How do you follow up a classic? In Buick’s case, you unveil the second-generation Riviera. Led by stylist David Holls, Buick deftly created a car that was still distinctly and plainly a Riviera while looking completely different from its gorgeous 1963-65 ancestor; Car Life Magazine called the 1966 Riviera “far and away the most handsome car of the current crop.” With such spectacularly successful styling, how do you make a ’66 Riviera any better? Give it a GS badge and a dual-quad intake manifold; only 179 Rivieras were factory-equipped with dual four-barrels (receiving an “MZ” block code), but the intake was also available as a dealer option. The seller doesn’t mention which engine code this car has, but what is clear is that it’s a very nice example of the breed. Brought to us by Barn Finder Curvette, who found it on craigslist in Mount Vernon, Washington (an appropriate name!), this beautiful black Riviera has an asking price of $39,000.

Here’s the torquey 425-cubic-inch Nailhead, in its last year of availability in Buicks. When equipped with the dual-four-barrel intake manifold, it was dubbed the “Super Wildcat,” and it produced 360 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. The only available transmission was the Super Turbine 400, and the GS came standard with 3.42:1 rear gears (this one has a limited-slip differential, too). Thus equipped, Car Life’s test car accelerated from zero to sixty in 8.2 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 16.7 seconds at 87 miles per hour. The GS clearly had lost a half a step on its 1965 forebear, most likely because the second-generation car was a little bigger and a little heavier (the test weight was 4,710 pounds—Car and Driver’s ’65 GS came in at 4,480).

The seller says that this GS is in excellent condition, with a newer paint job but an original interior. Considering that the odometer reading is 87,520, the interior is absolutely immaculate. One thing that might scare a few buyers away is that this Riviera doesn’t appear to have air conditioning (there’s no compressor in its usual location in the engine compartment), which seems to be a deal breaker with many potential Riviera buyers. Aside from that, the buyer says that “everything works, including [the] original rear defrost, clock, all gauges, electric windows, cigarette lighter, [and] AM/FM radio with electronic equalizer. Notice that bucket seats were no longer a given on Rivieras; the march toward the bench had begun.

Most importantly, the car is apparently rust-free. It might not be a 100-point show car, but it looks very nice.

In addition to its obvious good looks, the Riviera’s beautiful Buick road wheels were recently rechromed, and the redline tires are a nice touch. Really nice Rivieras bring strong money these days, and while $39,000 might seem rich for a lot of us, it’s probably a pretty fair ask for a car like this. Like its immediate predecessor, this one was a hard act to follow.