Large and in charge, that’s one way to describe Buick’s Riviera from the 1960s. Style, power, ride, quality and personal space were all hallmarks of the Riviera and even after 54 years, those attributes can be seen in this very forlorn 1966 example, located in Asbury Park, New Jersey and available here on Facebook for $7,999.

While the Riviera name was first employed by Buick in 1949, it appeared as a stand-alone name on its new personal luxury coupe in 1963. Our subject Riviera is from the second generation, spanning 1966 through 1970, a period that arguably brought the best-looking version of the Riviera to market – it was GM head designer, Bill Mitchell, at his best.

This Asbury Park example of the Riviera is pretty worn out looking, there’s no other way to sugar coat it. The seller lists it as in “poor condition” but doesn’t elaborate beyond that category comment. The body is not bad, other than some dents, there is no obvious corrosion, it’s just, well, worn looking. The front bumper is bent while the rear one is completely rusted, odd that they are not both the same. The seller tells us that this Riviera has the grille and parking lights from a 1967 model; the front bumper maybe too? And that’s where things get interesting as the entire front end looks like that of a 1967 model but the VIN tag clearly represents this example as a 1966 model. Also, it looks like the hide-away headlights hide no more.

One notable feature of this Riviera is what looks like its Ansen Sprint slotted alloy wheels. These were all the rage in the 1970’s and they have their place, I’m just not sure that place is on something as refined as a Riviera – matter of taste I guess?

The interior actually looks fair. The black upholstery material (probably vinyl) doesn’t appear to be torn or frayed and the dash looks intact. What can be seen of the carpet looks OK too, no obvious fading – needs a serious cleaning. Here is yet another example of the inverted “U” gear shift selector attached to an automatic transmission; I didn’t know that it dated this far back in Buick service. Also of interest is to note that while the Riviera shared a platform with both the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado, the Riviera was a rear wheel driver while its Olds and Cadillac cousins were both FWD. Glad to see the required cardboard box of “stuff” is present on the front seat.

Another place where things get interesting is under the hood. This Riviera would have originally been equipped with a 425 CI “nailhead” V8, slinging out 340 HP – it’s a very distinctive looking engine. Instead, this Riv has a 1967 or later 430 CI, 360 HP motor. They are completely different engines and the swap makes one wonder if this later engine has anything to do with the later grille and headlight swap as in a big smash-up and a redo with newer components. The odometer shows 67,000 miles but I gather that is for the car in its entirety as opposed to what this engine may have experienced. Regardless, this Buick does not run or stop and there is no information as to why. The distributor has been changed out for an HEI unit and all of the belts are missing, along with the air cleaner, so there’s no telling what’s going on.

This vintage Riviera is an impressive car, one that we probably won’t see the likes of again – especially from Buick. As in so many instances, however, this one has a lot of unknowns and a pretty healthy asking price. Would you take a chance on this one?