One of my teachers had a '63 Riviera. As a result, we decided she was the coolest teacher in the school.

One of the most beautiful automobile designs of all time.

Adam, At this point, any RWD Buick is a classic and a first generation Riviera can be considered a national treasure.🥇🥇

One of the most beautiful designs ever - period. Both inside and out. Bill Mitchell refused to let anyone mess with it and he was right!

First generation Riviera was a groundbreaking car for General Motors. Classic good looks, well appointed.

I think this era of Riviera is GM's contribution equal to FMC"s '61-65 Continental. Fabulously beautiful design, with a name that conjured up everything worldly and sophisticated at that time... "Riviera". I wanted one when I was 12 years old ! Brilliant.

My first 'car love' was for a 1965 Riviera GS owned by my Mom's best friend Candice! Silver with a black vinyl top and black interior with real wood. STUNNING!

The first gen Riviera is beautiful and was kind of a unique and groundbreaking car at the time, especially in exterior design. GM and the rest of the Big 3 could almost do no wrong when it came to exterior styling in the 60s. So many beautiful works of automotive art to come out of that decade.

I LOVED the interview with Bill. Unless you're a GM guy, most haven't even heard of him (he gets overshadowed by Earl, of course), but he was a major force behind some of the coolest cars GM ever made.

It's amazing that the difference between '58 GM models and the '63 Riv is only like 5 years.

That Bill Mitchell interview is priceless. So many of us remember the glory days of the Big Three before the draconian government regulations!

Bill Mitchell's comment about being so happy with the Rivera that he could drink for a week cracked me up!!! They probably did drink like that back then...amongst other things!

You really couldn't go wrong with Bill Mitchell!

Wow, that Bill Mitchell interview just a super treat on an already TOP NOTCH (perhaps one of my favorite of your vids so far, along with your interviews with some of the designers you've featured) video. You sir, are an absolute gentleman and scholar most literally Adam! THANK YOU for the great work you do for automotive history!

A childhood friend owned a '65 Riviera GS. What a car! We were both into Oldsmobiles but I always liked the Riviera. He also owned a '67 Toronado. Both ground breaking designs for GM. He has since passed away. I still wish to find an example of one of these models to have in my collection. GM halcyon days designs. I don't think we will ever see this again.

This channel is such a gem

My first Buick was a '66 Skylark. I've owned eight more Buicks since. One consistent characteristic has been the weight of the doors - they weigh a TON!

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. As a 71 year old kid, the kid of 1963 who saw this vehicle for the first time fell in love , this model changed everything . Love the automotive design from mid 50’s to the mid 70’s art work some did not live up to that . Most were beautiful ! 👍👍👍👍

I click on this channel as soon as I see it. It's a very good channel, and it is a relief from all the stress of this upside down world of which we try to exist and thrive.

Among the successful 'retro' offerings (Mustang, Charger, Thunderbird, Challenger, et al) the Riviera leaves a glaring absence. Style, performance, comfort, safety, ROOM + VROOM.

My high school gym coach had a (used) 1963 Riviera in 1974. One day, he caught me admiring the car after school, and we talked about cars for almost an hour in the parking lot. That conversation began a friendship that lasted decades. It’s amazing how tacky and cheap the 80’s Firebird’s IP looks compared to the elegant Riv’s, a classic case of regressive design if ever there was one. Thanks, Adam!

I was a devout Thunderbird guy into my 30s. My dad had a 1964 Riviera the same color as the thumbnail. Once I drove that car, and noted how much better it rode and handled over ANY 1956-1966 Thunderbird I have ever owned (12 in all). I switched to GM ever since. The Rivieras I have owned include a 63, 67 GS, 70, 71, three 96s and now I have a 92. I recently drove a 66 T-Bird, a very nice one. I was reminded of why I switched to GM. And speaking of LaSalle, my dad had a 1940 4 door convertible and a 1936 sedan.

Many years ago, our best friends had a 63 black Riviera, which was always the vehicle of choice whenever we went out together socially. Fantastic car - good memories.

In aviation design, the "wasp waist" was done for aerodynamic reasons. They had discovered the "area rule" to enable planes to reach supersonic speeds with the powerplants available.

Probably my all time favorite American mass produced car along with the 67 Eldorado and C2 Corvette. Thanks Adam for so many great videos overall, and SUPER stoked on this one.

Excellent. I just noticed in looking at the white Riviera's 3/4 rear view how much the roofline and backglass looks like the 1964-65 Malibu. It would sure be nice to have classy cars like this today.

I think it's amazing that they moved the headlamps to where the turn signals were in '65. You think they are behind the grille until they open like a clamshell. Just beautiful and the best implementation of hidden headlamps ever produced.

Epitome of elegance!

What a golden nugget of an interview recording! Great ep Adam, as usual &, top-shelf info! I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for these Rivera’s!

I owned a 73 Riviera GS for years and loved it but I always wanted a gen1 Riviera. As you said Adam best car GM ever designed. Thanks for the trip down memory lane

I helped a buddy refurbish a 1963 Riviera back to showroom condition and it got tons of attention at a big classic car show in Arizona that I drove it to. Light blue with the Buick sport rims. As I recall it also had an AC unit in the rear package shelf area and it would freeze the back of my neck LOLOL. It had the wildcat engine and dear god did it ever pull away from a stoplight in a hurry, but you also watched the fuel gauge drop like a rock very quickly. Beautiful cars all the way around!

That design from those years is so beautiful. I think the clam shell head lights feature really cleaned up the front end. It's about my favorite hidden headlight feature on any car.

My dad had a '64 Riv, Red with what seemed like chrome leather seats (Silver), It was gorgeous! It had the 465 Wildcat Nailhead. At the time, my uncle had '66 SS396 Chevelle (325 hp 4spd) and he would get out of the hole first but man did the Riv have legs!! I dont think you mentioned that the "465" was the Torque rating as they didn't have the hp rating anywhere underhood. Anyway, love your channel! Keep up with the history lessons, I continue to learn a lot!

That gas pedal is greatness!!

These Rivieras are just beautiful......those lines are timeless.....I wish we could bring back these designs.....

2:40 Love the look and color on that example

Thank you for the deep dive on one of the most beautiful automobiles to ever be designed. Always learn something new here, Adam! Best.

Still has amazing lines after 60 years. Brother had a 63, same color maroon as the one near the end of your video. We still talk about it

That’s a really interesting video! I’d love to hear you interpret any and all interviews Bill Mitchell may have had. A man after my own heart.

Xlnt vid . I bought a '65 in '71 that was owned by a civil engineer that passed . His wife called it his baby . Immaculate , special order , with the brass plate on the consol " Custom ordered by ********* " , which I left in place . All servicing was done by Simpson Buick in Downey Ca. where it was bought . Vogue gold stripe tires . I paid $1500 . It had 42k on the odo . Hit a deer 5 yrs later . It had 77k . Kept the eng/trans/gs wheels/tires . Found a '60 Invicta with a blown eng. Swapped eng/trans . Had it from '76-'92 , rear ended 😢 Take care👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Way back in university, I read in Automobile Quarterly (when I should have been studying chemistry) that Bill Mitchell was inspired by the silhouette of a Rolls Royce - the curved fenders and squarish roof. But he thought, correctly, that it would look better if it was lower. Nice video of a great car.

I miss my '65 Burgundy Mist w/ DeLuxe, two handle, black vinyl interior Rivi. Should have kept it, but I was young and thought it was time to move to another classic car experience. Lesson learned. Great video. Further information I've read says the production 1963 Riviera was originally supposed to have hidden headlights, as Bills '63 Corvette featured. Unfortunately, Buick engineering couldn't figure out how to cover and electrically open stacked headlights reliably before the introduction date so they decided to place them in the grill. During this time Bill was driving the Silver Arrow which had semi-transparent fender pods covering single headlights on each side. It can be Googled. Finally in '64, engineering solved the issue with the clamshell design, articulated rods, and a single electric motor, mounted on the front frame crossmember. It speaks volumes about Bills influence and power to get a expensive, one year only, design and engineering element approved the year before the Riviera received a totally new body for '66. 👍🏾

The coke bottle curves on the F5 are to take advantage of the Area Rule to allow supersonic flight. It is a functional choice. The resulting look was stylish though :)

One of my absolute favorites from you. Thanks so much!

My father had a ‘63 Riv. I was brought home from the hospital when I was born in that car. It was later traded for a ‘67 Riv. I wish I still had both of them.

Awesome video:) Testimony about the Stingray & Riviera… That’s class and talent :)

The first car when I was a kid that made me stop and swoon.

My favourite hidden headlights of all time are on this car.

As a young Dutch boy we had a Buick Riviera (model 1967 if I remember correctly) for one day. We took it all over the country with four adults and four children in it! Unfortunately I was too young (4) to remember more than some flashes, like our amazement at electric windows. Remember we drove VW Beetle at the time. As for the car, I find the exterior not ugly, but not beautiful either. I do like the interior much, much more. Beautiful.

I loved all of the Rivera years. Especially the 63 to 65 Rivas. Wish I could have owned one.

Mitchell was a fan of European styling. From the C pillar back, the Riv is pure coachbuilt Rolls, right down to the dinky tail lights. One of the nicest a*ses on any car

Simulated rear air vent gave texture design to the vehicle, made it look more mechanically sophisticated style and provided a little more detail, even though it was faux , small detail that made it look less like a entry level car , added a little more styling calories to the car?

One of the best cars ever

I owned a 63' and 64' . Just to young and poor had to sell. Loved both great cars.

Thank you for putting this video together, the first generation Riviera is truly one of the best car designs of the 20th century, I enjoyed hearing Mitchell’s interview. I’ve had 2, first a 63 many years ago, and now a 65, love these cars.

I had a 64. That wasn’t the most desirable year as far as history, but it had the best engine tranny combo, and the visible lights weren’t the alignment pain of the 65 models. Compromised as it may be, the air conditioner was more than a match for the heat and humidity of my home in the deep South.

The Twin Turbine Dyanflow transmission was very very effcient. I own a '63 Buick LeSabre 401 2 barrel with Dynaflow and routinely get over 27 miles per gallon on the highway. The last 8 years of the Dynaflow is equiped with a two position stator and this make the torque convertyer very very effieicnt in cruise. And all the CVT transmission has a torque converter ahead of the transmission "gearbox" too.

Nice! I almost owned a 64 Riviera in 1982. It was white with a blue interior. Too long a story for here. Hey what about the wheel options and I don't mean steering wheels. Some if the best looking ever offered.

Love those big Buicks

You've gotten around to one of my absolute favorites. Thanks for your knowledge and enthusiasm to share it with us so frequently, you are one of my favorite KZfaqrs! I could never afford a Riv but for a time in the '90s I had something I considered a sister car, a '64 Skylark convertible (with the small-block V8, but 4 drum brakes!)

63 was the only year that offered leather seats. But the cloth seat option was even better for these years.

Really enjoyed this Video! The first time I saw a Riviera was in 1968, I was 8 year old. It always stuck with me although I had no idea what it was. Living in Canada, I think it was a very rare vehicle. Almost 30 years later there was one close to my neighborhood and I would drive by to see if it was parked outside in the summertime. Then 10 years later I saw a '65 being loaded onto a small flatdeck car transporter in a random residential neighborhood and stopped to get a closer look. Now I new what that beautiful car was, I obsessively went on a deep dive on the internet to find out everything I could about The 63-65 Buick Riviera. There are many unique things about the Riviera. The biggest one is the frame design. I think it was completely different than anything else GM was producing. The frame was called the crucible, which was basically an X with the arms of the crucible spreading out from the centre to each corner. The idea was that this would better distribute the weight of the vehicle and provide better handling and stability in cornering taking advantage of lots of horsepower to dive in and pull out of corners. Because of the different frame the suspension system was called "an independent live axle set-up" with the frame design actually making the car stiffer, but the suspension design didn't transfer the stiffness to the handling or ride of the car. Another interesting thing is, in 1965 the front headlights were relocated behind the verticle chrome clamshells above the front bumper bulge. As mentioned in the video, there wasn't much room under the hood and it took Buick 2 years to figure out how to get the mechanics under there, and to get the clamshell pods to open and close precisely. Another thing that happened in 1965 was the optional GS {Grande Sport} edition of the Riviera. This included the 425 cu in Nailhead V8 with dual 4 barrel carberators. The spec sheet specified 360 hp with 425 ft lbs of torque. However owners have dyno tested these cars and have seen numbers of 375+ hp with torque as high as 475+. A torque monster! The GS package also came with a beefed up suspension, and a numerically higher differential of a 3:42 for the rear axle. Yes, the Buick Riviera was designed as a response to the Ford Thunderbird, but it was really a Beautiful, Sofisticated, Muscle Car disguised as a 2 door Luxury Coupe.

One of my childhood friends in 1968 father owned A 1965 Rivera....it was bliss when we took a ride in that car.

What a beautiful car and video. Thank you so much for posting this. morning

I love the color of the car at 2:46, Beautiful!

That car could only have been a Buick. The zenith of GM design.

In 1963 I was 15 and loved cars. My parents had a party one night and I got to park cars. One of their women friends had a new 1963 Riviera Grand Sport. It was gorgeous and looked like nothing else. The interior was incredibly luxurious. Very fast for what was one of the first "personal luxury" cars. I think the parking took maybe 15-20 minutes on the back roads.

Nothing like the interior and styling of a Buick. I still own my grandfathers first new car and was my first car when I started driving a 1967 Buick Skylark coupe wonderful car .

Haha! "I got drunk for a week!" Absolutely!

its amazing that back in those days separate engines were developed for each of GM's divisions. today Dodge will squeeze a HEMI in just about anything... well Ford too with the EcoBoost.

I’m a big fan of “visual trickery”. My 2021 Toyota Camry SE is full of it.

Corvette inspired by European sport cars. Thunderbird inspired by European sport cars. Riviera inspired by European GT cars.

Thanks Adam for covering a Buick from my favorite era!

I had a 1963 and loved it

Excellent presentation!

My high school and college freshman buddy had a trashed early Riviera with the hidden headlight doors stuck open in 1972. Springs sagging, interior leather ripped up, paint very faded. But it was still a rocket from 0 to 100.

The C2 Corvettes and the Buick Riviera were some of Bill Mitchell’s most beautiful designs.

That is THE most gorgeous, tasteful interior I have ever seen.

Interestingly Pontiac did a similar thing with the consoles in the mid sixties… on the lower priced models like the Catalina the console was separate from the dashboard but on the higher trim models like the Bonneville and Grand Prix the console was integrated into the dashboard.

A super-charger?? Wow!! Your content Adam is exceptional in all aspects, entertainment and facts laid out perfectly..... outstanding! You have a great talent my brother!

We had a 63' Riveira. My father took me to the Buick dealership to see it being prepped and I was blown away. When my Dad drove it home it was a major event in the neighborhood, with all the kids gathered around like a spacecraft had landed. Wonderful car. Thanks for the great video.

Great video. The 1963 Riviera was so ahead of its time, in my opinion.

This is the best Automotive channel on KZfaq. I watch every upload with my morning coffee. The presentation is superb .

The '64 is my all-time favorite car.

A gentleman on the island has a 65.Black black interior.Its fully restored and beautiful. 1 of the best designs to ever come out of Detroit. As always cheers from Eulethra.

Outstanding work to all involved

Best looking car for its time and of all time.

I was 12 when My neighbor brought new 63. He called it his baby. Triple black. I think he loved that car more than his wife. His wife once bumped her golf clubs against the car before getting them in the trunk. You could hear him cussing two blocks away. Weird car weird man. 😳😁

Have you ever seen the GM photos of the convertible ‘63-‘65 Riviera prototype? I don’t have it handy right now, look it up, it’s fascinating. It has a working convertible top, but what is interesting is that the top mechanism is (what is obviously) a prototype scissor top mechanism, which as you know, debuted in 1971 GM full size Convertibles.

Great video. Thank you for posting. It explained something I recall from 50-years-ago. A neighbor who drove a beat-up Riviera tooled around with no door skin on the driver's side. Now I know why, sort of.

The Buick Riviera is a beautiful classic design that will never grow old it will always stay beautiful

Wow, such a beautiful car and also very cool for back in 1963, Adam😎👏

Excellent episode about my favorite car. 🎯💯💎

I bought a nice dark blue 64 in 1981 for $700. I was a 17 year old kid and beat it unmercifully until it began to smoke. I then moved on to a 1970 Olds Toronado with factory bucket seats and repeated the process.

My father bought one of these Rivs new back when I was first born. I hope he is watching this video up in heaven. I know he would really enjoy it!

As a kid, I built a 1:24 plastic model of a ‘63 Riviera. I marveled at what a beautiful design it was…

The Razor-Cut Riviera "63-'65" was Buick's Hippest Move, (Sharper than a Paul Sargent Continental-Suit) . . .

Very beautiful🚗

A very beautiful machine! GM being apprehensive about the frameless door glass is interesting because I never had a problem replacing/ adjusting similar door glass in late model Corvairs. Thank you for the Bill Mitchell recording. Please include more of stuff like that.

During my mid-Sixties High School years old men drove Buicks. Cool old men drove Rivieras. Now I'm an old man but no Riviera means no Buick for me.