Buick Rivieras are no stranger to Barn Finds, various examples, in a myriad of conditions, spanning different generations have been covered in the past. But the Gen-3 Riviera, known colloquially as the “boat tail”, always garners appreciation – they were certainly attention getters upon introduction. That being the case, let’s take a look at this 1971 version of Buick’s famous luxury coupe. It is located in Festus, Missouri, and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $13,000, reserve not yet met.
The 1971 Riviera, designed under the auspices of GM’s famed, head designer, Bill Mitchell, took a radical departure from its previous iteration. Unlike luxury coupes such as a Monte Carlo or the Grand Prix which were ’70 carry-overs, the Riv grew for ’71. It still resided on an “E” body platform but now measured in with a full-size model wheelbase of 122 inches. Controversial or not in appearance, the new Riviera sold about 33K units, down slightly from 1970’s 37K volume – but a respectable showing nonetheless.
Our example has experienced 95K miles of use and is in the possession of its third owner. Since it’s from the ’70s, it is no surprise that it is brown. Nevertheless, this big Buick wears its repainted finish quite well. The body, chrome, and trim are about as nice as you will find on an automobile that is nudging the half-century mark. The exterior images are plentiful, and from any angle, this Riviera appears to need nothing. Buick hit a homerun with their chrome Road Wheels, they look good on any Buick. Actually, they look good on a lot of cars and they outfit this Riviera perfectly.
Years ago, when I worked in an automotive garage, I was having a discussion with a very competent engine mechanic and the discussion turned to Buick V8’s, specifically the follow-on to the nailhead. He asked the question, “How often do you ever see a Buick engine torn-down?” And the answer was, not very often. We serviced lots of Chevies and Fords, along with other brands too, but heavy engine repair on a Buick was just not that common an occurrence. And in this case, what we have here is a great example of Buick engineering in the form of a 315 gross hp, 455 CI V8. This appears to be the standard Riviera engine as opposed to the 330 gross HP “GS” mill. Buick, like other manufacturers, started to see horsepower ratings dissipate in ’71 as a result of Federally mandated emission control systems and the drive towards low lead/no lead fuel. And ’71 was the last year that the SAE “gross” HP rating system would be used. Nevertheless, torque was still abundant at 450 lb. feet, so moving this big car out from a standstill is no challenge. The seller states, “The car runs and drives very nice”. OK, not a lot of specifics there, but enough. The sole transmission available was GM’s Turbo-Hydramatic 400, three-speed automatic unit.
Check out this interior! I’ve resided in hovels that would be put to shame by the quality of materials, fit, and finish inside this very welcoming space. By 95K, I would expect a bit more wear and tear, but this Buick is having none of it. The upholstery material appears to be vinyl and it shows as new while stretched across the strato-bucket seats. And they are capped off perfectly with a center console. Even the headliner is in perfect condition. And yes, the original “Sonomatic” radio is still functioning from its intended dash location. The only thing missing here is working A/C. The seller adds, “The factory a/c is complete and intact but will need checked out and converted to 134. I’ve bypassed the low-pressure switch to test the compressor and it engages and runs quietly. It should merely need the system evacuated and leak checked, then converted to 134”. Its A/C needs may be more than just “merely”, however.
There you have it, a beautifully designed car in stupendous condition. One day to go in the bidding and, as usual, no telling where the reserve is. Hopefully, it’s not too outrageous; this Rivieria needs a new home with a caretaker that will appreciate it for exactly what it is. Any interest out there?
OOOOH!! This one pushes ALL the right buttons! Buckets/console/COOL shifter handle/455/Buick Rally wheels/no vinyl top….how much better could it get??? GLWTA!! :-)
What is the idea behind the louvers on the rear deck lid? Doesn’t this make for a leaking trunk? I love the dash that pretty much leaves the passengers out of any controls.
The idea was the exhaust for the flow through ventilation, introduced this year.
Yes it does make for a leaky trunk indeed, thus it’s rapid disappearance in 72.
Great cars. I daily drove a 72 Riviera GS from 87 to 96. Huge attention grabbers, this one appears to be very straight and original – very few nits to pick.
At $15.1k with reserve not yet met right now, ending Saturday afternoon. My guess – the reserve is most probably around $17,500, just a wee bit high but reasonable. Max trac actually does help the value.
The louvers have a catch pan under them which diverts water to a drainage tube on each side, so they should not leak into the trunk unless the pan seals are perished and those tubes blocked with debris. They figured out a better solution for ’72, eliminating the visible louvers entirely
Rear louvres r for flowthrough ventilation i believe & there are drain channels to keep water out of the trunk – maybe. Passenger can probably reach the radio, but might get cranky not being able to control HVAC.
Some big cockpit fords a little earlier placed the radio on the left side of the driver, upper right!! – bad if passenger is particular about the tunes being heard. lol
Looks very ez to inflict damage on either end of this car, i would say, if parked on a street.
No cruise control – 1 might think that would be std on Buick’s flagship.
Looks just like the horseshoe shifter on other GM cars, with 1/2 of it missing.
Oops radio upper LEFT on cockpit big fords.
In 71all GMs had the vents. Flow though ventilation was the name for it. Had it on my 71 Bonneville
It was only available in the ‘71 edition, as it theoretically could draw exhaust fumes back into the cabin. However, there has never been an actual suit brought against GM for this potential problem. That being said, it was taken out for the remainder of production.
Always liked the roof as an homage to Corvette C-2 coupes, rest of the car is weird.
These highway boats catch more my attention, each time I admire the lines. I really wish I had been the designer of it, and meet owners and tell them which cars inspired me to do it. As far as I know, Buick was having problems with low sales and then they decided to give the division the design. The little drop on sales means almost nothing at all. Paying around US$ 10,000 for one of these is a real prize. But be sure of one thing: this model isn’t for anyone. Yes, it has a 455-V8, in can house over 1000 hp a a set of 235/60s pretty well. In all cases, go carefully. This is a personal luxury, not a muscle car. The older generations might suit your taste for power, but here you’ll find more comfort per mile than you can think. The heavy one is quite good for bad roads with it’s natural port-starboard rolling and soft suspension. Remember Due South? You’ll have something like a intellectual action movie/series feeling with one. A well calculated braking and acceleration can give you the best pleasure of it.
235/60’s would look ridiculous and be WAY too small for this car.
These are great cars built like a tank durable reliable and long lasting. 455 with dual exhaust is pretty quick, but strong enough to get you way over the speed limit quickly. Good cruiser on the highway as we have no real cars for that any more.” Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick”
yeah but not a 71 make mine mid 60’s
Had a 72 daily driver for over ten years in the eighties. Solid cruiser but absolutely huge. Get on the go pedal and the four barrel opened the only thing faster than the speedo going up was the gas gauge going down. Should have kept it but life got in the way. So many cars so little time.
I love the boat tail
I miss my Rivieras. I had a ’70 in green, a ’71 in red/white top and a ’72 in mint green. All around early 2000s.
Damn that was a good time.
1000 HP? anything’s possible.
Made it to $16,400 and Reserve Not Met.
mm sounds like yet ANOTHER mercenary jerk i mean if it didnt hit reserve here hes asking 20 or over..yeah but no not for this style and year but you know how these people think if its old its gold and we allSHOULD know by now that THAT just doesnt hold..its final bid will give a decent indicator of market value..personally i think at 16.5 its well over that mark but thats me they just made much prettier rivs these were literally butt ugly and werent exactly the envy of the neiborhood when they were new i know,,i was alive when this thing rolled off the line it was snubbed not as badly as edsels but certainly not as desirable as the early 60’s rivs
Still a lot of style and go for the day…..
50k and a trip to disneyworld!
I always liked the boat tail riviera but do the front seat look like they don’t match to anyone else????
Front seats were redone, and not real well. I could live with that though. The rest of the car is nice enough for me.
I LOVE these cars. Mom had one for many years. I fell in love with these cars back then. I have had a few over the years, and I will have a other one again. Great cruisers!
My dad was used car shopping in the late 70’s & a really beautiful one in dark green became available in the neighbourhood. I really lobbied him to buy this car. Got him to look at it,but by then he had become a Ford guy. This was a car I would probably still own today.
Had a neighbor that had one. What a beauty!
Where is the gas cap located on the boat-tail Riviera?
Behind the rear license plate.