1967 Buick Riviera GS Coupe (RHD)

Description

Competing with Ford’s Thunderbird and Oldsmobile’s Toronado for the personal luxury coupe market, Buick’s Riviera underwent a major restyle for 1966. Retaining several styling cues of the iconic original such as the hidden headlamps and ‘Coke bottle’ hips, the second generation Riviera was both longer and wider. Underneath the curvaceous new body, the Riviera shared its platform with the Toronado (and later Cadillac’s Elorado) but differed from its GM counterparts in one crucial aspect, using a conventional rear-drive layout. Retaining the same cruciform frame and powertrain as before, the Riviera employed a smooth, powerful 425-cid V8 engine and came with Super Turbine automatic transmission as standard equipment. With 340 horses on tap, the Riviera certainly wasn’t lacking for power and contemporary road tests sang the praises of the effortless acceleration and smooth, almost impercetable gear changes. Few changes were made for 1967, with only a revised grille design, tail lamps and rocker moldings setting the new model apart. Under the hood a more powerful 430-cid engine used a four-barrel carburettor, had 10.25:1 compression and produced 360 horsepower at 5000 rpm. As Buick’s flagship, the Riviera came with a long list of standard luxury features, including power steering, power brakes, a tilt-away steering wheel, dual exhaust and an electric clock. For an additional $138 buyers could option the Riviera with the Gran Sport package, which added heavy-duty shock absorbers, a Positraction back axle and wide oval tyres, along with unique GS monograms on the instrument panel and front wings. The respected journal Motor Trend ran a group test of five luxury cars in August 1967 and concluded the Riviera GS was the outstanding choice, accomplishing 0-60 mph in just 7.8 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.9 seconds. A real gentleman’s express, the Riviera was America’s version of the European GT, proving a huge hit for Buick, both in sales and critical terms.