1965 Buick Riviera

Gran Sport Limousine

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

Gasoline

See more photos at http://gallery.me.com/bbasler#100028  My father-in-law has a one owner 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport, his cherished muscle car, complete with original clam shell headlights. Father in law was the former Service Manager for a GM dealership in Eastern Iowa. The car, is a true, died-in-the-wool Riviera Gran Sport. In 1965, the car was a dealer demo at a Buick dealership in Des Moines, Iowa. My father-in-law's dealership showed an interest in the car, and arranged for a transfer over to his dealership in eastern Iowa. By December of 1965, the car was still unsold, so he stepped in and bought it. The car is white with the fawn (I believe) interior, and had the 425 dual carb setup. My father-in-law drove this car, pampering it from 1965, through the mid 70s. My understanding is that this was not his daily driver, but he did use the car quite often. Being a dealership Service Manager, everything he owned was meticulously maintained. Somewhere around 77, he loaned the car to a family member for a short interstate trip. When the car came back home, it had some significant engine damage, requiring a pretty thorough rebuild. My father-in-law's family was supposed to go on a family vacation the upcoming week, and this car was their transportation. Not having time to get the parts and to do the rebuild, he sent one of his service techs out to find a period correct engine, as close as possible to the original. They did not find a 425, but found a running, low mileage 401 out of a 1966 (he recalls) Wildcat. They did the quick swap, and the original 425 was wheeled over to the corner of the shop. When my father-in-law returned from a week long vacation, he was happy to see that the shop had been cleaned...but was shocked to see that his 425 had been put out to the scrap collector. According to their side of the story, nobody had ever told them of his desire to keep the engine, at least until all the important stuff was migrated over. The air cleaner, the intake, the 4-bbls, the linkages, and the valve covers were all disposed of. Needless to say he was pretty discouraged. From that point on, the car was not up to his standard. He continued to drive it, but less and less as time went by. In the early 80s my father-in-law got out of the auto industry and purchased a marina. This consumed every spare minute of his time, and the Rivi was relegated to a parking sport next to the garage, outside and in exposed to the elements. The car was cosmetically perfect when it was parked. The clam shell headlight and mechanisms are still there. All interior trim is intact, as are all the exterior trim pieces. The car is looking a bit haggard now. Faded paint, rust, flat tires and a sunbleached interior. But deep down is the original jewel of a GS. One would find it to be an all original GS today, but with a 1966 vintage 401 rather than the original 425. We want this car to go to an enthusiastic new owner. The best plan of action would be for the car to be loaded onto a flat bed trailer, as it is by no means drivable. Car must be picked up where she currently sits. Mileage indicated is approximate. The car was not unlocked when I last took photos and I could not see the odometer. In light of the repower, I am not sure the mileage is overly relevant, but if it is, we can certainly find out actual mileage. We would like the car to be picked up within 30 days. My in-laws home has been sold and they are moving to a new location. We can be on site to assist with loading. Car is not warranted or guaranteed in any way. This is avery desirable year and model. Those interested in old Rivis know what they are looking at.On Nov-22-10 at 06:06:45 PST, seller added the following information: I have been contacted by another Gran Sport enthusiast here on eBay, He states, "HI, I have been a Riviera collector for many years. I currently have two Riviera Gran Sports. I have a complete 1965 Riviera Gran Sport motor available for sale. It is complete with low miles. If the winning bidder is interestd please let me know. I also have a 65 Gran Sport motor that needs a rebuild(block only). I have another one that was rebuilt by the person that I bought their car from many years ago. This is the motor only. All these motors are coded "LX" for 1965 Buick Dual Quad motors. These motors have been stored in my garage for mant years and have not been out in the weather elements." If the winning bidder wishes to return this car to an "as delivered" condition with the same year and coded engine, it looks like that is an option. I will gladly share this person's contact info with the winning bidder.