The Riviera... (By Buick)

By now most of you have figured out that I consider the original Riviera to be one of the most important cars of the postwar generation, and there is increasing evidence that Buick felt so too. Entered into evidence is the launch brochure from the fall of 1962. 

Note the supreme elegance of the piece- the utter lack of backgrounds, the dramatic photography and the black on silver color scheme. Make no mistake, the piece is shot and printed in full color, but the overwhelming theme is black on silver. 

Riviera is shown in its signature color of Cloud Silver with black leather. No escaping the fact that this is one impressive piece of lifestyle positioning. I'll shut up now and let you enjoy the piece.

NOW wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?

Polka Dots and Moonbeams...and Power Tops

Okay, this one's a mystery- are we seeing that free expression has practical limits? Did someone get inspired by a loaf of Wonder Bread? Was the board game Twister secretly invented in the GM Styling Center? Did the "Damsels of Design" run amok?

Perhaps it is no coindicence that Brian Hyland's novelty tune "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" was a smash in the late summer of 1960 and sold almost two million copies- could someone in the styling dome been humming it late one night?

Good news, this 1961 Buick convertible is just a trip to the trim shop away from being good as new. And we could put it down for the drive over.

And just because we're good sports, here's that Hyland hit:



Not all design inspirations are good ones.

Flamingo- Pretty in Pink

Just a quick photo to celebrate our 100th post- from the final iteration of the legendary Motorama, Buick brings us the Flamingo- an Electra 225 Convertible in a rich Flamingo pink with two tone pink thin shell leather bucket seats. The passenger seat rotated 180 degrees for top down card games. One to remember when I perfect that time machine.

Tucker- The Man and the Car

Preston Tucker behind the wheel of a Tucker '48

I've been fascinated with the tragic tale of the Tucker Automobile Company since I first read about them in Motor Trend magazine way back in the spring of 1971- the intriguing suspenseful story of the man who invented the revolutionary new car that was going to sweep the industry. It had all of the elements of a great drama- a handsome protagonist, a daring invention, an evil colluding band of companies out to stop him and preserve the status quo- in short, the story of just about every important invention ever conceived.

And of course by now, you are aware that the car did not succeed. Accused of securities fraud, Tucker was ultimately acquitted but the company collapsed after producing only fifty-one rear-engined, air cooled automobiles with cyclops headlamps and pop out safety windshields.

Recently I stumbled upon the 1948 promotional film "Tucker- The Man and the Car" which is a fifteen minute color promotional film from 1947. It's full of fascinating scenes involving the Tucker car being demonstrated, paraded, demonstrated and ultimately even rolled over three times. Also footage of designer Alex Tremulis and even Preston Tucker himself.

So step back sixty-fours years and check out "Tucker: The Man and The Car:"

Silver Arrow- a Riviera for Mr. Mitchell

Silver Arrow at the Styling Pond, GM Tech Center

There's an old line that "It's Good to be King," and while that may be true, it might have been even better to have been GM's Bill Mitchell. Because Bill not only avoided all those dreary court functions, he also got GM to build him special cars whenever the mood struck. Take for example the fall of 1963, and the gorgeous new 1963 Buick Riviera had just begun rolling off Buick's assembly lines. Riviera was a personal favorite of Mitchell's, but as is often the case, he didn't get absolutely everything he wanted on the production car.

Wasn't it nice that he had the talented craftsmen of the GM Design Center at his disposal? He had a silver production 1963 Riviera sent over for some touches. First, the top was shopped two inches and the front fenders and hood lengthened about four. The vent windows were eliminated. Cibie headlamps were mounted behind the vertical fender grilles. The side scoops were enlarged. Genuine wire wheels were fitted, although the actual tire choice varied between whitewalls and black- both were seen.

Inside the car had special silver leather bucket seats, revised instrumentation including a tachometer and a clock mounted in the wood trimmed console. Mitchell's signature chrome strips over leather floor covering was utilized, and even the black gauge faces were unique to Silver Arrow. It was also the first car to display the R logo stand up hood ornament.

The car was named Silver Arrow and when not being displayed at Auto Shows, it was Mitchell's personal transportation. Perhaps the only car that could top a 1963 Riviera was this magnificent Silver Arrow.

After about a year the car was revised. The egg  crate grille was replaced with four thermostatically controlled cooling slots. The wire wheels were replaced with art deco inspired color matched wheel discs and the car was fitted with wide whitewall tires. This is the look the Silver Arrow wears to this day, and became a Mitchell signature that would be seen again and again.

Silver Arrow was so popular that it became an icon for the Buick Riviera, and the exercise was to be repeated on subsquent generations of Riv. It resides today in the Buick Heritage Gallery of the Sloan Museum in Buick's hometown of Flint.

Silver Arrow upon completion at the GM Tech Center

Winter Shot alongside the GM Styling Center

After Revision, on display at the Pebble Beach Concours

After

Silver Arrow on display at the Buick Gallery in Flint

Mitchell's signature color matched wheel cover and wide whitewalls

Special silver leather buckets and unique instrumentation

Special rear side scoop

Revised tail lamps and special Silver Arrow badging

(Cross Posted on the Reynolds Buick GMC Blog.)

Riviera- Love at First Sight

XP-715, the GM Styling exercise that became the 1963 Riviera

The early sixties were a very exciting time in the domestic auto industry, and a lot of new models were finding their way off the drawing boards and into the showrooms. Certainly one of the most memorable and revered cars of the era was the exciting Buick Riviera. Based on a design theme by GM's Bill Mitchell that he called "Ferrari Rolls-Royce," Mitchell set out to create a car that was both sporty and elegant.

Veteran GM designer Ned Nickles (who also did the 1949 Roadmaster Riviera) was the exterior stylist. Amazingly, the car was created with Cadillac in mind, but when the division paused, the finished fiberglass model, known only as XP-715, was shown to all five divisional managers who were asked to bid for it.

1963 Riviera Body arrives at Buick Plant 04 from Fisher Body in Flint 

Cadillac felt their volume was already sufficient, a decision they would soon revisit. Chevrolet similarly passed, leaving Pontiac, Olds, and Buick in contention. Of the three, Buick brought in their ad agency, Mc Cann-Erickson and produced the winning presentation- Buick would get the XP-715, which was soon named Riviera.

Factory Photo of the 1963 Riviera

Built on a shortened Electra frame, and with the Electra's 401 cubic inch engine, the Riviera went into production at the Buick's Home plant in Flint, MI. It was assembled in Plant 04 alongside the Le Sabre, Wildcat, and Electra models. Production was deliberately limited to 40,000 units to keep demand strong.

Buick assembled its 11 Millionth automobile in 1963- and no surprise it was a  sporty Riviera

Riviera was an immediate success and a halo car for the rest of the Buick line up as well. It was no mere coincidence that when Buick assembled its 11 millionth car that year, it turned out to be a fully loaded Riviera. Riviera even began making cameo appearances in the movies, including being driven by Frank Sinatra in "Come Blow Your Horn."

Reynolds Buick Sales Manager Jim Hutchison and Dealer Pete Reynolds pose with the  new 1963 Riviera in the old showroom

Riviera was a perfect fit in car crazy Southern California and was a big seller for dealers such as longtime Covina dealer Reynolds Buick. In addition, Hollywood bought Riviera in a big way, too- even "logical" celebrities such as Leonard Nimoy fell prone to Riviera's charms.

Reynolds New showroom dedication in 1964- Congratulatory Cake with  1964 Riviera in background

The opening of the new Reynolds Buick showroom in 1964 was perfectly timed- Riviera was on the floor on day one and is even captured in the commemorative photographs- Riviera was a perfect fit for Southern California and a very important part of their business.

Dramatic Nighttime shot of new Reynolds showroom with Riviera inside and on the patio

Buick had made many wonderful cars over the years but there's only a handful what we knew at first sight were destined to become a classic- and the top of that list is the original Riviera. Not just a timeless design or a great car- Riviera was love at first sight.

Palm Springs Modernism Week Car Show 2012

Modernism Week is in full swing, and the down is so bustling that reservations are needed at the car wash. Once again the first Monday is car show day, and an especially nice selection of postwar chariots were assembled in front of the Convention Center for all to enjoy.

Because some of the cars were displayed last year, I'm focusing on the newest arrivals. I love the automobile as fashion element in the mid century. The lines, the fabrics, the jewelry, even the calligraphy made a  statement about the carefree lifestyle that choosing the right automobile will deliver.

 So many lovelies- how does one choose a favorite?