Buick introduced the Riviera as a personal luxury car in 1963 and it remained part of the line-up for the rest of the 20^th Century. While most people think of the late 1950s when it comes to unusual styling, don’t count out the early 1970s and the Buick Riviera. In 1971, it took on a boat-tail rear section that harked back to the 1930s and had an expansive rear glass reminiscent of the ’63 Corvette Sting Ray. The seller, a dealer, got this 1972 Riviera along with a ’71 edition after it had spent some 15 years holed up in a garage. From Hatboro, Pennsylvania, the car is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $3,700.

The third generation of the Riviera was built between 1971-73. The car was radically redesigned under the watchful eye of famed designer Bill Mitchell. While the Riviera had always had lineage to GM’s other two luxury cruisers, the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado, the Rivera would be a departure in styling. It was a “love it or hate it” ploy, but sales for all three years stayed rather consistent in the mid-30,000s, although below the generation that preceded it. The 1972 models were little changed except that the boattail would be toned down a bit from ’71 and yet again in ’73. Only one engine was available, the 455 cubic-inch, V8, which delivered 225 hp using SAE net power ratings.

We’re told this Riviera had been hiding indoors since about 2006 when the seller pulled it out and took possession. It now sits in a field with some other vehicles where it hopefully hasn’t been there too long. While the Buick is one of those “ran when parked” cars, it doesn’t do that now and there is no mention of what might be needed to get the old girl going again. The seller had to get a duplicate title made for the Riviera, so the titled mileage is 00000.

The dark green paint has, of course, seen better days and the contrasting beige vinyl top has given up the ghost. We see a few little dings here and there, but no obvious signs of rust. We’re shown a bit of the undercarriage and it appears crusty, but nothing that may have worked its way through the car. So, the physical appearance of the exterior of the vehicle might not be a big challenge.

It’s a shame the matching green leather upholstery has cracked and peeled away because – other than the carpeting — everything else in the passenger compartment may be okay. The big unknown with the car is its mechanical condition and no photos are provided of the engine compartment. It’s going to need some work, but if you can bring it back up to snuff, you’d probably be the only car guy in your hood to have one. In top shape, Hagerty believes one of these machines to be worth in the high $40,000s.