1969 Buick Riviera

1969 Buick Riviera Hardtop  Riviera is a hallowed name in Buick history, and while it was originally applied to GM's first hardtop version of the 1949 Roadmaster, a sister car to the Cadillac Coupe de Ville and Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, it came to prominence as its own model for the 1963 model year.  This new car represented General Motors' design department at the top of its game; it was a clean sheet reimagination of a premium Buick coupe created by stylist Ned Nickles and his team of designers and modelers, under the careful direction of vice president of design Bill Mitchell. For consignment, a 1969 Buick Riviera hardtop with a title verified 53,980 actual miles.  In 1969, Buick's tag line was Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick? and the ad for the Riviera claimed, the look is new, personal, and impressive.  And we have to agree.  There's something special about this era of Buick, and the Riviera design does not go unnoticed, more often than not finding a new home, courtesy of Classic Auto Mall.  Exterior A luxury car combined with a sports car is the mantra for this 1969 Riviera and the fascia, redesigned for '68, is striking in its uniqueness which is quite the feat because '67 was unique in its own right.  Inboard hidden headlights become part of the grille while bold marking lights provide square beacons on the outer edge of a chrome bumper that is as much an aesthetic frame as a safety device.  Our car wears a coat of Copper Mist, the color it was born with, and is dressed up with a polished rocker panel, wide window trim, and Riviera spelled out on each of its four sides.  Polished 15-inch chrome steel wheels and adherent shiny hubcaps add even more flash to the fastback-like profile that ends with a tail that rivals the front for interest, inset longitudinal tail lights appear to squint at the base of a sloping deck lid and flow through vents, and they're embedded in a chrome bumper that wraps around and contours along a circular side marker.  The paint and panels are excellent and we could not find any glaring exterior flaws. Interior Black vinyl door panels are button tufted as was common in the era and these show some patina and could use a careful detail to bring them back to life.  Cloth buckets with similar button tufting with the driver's showing some age but are in very good condition considering the soft texture of the velour, while the back bench and passenger seat are in great shape.  A simple black steering wheel fronts a gauge cluster that is all squares, also period popular, and has a mid-panel that is adorned with woodgrain applique that surrounds several toggle switches and the climate panel.  To the right, an AM radio with the imaginative feature of having BUICK spelled out on the five pushbuttons resides in its factory home.  Although the woodgrain vinyl is peeling from the center console, the shift plate is chromed and arched and putting it into gear is akin to nose up in an airplane, pulling through the half circle until it clicks into D.  Talk about party tricks and conversation pieces!  Meanwhile, black loop carpet covers the floor, the stitch ribbed headliner is in nice condition, and the trunk shows usage and would benefit from some new finishing mats.  Drivetrain Surface rust makes an occasional appearance on an otherwise clean engine, this one is a 430ci V8 rated at an impressive 360 horsepower, fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor and backed by a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the 10 bolt rear axle with 3.07 gears.  Power assisted drum brakes are noted on front and rear wheels. Undercarriage The underside has its share of surface rust and patina, but it's all there and sound in structure.  Dual exhaust flows through glasspack style mufflers before finding their way to the back where they terminate behind the rear bumper.  The pans are dry and so is the rear differential.  Suspension is your basic coil springs up front and a 3