1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport

The Buick Riviera , a full-size Hardtop, was produced by General Motors starting in 1963.

The unusual thing about the Buick Riviera is that it shared its body shell with no other GM model. It had  a cruciform frame similar to the standard Buick frame, but shorter and narrower. They weighed in at  3,998 lbs , and shared the standard Buick V8 Engines of either a 401 cu in or a 425 cu in , and the unique Twin Turbine Automatic Transmission . Power brakes were standard, using Buick's massive Aluminum finned brake drums. Power Steering was standard equipment.

Suspension-wise, they used the same basic design as standard Buicks, with double wishbone front and a live axle located by trailing arms and a lateral track. The coil springs were actually slightly softer than other Buicks, to make the Riviera somewhat firmer. The Riviera was one of the most roadable American cars, and was both very comfortable and agile.

With the same power as the larger Buicks and less weight, the Riviera had sparkling all-around performance. It was able to run 0–60 mph in 8 seconds or less, the standing quarter mile in about 16 seconds, and a top speed of 115 miles per hour, although you were able to reach 125 miles per hour with a longer run. Fuel economy was about 13.2 miles per gallon. But gas was cheaper, so it wasn’t really an issue…back then.

Inside, the Riviera featured a four-place cabin with front bucket seats separated by a center console with floor shifter and storage compartment that was built into the instrument panel, and bucket-style seats in the rear. A deluxe interior option included real walnut inserts on the doors and below the rear side windows. “Extra-cost options” included a tilt steering wheel, power windows, power driver's seat, air conditioning, a remote-control side view mirror, and white sidewall tires.

1965 saw the introduction of the Gran Sport option, ( pictured ) which included the dual-quad Super Wildcat 425 V8, a higher 3.42 axle ratio, and stiffer, heavy-duty suspension. The stock dual exhaust pipes were increased from 2.0 inches to 2.25 inches. The 401 cu in  V8 returned as the standard Riviera engine and the Super Turbine 400 transmission now had a variable pitch torque converter.

Outside , the headlamps were concealed behind clamshell doors in the leading edges of each fender, as in the original design, and the taillights were moved from the body into the rear bumper. Vinyl tops became available as an option, initially offered only in black, and the tilt steering wheel optional in previous years was now standard equipment.

Total sales for the three model years was a respectable 112,244. All in all, the Buick Riviera was extremely well received and considered a great success, giving the Thunderbird its first real competition. The first-generation Riviera is considered a styling landmark, and is very collectible today.