1963 Buick Riviera

-

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

7J1038982

Other

Gasoline

Buick Riviera was originally conceived for Cadillac Division under the code name XP-715. During the initial stage of development, thought was given to naming the new car LaSalle, but since the LaSalle represented a smaller, more affordable Cadillac when it was built, it was determined this name would be a poor choice for a car envisioned to compete at the upper end of the market. It is said that the inspiration for the car originated from a trip to London by GM's styling chief Bill Mitchell, who spotted a custom-bodied Rolls Royce parked in the fog one night. Mitchell was struck by the crisp styling, described as "knife-edged" by Mitchell. GM stylist Ned Nickles came up with the final design, which was sporty and elegant and introduced frameless side glass for the first time. The lack of a bright metal frame around the side windows gave the car a very clean look, one that would become more popular in the seventies. When the new car was offered to Cadillac, its executives weren't interested, because they were enjoying very robust sales at the time, and lacked the facilities to increase production capacity to handle a new car. Plus, Cadillac itself was in the early stages of designing its own personal luxury car, working in concert with Oldsmobile Division on a front wheel drive platform to debut around the middle of the decade. Now that it had a new car with no division to build and market it, GM allowed its interested divisions to compete for the new model. Buick was perhaps hurting the most of all at this time, and it felt this new model might be just the thing to jump start its sales. So Buick Division went all out to make sure it would be awarded the new car. It commissioned its new advertising agency, McCann-Erickson, with the task of creating a spectacular presentation for GM's upper brass. The presentation wowed the executives, and the car was given to Buick. The new car was introduced pretty much as designed, although Buick shortened it to accommodate its cruciform frame. Shorter, narrower, and lighter than the larger Buicks it shared showroom space with, the new Riviera used the same basic drive train, which meant it was a spectacular performer. The 1963 Riviera was officially introduced to the public on October 4, 1962, and Buick announced that production would be limited to just 40,000 units its first year. The initial design called for headlights to be concealed behind front fender grilles, but issues involving reliability and cost delayed their introduction for a couple of years. If you are a fan of these unique automobiles and are searching for one to restore, you will be very hard pressed to find one as straight, solid and complete as this particular car. This car is missing only it's air breather. This 1963 Buick riviera has been in dry storage since 1981. It is all numbers matching with it's original 401 still in place under the hood. The carberator has been rebuilt. Car features air conditioning, remote driver side mirror, power windows, power seats, power brakes,power antenna AM-FM Radio,Power steering. It is showing 29,726 on the speedometer, I am sure it is more than likely 129,000. Car Cranks and Drives on it's own power, However it has been sitting since 1981, and if you are looking to restore it to show quality, you will want to go through the engine and tranny and replace gaskets, seals etc. Dual exhaust, the trim that is not on the side of the car, is inside of the car. One small break in the grill. Top has some paint cracking in a small area. No suprises here, what you see is what you get. the trunk is very solid, the rockers are solid, I have found a couple of small holes in the floorpan, I am not sure if they are drain holes or small rust holes. Trunk key mechanism is missing. Headliner has come loose at one small seam, seats need covered, they are leather. 1 very small chip in the windshield. No title, Comes with legal Georgia bill of sale, Current registration from the State of Georgia, which any of the 50 states will honor, due to the fact Georgia does not require a title on pre 1985 vehicles, If you are unsure, please check with your dmv prior to bidding. Car will fire up and drive onto any trailer, No I would not drive it home due to it sitting idle for 30 years, but you will not find a better starting point than this one. You may be able to tune it up, service it, put new tires on it and drive it around before you restore it if you want to. Payment is due in full within 5 days of auction end, after I am paid I will allow you up to 30 days to arrange transport. Thanks and please ask any questions prior to bidding. I will be posting a video walk around of the car soon. On Feb-24-11 at 18:36:44 PST, seller added the following information: I will do my best to get a video of the car up tomorrow before the auction ends, if it is not posted here email me and I will give you a link for it. Meanwhile here's a new movie with a car like this :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2-hiHUh4UQ