Though the Thunderbird had already put Ford on the map in the personal luxury car market when it gained rear seating, it didn’t take General Motors very long to follow, with the Buick Riviera serving as the first GM to fall into that quickly growing classification. Even in bone-stock form, the Riviera had a sleek body and a plush interior when it was introduced as a 1963 model, but this 1964 Buick Riviera has undergone a custom treatment inside and out that takes the star quality to an entirely different level. This one’s located in San Diego, California, and can be seen here on Craigslist, with the asking price of $75,000 said to be exactly half the cost to get this unusual Buick to look like it does today. Fun find, Tony Primo, and thanks for sending in the tip here!
The seller tells us that top builders worked on this magazine project, but oddly, he doesn’t provide any further details. An internet search quickly revealed that this beauty has been named Lorraine, and I have to agree with the author that she is indeed a stunning example of automotive artistry. The top has been chopped 5 1/2 inches, and the fenders and quarters have been extended by 4 inches. However, the mods don’t stop there, as the front end has also been customized. The light green pearl paint color complements the reimagined body well here, and this one is reported to have only been driven 360 miles since completion.
With an exterior that’s received as much attention as this one has, I’d expect the interior to also be pretty special. Thankfully, things inside do not disappoint, and there are also several unique features in here as well. Apparently, the console inlay is made of marble, and the custom steering wheel is attached to an Ididit tilt column. There is one important aspect to consider, and that’s the chopped roof. A five-and-a-half-inch height reduction is significant, so I’d make sure my head wouldn’t be permanently leaning sideways before committing.
Under the hood, the firewall has been smoothed, and most of the bay area has been painted the same green color as the outside. A couple of niceties here include an MSD ignition system, a 4-core aluminum radiator, and there’s also an air-adjustable suspension down below. Builds like this tend to be expensive, and when it comes time to sell, sometimes it’s hard to recoup anywhere near what was invested. At half of the reported cost to make this 1964 Buick Riviera, is $75k a good value for what we’re seeing here?
Work of art, real beauty. One way to recoup price is to follow the local car show outlets and claim the price money for top honors. I noticed guys with expensive cars doing that in my area.
This has a real 60s hotrod feel to it. Big Daddy Ed Roth would be proud and AMT would use it to inspire a model kit. This is a neat build, I love it.
Nice to see that they retained the Nailhead.