1982 Buick Riviera

1982 Buick Riviera Convertible Built in limited quantities, the 1982 Buick Riviera convertible was never meant to be a car for the masses. It may have ended up a footnote to automotive history, except for one thing: the luxury cruiser marked the first drop top from GM since the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible ushered out an era. Each Riviera convertible began as a coupe before being shipped to American Sunroof Corporation for modifications that required 300 parts and 10 hours of labor to complete.   For consignment, a 1982 Buick Riviera convertible with a title verified 76,299 actual miles. This was the Riviera convertible's first year on the market and GM had plans to build less than 500, but fervent interest, especially from dealers, prompted them to build more.  Exterior Bathed single stage Red Firemist Metallic, the body presents in excellent condition and so does the white canvas top above with the small glass rear window that is even equipped with a defogger. The chrome bumpers both front and rear as well as the bumperette present nice and shiny with no dimpling or corrosion. Even the black trim strips laid into the chrome remain intact and mar free. The brightwork is clean and the trim around the rear of the top is equipped with buttons for the snap on tonneau cover, and a boot is included. 15-inch chrome wire wheel covers are adorned with the same Riviera R logo we see on the hood ornament. One of the covers has a ding and the other has light curb rash. The only other imperfection is a touched up scratch by a wheel opening.  Interior With the top lowered we are allowed a bird's eye view of the luxurious Dark Red buckets seats with tuck and roll patterning and some patina creasing and fade on the driver's side while the rear bench and passenger seat are in nice shape. More red makes an appearance on the door panels with brushed stainless inserts for the switchgear and simulated burlwood behind the door pull and over the speaker. This wood reappears to dress the stainless frame of the seats and then to frame the entire instrument cluster ahead where all straight and square and rectangle design right out of the 80's and we remember it with fondness and this one has held up well. An AM/FM/Cassette is on board along with the Riv's daring electronic climate panel.  Very clean deep pile red carpeting covers the floors, while the trunk is fully finished with gray cloth panels.   Drivetrain Clean, busy, and a 1982 time capsule, here we have a 307ci V8 topped with a 4-barrel carburetor and rated at 140 horsepower. It is mated with a TH325-4L  4-speed automatic transmission that keeps power up front through 2.73 gears.   Undercarriage Typical surface rust and mostly dry conditions are found under the car with only residual oil on the pans. Giving this Buick its trademark ride is an independent torsion bar front suspension and a torsion beam and coil spring rear suspension and for the stopping power we note power disc brakes both front and rear. A single exhaust system through a stock style muffler exits without fanfare in back Drive-Ability This car started right up, ran flawlessly, and is a wonderful comfortable cruiser, but the tires are 30 years old, so we limited the distance, during which all functions worked as they should on this nicely maintained Riviera convertible. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.              If you had one of these in 1982, you were a baller. It didn't matter that it wasn't a Cadillac and surely no one cared that it wasn't European. It just oozes class and success and now serves as a rare testament to Buick's daring venture. Here's a cruise night special that has air conditioning and other modern amenities, along with the ubiquitous and trustworthy Olds 307 under the hood. You and your family are go