Sandpiper Beige is such a classic 1970s color name for this 1970 Buick Riviera, isn’t it? Were there more sandpipers in the 70s than there are now? We had two or three stores with that name in it in our town in that era, weird. This beautiful Buick flies almost like a sandpiper with its 370-hp 455 V8. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Miami, Florida, and they have a $16,500 buy-it-now price listed.
What a beautiful design, especially coming off of the first-generation Rivieras and how legendary those cars are for their style and grace, not to mention their muscle. This is one of those cars that looks like it’s moving when it’s standing still, with that pointed grille and bumper in front along with the detail of the trim curving over the rear haunches. Beautiful.
Speaking of rear haunches, or rear window in this case, there appears to be something going on around the rear window trim as seen in this screenshot of the seller’s YouTube video. Hopefully, it isn’t too serious. That’s one of issues with vinyl tops sometimes, but I still like them, and I also like rear fender skirts. They’re only partial skirts in this case, what Buick called “High Profile wheel opening covers.” They also offered full skirts, which they referred to as “full, flush fender skirts.” The “Five-spoked chrome-plated wheels” are a very cool touch.
The interior looks almost perfect, doesn’t it? Wow, what a preserved interior. Buick referred to these seats as “Expanded-Vinyl Strato Notch-Back seats” and they were available at extra cost on the ’70 Riviera. As expected, the back seat looks perfect and the trunk looks nice. The second-generation Riviera was made from 1966 to the end of the 1970 model year and the last year of the second-gen cars were restyled fairly heavily.
The engine is Buick’s 455-cu.in. OHV V8 with 370 horsepower and a whopping 510 lb-ft of torque. The seller doesn’t say how it runs but I would have to believe that it runs well, and this car has four new tires, but there isn’t a ton of other info given. Hagerty is at $16,400 for a #3 good-condition Riviera, how much is this one worth?
Designers got it right, color choice is well so so. But yeah buddy, smack the go pedal and it it drinks lots of dinosaur juice and that torque monster under the hood will get it moving. Tires attached to the rear differential will argue with that but it was 1970!
This was the last GM recipient for the x frame chassis.
The standard rear gear ⚙️ ratio is the 2.73 (shout out to Stan), more than enough to get the car moving. This has the factory FM Stereo, rare operating console (floor shift), and those oh-so-shiny Road wheels. All the good stuff. I have owned a ’70 Riviera, and I do rate it a ‘highly recommend ‘.
This color is called Burnished Saddle, as is the name of the interior, with the dark brown vinyl top. That back roofline needs closer inspection.
Sandpiper Beige is more…well, it’s beige.
Big_Fun, you’re probably right about it not being Sandpiper Beige, now that I look at the other colors again. I was looking at the Riviera-only colors on page 30 here:
https://xr793.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1970-Buick-Full-Line-Prestige-R.pdf
How about Coronet Gold or Desert Gold? Burnished Saddle looks too dark to me on those color charts/circles, but you could be right.
Scotty,
I like the way you think – wanting to perform your due diligence of the color of a classic Buick…
I’m sticking with the Burnished Saddle. It was a Buick only color, and looks equally great on a GS! But I like the darker browns. The other choices were available on other GM brands using other names, of course.. They are lighter, more ‘brassy’. See the chart above.
Big Block Brown Buick 🏁
Beautiful design! Not a fan of brown but it’s a beautiful looking car and they were great drivers !
Nice looking Riviera. Maybe the coolest console automatic transmission selector and the smallest rear fender skirts ever. I would bet it gets around fine applying the accelerator to dent. Push it to the floor and let her rip.
*detent
This transition year looks a bit ponderous to us, compared to the svelte-appearing earlier models. Still, we’d take it over anything that came along later.
A beautiful example of a once fine nameplate. Buick sure could use something like this now to save its reputation. Now all you can find with that badge is a group of underpowered little boxes.
It’s a cool car. Brown? not sure the word sexy should be used.
Rust is very bad around the back window and starting around front window also. Seller did a good job of taking pictures in the shade. Bottoms of doors have holes and bottoms of rear quarters also rusting. Last seller that had it listed on eBay did a good job of showing all the problem areas. Interior is beautiful though.
Man I love this car . I’d buy it in a minute if I could sell my hot rod . My kids tell me it’s ugly and an old man’s car . Take a look son , I’m an old man . Exactly as I would order it new from the factory. Did I tell you I love this car . I do !!
I had one of these in the eighties when no one wanted gas guzzlers- and guzzle it did. Mash the pedal, and one wheel would spin as long as you wanted, without moving.
I loved the style with the full skirts. Peak GM.
Got wiped out parked in Hemosa Beach
Very minor observation here. I dont ever remember seing this. The steering wheel is basically the same as on the 69 and 70 full size Olds and 71 Cutlass too. 69 was upside down with the word Oldsmobile on it, 70 the wheel was flipped the other way with an Olds emblem. Ive never seen a Buick with that wheel. Its the same except the horn cover has Buick on it. Minor point here, but just learned something new here once again on barn finds
Heres one, out of a 70 Olds 98. Exact same interior we had in our 70 Olds 98 4 door hardtop.
That steering wheel was optional, it was a rim-blow steering wheel. Seldom ordered, and sometimes referred to as ‘Rim Blower’ Steering wheel. Optional on the Olds Toronado, too.
Buick discontinued the option in the spring of ’71 due to low demand. Most of these deteriorated and stopped functioning.
And all along, I thought that “Rim blower” option was something else completely.
the 70 had the most horsepower of any Riv.
Ya’ll remember when I tried to describe the interior of my 1970 Riviera? I mentioned it had bucket seats, a console and an automatic transmission with a “cicle” shifter. Enlarge the interior photo and you’ll see what I was talking about. Very cool and different design. And Howard, I think you remarked how you didn’t understand what I was talking about. Well, here it is in full color.
It’s interesting that back then and earlier, how you could personalize your car order with so many different options. Case in point, the thin chrome strip along the bottom of the trunk. That appearently was an option as my Riv and others that I’ve seen didn’t have it. I saw a ’70 Riv in a junk yard that had one and I was going to pouch it, but the car got crushed before o
I got to it. Today, you have “option packages” where you have to order other options you don’t want just to get the option you do want. Hate it!
As said by so many on here, I wish I never sold mine.
Oh, and this one needs 2.5″ whitewalls
Angel, is the shifter laying really low around the “circle”. It is very hard to see it, even when enlarged.
PRA….
The console has a “wall” on the right side of it. You can see a half circle on that “wall ” The shift selector is a black handle sticking out of the “wall.” It is all the way forward because the car is in “park.” You would pull it or slide it halfway down the half circle to put the car in drive.
1971 had a more conventional shifter on their console.
Very nice car for what seems to be an honest asking price.
In 1981’ I wanted a 70’ Riviera so so bad. There was one advertised with slight front end damage for $500. I went to look and it needed the front clip. I says no thank you. The guy and his friends were saying we will help you fix it lol I was 20 years old in Las Vegas and even though somewhat green I stuck to my guns. Sure take my $500 lose it on the craps table then rush to help me fix it.
Wink wink sure