perhaps the body and suspension bushings have lost their resiliency and have taken a set. This could be at least partially responsible for the harshness you describe. The bushings serve to isolate the body and passenger compartment from road harshness by providing a cushion between the frame, suspension, and driveline from the body. Also, be sure your tires aren’t overinflated. But even at its best, it will never match a 70’s era Lincoln for ride quality and isolation. Hope this helps.
I’ve ridden in my share of Buicks over the years, and they all had the same problem: comfortable ride, but piss-poor handling. I like a car that rides comfortably but also handles better than that.
Perhaps your car was designed for bias ply tires and you’re running radials. Counterintuitively this can make the car ride stiffer.
Thank you for this story. It was an interesting read. I liked certain Rivieras. They were daring cars stylistically. I liked the 1963-1965, the 1966, 1968-1989, 1975-1976, 1979-1985, 1989-1993. I really was not a fan of the early 70’s ones nor the dreadful downsized 1986-1988 model. I was not a fan of the 1977-1978 model because it was a LeSabre dressed up. I have tried to warm up to the last generation 1995-1999, but I can’t. It is missing something and the interior was dreadful. It should have been more high tech looking. I think they were trying to recapture the original 1963-1965 models interiors. It just did not look right, and it did not help the Lincoln Mark VIII looks similar on the exterior in some ways. I think the most luxurious ones ever were the 1979-1985 models. I wished the 1989-1993 had offered a front bench seat, but it did not. The 1986-1989 models were the most high tech. I read somewhere the reason that they switched the interior on the 1990-1993 model was because of the Reatta and something about being able to see the instrumentation.
What is interesting to me is how Riviera was RWD and the other two E Bodies were FWD and they shared common parts. The shared even more starting in 1979. I know the 1989-1993 Riviera shares parts with my Toronado.
It is interesting to look back and see what the designers may have been thinking.
The Riviera GCC touch screen was too hard to read in the sunlight on proposed Reatta convertibles, or so I had read.
I really like the 1995-1999 Rivieras, I sold them new, they were fantastic cars, very smooth and quiet, really pretty cars too.
I like the boat tail Rivieras, I don’t like the plucked chicken 1974-1976 “tail less” Rivieras.
I too like the 95-99 Riviera but I was shocked to find out they are 207 inches long. That’s as big as the 2000-2011 Deville/DTS but the Riv’s sleek lines disguise it’s size. Right now you can get a nice one fairly cheaply. Since they were the last Rivieras (for now) and they look like nothing else do you think may become somewhat collectible?
Yeah, they were big cars, a really clean one that was well kept might become somewhat collectible, maybe….right now they are still too new and there still are a good number of them around. Look at the 1979-1985 Rivieras, which have already mostly past the 30 year mark, and some of the best kept examples of that vintage have started to appreciate, slightly.
Right now there is an extremely clean 1979 Riviera S with the turbo that is struggling to break $8000, the reserve isn’t met, I wonder what they want to get for it.
The 1995-1997 were the last of the big coupes… It was not the last one, but one of the last. I was shocked it grew as much as it did myself. It went from 198.3 inches to 207 inches long. The Aurora was 205 inches long. It was close in size to the last Ninety Eight and it had a longer wheelbase, but it was not as roomy. I did like the fact the last Riviera came with a front bench seat option for a few years. I still do not know what it is I did not care for about the 1995-1999 model besides the instrumentation panel.
Some of the concepts in this video look better than the production 1995-1999 model.
An early 1980s soft top would be a good buy- all the virtues of that era Eldorados,but with the trusty Buick motors.
This is one of the few cars of its era that I had no interaction with when they were relatively common, so I have the luxury of coming to this one with fairly fresh impressions.
To me, this car seems to be the one that closed the gap with the Thunderbird. The Riv was earning its cred while the T Bird was in the process of starting its long downhill slide. The Riv finally gave GM fans a place to go for a car as prestigious as the Bird. I would personally be hard pressed to choose between a Riv and a TBird of this era. But both the Riv beginning in 71 and the TBird in 72 – I really have no interest in either. This is a very nice find and an enjoyable car to gaze upon.
I don’t mind this car in white, but the black vinyl interior ruins it for me. White cars with black interiors were very popular in the 60s, but it is to me one of the least appealing combos of all of the possibilities.
JP. I agree. Both the Bird and Riv are worthy vehicles. As I don’t have infinite storage space, I have to be selective in my car collection. I have a 64 Bird convertible because it represents a very rare combination of being a full-size convertible with absolutely no shared exterior/exterior panels with a plebeian 4-door. But I am keeping my eyes open for a 66-68 Riv as it is simply gorgeous. But a Riv is a Riv when it has bucket seats, floor console, and “tractor” wheels.
Poorly judged? Best poorly judged facelift ever, if so. The stylistic roll that started with the debut model and continued with the ’66 restyle didn’t stop here–this is a fantastic-looking car too. It was all good until the lead baloon that was the ’70 refresh.
These cars still turn heads 45 years on, but haven’t been saddled with the “car as caricature” attitude that the boat-tails have to live with. Fantastic job in my opinion.
Sweet looking car. I’ve always liked the Buick Riviera built after 1965 and before 1970.
In 1968 the public expected cars to be restyled every year. When you start with a near perfect design like the 66-67 Riviera pretty much anything you do to it will make it a little worse. The 68 is still a beautiful car and I’d love to have one. It’s more restrained and “tasteful” than the 68 Wildcat but I would love to have a 68 Wildcat 2 door even more! I’d also love to get a 71-72 boatail Riv but like the Wildcat they’re pretty scarce.
Good points. The ’66-’67 Riviera is a tough act to follow, but this restyle did a pretty good job. I admit being more partial to the Boat-tails and ’65-’68 Wildcats.
Such lovely cars.
The facelift kills the appeal for me. I love that overhead shot from behind, Perry.
Oh boy, seeing a white ’68 Riviera stirs up an old grudge. About 18-20 years ago give or take, there was one for sale in my neighborhood for $2500, but I had zero disposable income at the time. Then all of a sudden my next door neighbor buys it. More specifically, my next door neighbor’s adult child who was still living with Mom and Dad and so had no expenses. Within a couple months he destroyed it, amateurishly trying to hop it up, like he did all his cars, except for those he wrecked first. It had an engine fire and then sat in his driveway for several YEARS before finally being towed away. The burned hood got somehow left behind, resting on top of his also derelict 70’s BMW 530i in the back yard.
The ’68-’69 Toronado did a much better job of pulling off that sort of front end styling. But the Riviera had the better looking rear. If they had combined the Toronado front with the Riviera rear, it would have looked much better.
I was never impressed with the 1995 Buick Riviera. I’ve always found it to be the least attractive of the Buick Rivieras.
Er, Perry. Your camera meter is unable to cope with such a vast areas of white paint on this car and is thus underexposing the resulting photographs of the exterior. Best to bracket your exposure under these circumstances. Take one at normal, one at 1/2 stop + and the last at 1 stop + (over expose). Same would apply when shooting in the snow or beach….or a white wedding!
I personally find the 1968-70 Buick Riviera’s to be very under appreciated years and thought they were close to matching the elegance and the timeless design of the 1966-67 Riviera’s, the era of the Riviera’s I didn’t like was 1974-76 and the 1986-onward models.
The “Strato Bench” front seat is a good alternative to the individual buckets. At first glance, especially from outside the individual seat backs make it look like the car has bucket seats. This contributes to the sporty appearance. Inside the wide arm rest is very comfortable and it makes you feel securely snug in the front seat. Once you get used to a front armrest, you just can’t go back! The bench comes with the column shifter.
I’ve had cars with both set ups and the buckets aren’t any more comfortable and you lose the front arm rest. I don’t think that most people bought the bench to seat six adults, although I’ve read that was a corporate design requirement for the base car. Especially against the Thunderbird which still came with buckets only at this time. I think that the extra seat was mostly used for young children. In fact, the buyer of my last ’66 chose it because he had four young boys and wanted a car that he could take with the whole family to car shows.
I’m a big Riviera fan and if there was unlimited space and $ would own one from each generation except for the ‘95-‘99. My dream Riv is ‘65 GS. I find the ‘69 Riviera more appealing than the ‘68, not much was changed except for the grill and backup lights.
I replied to a couple of comments without noticing how old they were.
I so silly.
Beautiful car. One of my all time favorites!
“It’s become obvious that I like white cars more than most people”
I imagine most of us who read this site prefer cars to most people.