If Sean Connery was an American car, I can’t think of a better one than a 1966 Buick Riviera. This car is from his early “Bond, James Bond” days, and like him, it’s cool, it’s tough, it’s suave, it’s elegant, it’s fast, it’s powerful, and it’s luxurious. The long-time seller has this Riviera listed here on eBay in NoHo: North Hollywood, California. The current bid price is $7,419.66 but the reserve isn’t met yet.
Here’s Sean Connery without his toupee and dentures. This isn’t the most elegant view of this gorgeous Riviera but it’s such an interesting gawk at the innards of this otherwise elegant luxury-muscle car that it has to be shown. 1966 was the first model year for the second-generation Riviera and they were made until 1970. It seems like the first and third-generation cars get all the love, but you can’t go wrong with any of them in my opinion.
The new ’66 Rivieras were two inches longer in wheelbase and three inches longer in overall length compared to the first-gen cars. That isn’t much compared to the third and fourth-generation cars that were almost a foot and a half longer overall. I know, enough with Sean Connery already, but even the Riviera name evokes that 1960s cool to me.
The Riviera could be almost anything, just so that anything has two doors. Is it a luxury car? Yes, looking at this interior it could be. A muscle car? It depends on how it’s defined, so maybe not, but luxury-muscle is how I describe them. A personal luxury car with a ton of power. This interior looks nice overall with a few things to tweak, like the top of the dash. The seats look nice and that’s half the battle.
Speaking of battle, Buick outfitted these cars for battle with their Nailhead 425-cu.in. OHV V8, having 340 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. The seller says that this car is original and has been owned by them for the last 30 years. I don’t know what the seller’s reserve is, but how much would you pay for this ’66 Riviera?
Fun that you subtly tied 007 with the Riviera-though there wasn’t one in Casino Royale on the French Riviera, there was one briefly in Goldfinger!
Whenever we see one of these from 1963-73 we think about a big, luxurious and classy personal type highway flyer, with its own distinctive styling easily recognizable from anything else.
What does the Buick name stand for now? Sad to see it as a staid pedestrian of its former self with no originality.
Sadder yet, current Buick doesn’t have a single car in their lineup.
Original except for the big Holley carb and aftermarket air cleaner.
Nice Riviera that needs a good caregiver.
& chevy is about to only have the not so pretty vette left in their lineup.
How do some manufacturers meet EPA MPG standards with many small cars gone that brought up avg corp fuel economy? –> Yaris, Sonic, Spark, Fiesta, 500, etc.
Scotty, don’t sell the Riviera short on power. My ’63 with 401, 4bbl and dual exhaust is a rocket ship, even with the Dynaflow.
I agree, Rex, but I knew if I referred to it as a “muscle car” there’d be comments about it being too big and heavy to be considered a muscle car. I guess I can’t seem to win lately. My dad’s 1970 Olds 98 was a rocket even though it was a giant, heavy, four-door sedan.
👍 buddy had a 401 Skylark Rex. GS model if i recall.. Just outta High school. That car was a rocket 🚀 w the 445lb/ft and 3.08 gear ⚙️, it blew past most everything on those flat Saskatchewan highways, like they were standing still. 🧍♀️
I agree with Rex – the first and second generation Rivieras can get out and move! An abundance of torque combined with 3:08 gears make a great combination.
This one has some ‘bumps and bruises’, as they say. A set of white walls (or redlines) on the tires would help the looks – I love the white letters, but not so much on a Riviera. Replace that Cadillac side mirror with a correct unit, too.
Plus, you’ll have all the bass you want with the sound system! I would take all that out, or just leave not turn it on, as all I need is the song of the nailhead….
@ Big_Fun
It’s definitely not a ’66 Buick rearview mirror but looks more like a later Buick mirror, as Cadillac had the Cadillac script on their mirrors and Buick had its logo in the bottom right corner. It’s kinda blurry on my phone when enlarged, but that’s a small smudge in the lower corner, so I’m thinking Buick logo.
At any rate, you’re right, it needs to be replaced.
Amen sister. You are correct. Bravo!
Cadillac never made a mirror like that. Guess again.
2nd guess – Lincoln. Yes – Lincoln. Went on a mission to find out what brand that mirror is, and I have deduced it is from a Mark IV or V. The inside bezel is still a Buick….
Got to be a low rider.
Please….no!
Donk!
Oh hell no. Next to the boneheads with the extreme camber of the wheels , donks have to be one of the worst custom trends ever.
WHAT? My personal opinion of those or the other ones with those 22″ rims is someone should put a grenade in the back seat to blow up the car and put it out of it’s misery.
I sold my ’84 Cutlass and the next time I saw it it was a low rider. EWWW!
My uncle was a quiet, college professor but he bought a 66 Riv in a deep maroon. Before that he owned a 63 Grand Prix and after this Riv he owned two more Rivieras. I was in grade school and he used to pick me up from school in the 66. What a wonderful car that was. It was a great highway cruiser, 90 mph all day. The reason he bought these cars? He liked the wheels!
When I was in high school, I took a hard look at a ’67. Gold with a black vinyl roof, and the road wheels. Black interior . I passed because the radio didn’t work. Duh!
I cringed when I saw the giant speakers in the door panels. I’d get rid of that junk along with the subwoofer and seeing the AM-FM radio go back to that. Might give it a paint job too.
Nice ride, ditch the sound system,add white walls, find a correct air cleaner cover, two-pot brakes, new dash cover, paint and ride!
These engines never got their dues, these torque monsters were stunning. Not 13 sec street machines but if they hooked up they were a formidable opponent at street drags. Always wish Buick had put the 4 speed behind these, this car would have been the ultimate driver.
A friend once asked how cool you had to be to have one of these. Now we know. Sean Connery.
Ditch the add on gauges, the aftermarket stereo and add some white walls and it would look great. Currently at $9100 and reserve not met.
Well equipped Riv, but still has the standard interior. Usually loaded cars have the Custom interior.
Another great write-up Scotty. My heart belonged to the 71 and 72 boattails. With the off-center license plate holder. But since had a change of heart, with these sleek 66 and 67’s winning the day.
This and the 67 are the Lauren Bacall of automobiles. The sexiest and most beautiful ever made.
Front and rear damage. Bummer!
Auction update: the bidding ended at $9,200 and that wasn’t enough to meet the seller’s reserve.
The last great car Buick made, in my opinion, was the 1996 Park Avenue Ultra. Looked like a library inside, had impressive (sometimes beating some kid with a souped up “whatever. And, with a careful right foot, delivered 31 mpg highway. Owned one, I sold cars and managed a very large Nissan dealer in Tampa. Bought it in 1997, a beautiful trade in, drove it without any issue, whatsoever, until the intake plenum (plastic, somehow) cracked at 170,000 miles. Drove it until 198K, the tranny went. I was mid thirties at the time, my friends called it the “Old Man Car” and somehow in Florida it was immune to radar on 95 or 4. Coupla times drove past a state trooper well in excess of 100 and never got ticketed. Anyone who has driven 95 or 4 knows there are, like, 27 minutes each day when either interstate isn’t slammed by too much traffic.
Well, maybe next go-round…
My boss had a 66 or 67. A GS model,maybe? Had 2 4 barrel carbs! Also had an extra door handle at the rear of the door so rear seat passengers could open the long door.
Had to be a 66. The 67 had the new engine. The factory never had a dual quad version of that.