Though the Riviera name had been used by Buick in the past, the car made its stand-alone debut as a 1963 model, marking the first General Motors auto to be deemed a personal luxury coupe. Witnessing the success Ford was enjoying with its Thunderbird, once there was room inside for four occupants, GM desperately wanted a competitor, with Buick stepping up to the plate and ready to move forward. This first-year Riviera here on eBay is said to be a one-family-owned, mostly original example, and it appears to remain relatively solid overall. This one’s located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and already has 17 bids, pushing the price to $2,950.
Some of the background information provided is that this one spent most of its life in the state of Washington, and that up until recently, it had been hibernating in a barn for the last quarter-century. There’s both good and bad news regarding the exterior, but fortunately, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives. This one appears mostly complete on the outside, and I’m not spotting any noticeable corrosion anywhere. It’s also good to learn that the paint is still original. However, a handful of dents are visible on a couple of the panels, including the roof and driver’s fender, but I’m guessing an experienced bodyman could probably straighten these out.
The Riviera began as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle riding on the new GM E-platform, and it didn’t change to FWD until the end of the seventies when the sixth generation of production began. Two engine choices were available here in ’63, including the 401 as the base offering, or an optional 425. The 445 on the air cleaner here indicates that this one is a 401, with the former number associated with the 445 lb-ft of torque provided by this competent V8. The seller reports that this engine starts and runs very well for one that’s been mostly inoperational for such an extended period, and that the car also drives well.
The interior also appears stock and pretty much complete, with the typical wear-and-tear one would expect from an unrestored auto that’s over 60 years old. At a minimum, new bucket coverings and fresh carpet will be needed, along with a new dash pad. However, it’s fun to find a power driver’s seat and windows, except for the vent flaps, which open with the old-fashioned cranks. This appears to be a solid survivor overall, and likely a strong contender to take to a higher level. Is this 1963 Buick Riviera one you’d consider taking on as a project?
Those are some odd looking dents in the roof. Maybe he rolled it?
Probably not a roll. More like stuff put on top or fell from the rafters? Maybe kids playing on top?
Agreed, really strange looking. I’m guessing not from rolling it? But they look nearly identical on both sides. I’m interested to see where this goes. There’s certainly a crew that really love these early Riviera’s. I’m guessing that price climbs quite a bit in the end. For someone with the skill to perform the body repairs it sure looks like a good starting point. I dig it.
Love these early Rivieras. It looks like the barn collapsed on it. I appreciate no reserve auction from sellers as long as it is legit with no inside bids to jack price.
Rough Riv 😢
My Riv was in similar shape when I bought it 6 years ago for 6K. Fortunately, mine didn’t have all the dents, and my seats and dash were in nice shape.
I simply “dyed” the seats with SEM vinyl paint.
Still, I ended up putting about 8K into the car, and it has been a reliable driver these last 6 years. Though the first-gen Riviera is universally loved in the classic car world, this doesn’t seem to translate into dollars on the open market. I’ll be watching this one.
You are a lucky man. Hang on to this!
Hmmm I feel it’s a suspicious listing, not many pictures? Call to discuss? Hints of buy it without eBay? s?c?a?m?e?
not getting the comment on the straight body. i don’t see rust but the roof is severely smashed and will cost a lot to fix. may even need to be replaced. car worth fixing for sure if you get it for, the right price. i have 2 63 parts cars if anybody needs parts
In my opinion, they got everything right on the ‘63! A beauty. But, this one has taken a few licks.
My take on the roof repair is to take your sweet time massaging those out after removing the headliner, rear glass, etc. It could be corrected with virtually no filler using a spinning bodywork beater disc!
Them fellers who have the fuzzy dice and little balls hanging from rear view mirror love these kind of cars. They put some heavy metallic paint job with the pin strips and gold fake wire wheels on it .
I passed on a 69 AMX back around 1989-90 because of similar roof damage. Was also a mostly rust free car. Large beam from the barn it was stored in fell on the roof, about the same amount of damage as this one. They did end up fixing it but it was an involved project using another roof section.