V-6 on the Track: V-8 on the Street - 1976 Buick Century Pace Car Replica
An Indy 500 pace car tribute to a turbocharged Buick future
09/23/2018
In This Article
Category:
Muscle Cars
There was a time not long ago when the Indianapolis 500 was so deeply etched into American culture that the entire nation focused on the annual event. Racing met heroics and victory joined defeat. Blame NASCAR, cable TV, professional wrestling, the Internet, Nixon, or whatever you like for the decline: The tragedy is that this still-great spectacle of motorsport has lost some of the grip it once had on our collective consciousness. Certain elements endure, though. One lasting and iconic innovation of the Indy 500 was a move from a standing to rolling start for reasons of safety. From this high-velocity starting point came the need for the Indy 500 pace car.
Unlike Formula One or the Le Mans start, the Indy 500 begins with the clarion call for the start of engines, followed by the warming of tires and wills. Leading the pack before the start of the race is the role of the pace car. These laps may be leisurely for race cars, but they put a pace car to a torture test it is not allowed to fail. Joining the actual pace cars around Indianapolis are lookalike automobiles used for parade laps and race-associated events. With the pride of Detroit on display, the pace and festival cars, combined with the popularity of the race itself, gave rise to production pace car replicas.
Unlike homologated production examples of race cars, which are regulated into complying with the same specifications as the race car, pace cars were often purpose-built and modified from production cars to perform a very specific task and, as Indy 500 race cars became ever faster, operate in a demanding realm of triple-digit speeds. Involvement in the most popular race in America was a huge boon to manufacturers, who gained exposure from the race-leading pace car as well as the parade and festival cars, which were far more closely related to the production cars--and, in some cases, trucks--used.
Buick had a good run on the track and with associated Indy 500 events in 1975 and 1976. The 1975 version of the pace car was powered by a monster-displacement V-8, and understanding where the turbocharger and the V-6 come into play in 1976 begins with 1975. Buick engineers modified a 1975 Century with a 455-cu.in. V-8 to get the beast up to the required speed for leading the field into the starting lap. The 1975 Buick wore red, white and blue to celebrate the coming U.S. bicentennial, and was driven by actor James Garner of Rockford Files fame.
Rallye steering wheel, center console shift, bucket seats and Hurst Hatch roof were just a few of the 24 pace-car replica options.
The year 1976 not only brought two centuries to America, but another Buick Century out to the Brickyard. The red, white and blue scheme gave way to a graphics package in Seventies-correct hues of orange. The 1976 Buick Century pace car was significant for being the first V-6 powered version to lead the pack, but it also sparked a long relationship between the Buick V-6 and turbocharging. The replica pace car looked the part, but did not pack the 300-plus horsepower punch of the V-6 pace car--even with a 350-cu.in. Buick V-8.
The requirements for a pace car were different than those for street cars. Being able to sustain 120 MPH without flying was one of them. Anyone who has ever taken a muscle car into the triple digits knows that floating can be an issue when maintaining speeds approaching 120 MPH. According to a Buick engineer quoted by Mike Knepper in the June 1976 Motor Trend, the key requirements for an Indy pace car were simple but critical: Turn three exit of 90 MPH. Turn four at 110 MPH. Peeling off the track into the pit lane was a 120-MPH affair. Even with only 231 cubic inches, the turbo V-6 provided a faster and more consistent sprint from 90-110, and the crucial 120 MPH for the exit, than the 455 cubic inches of V-8 used the year prior. A front air dam and rear spoiler helped fight against flight.
The turbo system on the pace car was mounted atop the V-6, with a single four-barrel carburetor as part of the "draw-through" system--that is, the fuel and air sat ahead of the cold side of the turbocharger. The Rochester carburetor served as the entry to the inlet system--the turbocharger's spinning compressor impeller would pull incoming air through the carburetor before pressurizing the fuel/air mix and shoving it right down the engine's throat at 22 PSI. Changes to the engine itself were minimal. To accommodate the boost, the engine's compression was dropped from the stock 8.0:1 to 6.0:1 using forged pistons, rather than the stock cast pieces. A blistered hood added clearance for the turbocharger and associated plumbing.
The external wastegate vented into the main exhaust and maintained boost pressure between 20-22 PSI for 306hp at 4,600 RPM, and 370-lbs.ft. of torque at 3,900 RPM. A single 3-inch, one-into-two exhaust system was designed using the best-exhaust-for-a-turbo-is-no-exhaust-at-all approach, with no mufflers used or harmed in the making of this V-6 turbo pace car. Ignition came by way of a Delco HEI and a set of cold-range spark plugs. The 455 V-8 did play a part, by donating its radiator to the turbo Century pace car.
Little was changed in the suspension save for front coil springs with nearly double the stock spring rate and a 1-inch-diameter front anti-roll bar; the rear springs were stiffened a few pounds with a rear anti-roll bar fitted where there was none before. The steering ratio was set towards race mode at 15:1 over the stock 16:1.
Braking was improved with a set of more aggressive semi-metallic pads and the car was shod with 15 x 7-inch Minilite racing wheels with Goodyear tires. Using aluminum for the hood, fenders and select other bits on the '76 Century pacer helped shave a dramatic 650 pounds when compared to the weight of the 1975 Buick pace car.
Owner Alan Oldfield
As it goes with a single turbocharger system, you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Since the race requirements were clearly geared toward top-end acceleration and sustained velocity, so was the turbo. Low-end launch power was shelved in favor of high-speed, boost-induced 90-120 MPH sprint ability. The formula devised and implemented by the Buick engineers was a success, and leaves questions and theories as to why the V-6 setup didn't make it into the production version.
While many modern turbocharged cars have done away with the power down low or up high conundrum with the use of two turbos--one small for low-end grunt and another large for top-end free breathing--the single draw-through turbocharger calibrated for flat-out 90-120 MPH blasts would likely not have very good manners on the street. Yet the Buick turbo V-6 was destined for greatness, and while its street and strip glory was still a few years in the future with the Regal Grand National, a production V-6 turbo would first appear shortly after the '76 pace car with the launch of the 1978 Regal lineup. Those early 3.8-liter turbo sixes--offered with either two- or four-barrel carburetors--weren't all that impressive, but as the Eighties unfolded, electronic fuel injection and intercooling would conspire to yield the true greatness of the Buick V-6 turbo.
While carbureted turbocharged engines and high horsepower were certainly possible, they were not as idiot-proof as a production automobile had to be in 1976. There was also the small matter of emissions. An engine that belched out a rich fuel mixture in between shifts as a carburetor attempted to cope with a draw-through turbo might have been tough to get past the sniffer test. The Chevrolet Corvair Corsa featured a production draw-through turbocharger, but it was built in 1965, before exhaust emissions were much of a concern.
None of this stopped Alan Oldfield of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from keeping an eye on this 1976 Buick Century pace car replica for over a decade, until the day came when he could finally become its owner. That day was in the year 2000, when Alan picked up the Century with just 19,000 miles showing on the odometer; it was every bit as original as it was when it was made in 1976.
Alan fully understands the differences between the pace car replica and the real thing, which is most apparent under the hood. The replica came with a pre-corporate 165hp 350-cu.in. Buick V-8 in place of the turbocharged V-6, and used Hurst Hatches T-tops: the T-tops and brushed aluminum roof trim were installed by Hurst. While Buick freely admitted that the replica pace cars were not the same as the track-going version, they did put everything they had into the 1,290 replicas made. The graphics package and color-keyed wheels helped consolidate the illusion that the Century was dedicated to the free spirit in just about everyone, even if it wasn't a 300-plus-horsepower fire-snorting turbocharged race car.
The graphics on Alan's example remain original. He's seen a few attempts at reproduction, but to his knowledge, there is no "official" source for reproduction decals--understandable, considering the low production numbers of the replica cars. Other items unique to the pace car replica, like the rear deck spoiler and brushed-aluminum roof treatment, are not currently reproduced.
Country singer, NASCAR racer and star of the 1967 movie Hell on Wheels, Marty Robbins drove the Buick Pace Car in front of the pack in 1976. After a pace car accident in 1971, the powers at the speedway decided that only drivers with actual racing experience would pilot pace cars. James Garner and Marty Robbins were celebrities with genuine racing experience, and they set the pace in the 1975 and 1976 Buicks without incident or disappointment.
Along with the actual modified high-performance versions of the production car designated for official pace-car duty, the chosen manufacturer was granted an unparalleled brand and model promotion bonanza. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing had an impressive amount of influence. Replica cars and even models other than those used as the pace car were sometimes employed for promotion in pace car livery, even if they were factory stock underneath the special trim and cladding packages.
The festival or parade cars were sometimes different models entirely from the pace car, a fact Alan knows well, as he's augmented his Indy Buick fleet accordingly. "I picked up a festival car, a complement to the '75 Century pace car I also own. It's a '75 Le Sabre convertible, used to haul the celebrities and the beauty queens around. It's number 35 of the 43 that were actually used at the 500; it's got 18,000 miles on it."
Alan's devotion to collecting and maintaining these pieces of American automotive history is admirable, as is his conviction to use the cars for their intended purpose of driving. Alan and his wife rack up 2,000 miles a year on this 1976 Century pace car replica alone. The Century has been driven to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and taken down the drag strip at least a half-dozen times, adding a racing mile and a half to the 1,200-mile round trip.
"I finally came to the conclusion that it's clearly not fast, and people had enough time to look at it and think 'That's cool, but it sure is slow,' I think I got eliminated in the first and second round," said Alan with a laugh.
While some seem to have an irrational aversion to the drag strip, this groundless fear makes no sense to Alan, who motored the 600 miles to Beech Bend Raceway Park, raced the car, and drove it back to his home base in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, without issue. Even though he knows the pace car replica is not going to set any records for elapsed time or top speed, that's not why he took ownership of the car. He bought it to drive and share. "Life's too short. Have some fun."
Owner's View
It's vintage Seventies. It's got a great feel to it--not terribly fast, but it feels great. It's all torque--not speed. The handle of the console shifter is just fabulous--when you pull that shifter down and it locks into place, it feels solid. It's a blast to pull off the Hurst Hatches and go cruising. It gives you a real top-down experience.
The funny thing is, I get more reaction out of this car than anything else. My wife and I were driving it down to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the GS Nationals a few years ago. I was in my Grand National and she was in the pace car. She said it's something men love. They'll come up beside it, give it a thumbs up, and then get down the road. The graphics are so garish that it catches everybody's eye. Some people say, 'I've never seen one of those!' Every now and again, someone knows exactly what it is, and is excited about seeing one.
The only thing I've ever done is try to get the carburetor right. It's not terribly cold-blooded, but once it gets warmed up, it will go and go and go. Knock on wood, I've had no trouble with it.
-- Alan Oldfield
CLUB SCENE
Buick Club of America
P.O. Box 360775
Columbus, Ohio 43236
614-472-3939
www.buickclubofamerica.org
Dues: $50/year • Membership: 10,000
Buick GS Club of America
625 Pine Point Circle
Valdosta, Georgia 31602
229-244-0577
www.buickgsca.com
Dues: $40/year • Membership: 5,500
Buick Performance Group
P.O. Box 103
McDonald, Kansas 67745
785-734-2337
www.buickperformancegroup.com
Dues: $35/year • Membership: 150
PROS
+ Looks the part
+ Pace car heritage
+ Hurst Hatches!
CONS
- Down on power
- Ultra-rare parts
- No turbocharger
1976 Buick Century Pace Car Replica
SPECIFICATIONS
Price
Base price -- $4,069.80
Price as profiled -- $7,385.60
Options on car profiled -- A7 V-8 350-cu.in. w/4-bbl. carb, $140; B4 full-length operating console, $71; B5 Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, $262; C1 power disc brakes, $58; D4 AM-FM stereo radio with front and rear dual speakers, $233; F7 steel-belted radial-ply Wide Oval white-billboard lettered tires, $51.20; H4 Rallye Ride and Handling, $34; I6 A/C, $476; J3 custom shoulder and seat belts, $13; K4 three-speed windshield wiper with low-speed delay feature, $23; L1 Soft Ray tinted glass, $50; M1 engine block heater, $12; N3 front and rear bumper guards, $35.10; P1 carpet savers and handy mats, $16; P3 litter pocket, $6; R1 power windows, $99; T1 electric trunk release, $17; T2 electric door locks, $62; U1 convenience group: trunk light and sun-shade map light, $27; U7 lighted sun-shade vanity mirror, $39; X2 Rallye steering wheel, $35; Y1 Replica Pace Car package (includes sport mirrors, stowaway spare tire, styled wheels, specific striping and specific styling), $309.60; Z8 Hurst Hatch roof, $550; Custom trim: reclining bucket seats, $155
Engine
Type -- Buick "small-block" 350 V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Displacement -- 350 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke -- 3.80 x 3.85 inches
Compression ratio -- 8.0:1
Horsepower @ RPM -- 165 (160 in California) @ 3,400
Torque @ RPM -- 280-lbs.ft. @ 1,800
Valvetrain -- Hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft, shaft-mount rockers
Main bearings -- 5
Fuel system -- Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, mechanical pump
Lubrication system -- Full pressure, wet sump
Electrical system -- 12-volt
Exhaust system -- Cast-iron manifolds with single exhaust
Transmission
Type -- GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 350
Ratios:
1st -- 2.52:1
2nd -- 1:52:1
3rd -- 1.00:1
Reverse -- 1.93:1
Differential
Type -- GM "corporate" 8.5-inch 10-bolt with limited-slip
Ratio -- 3.08:1
Steering
Type -- GM Saginaw power-assisted recirculating ball
Ratio -- Variable
Turning circle radius -- 43 feet
Brakes
Type -- Power-assisted front disc/rear drum
Front -- 11.0-inch disc
Rear -- 11.0 x 2.0-inch drum
Chassis & Body
Construction -- Body on perimeter box frame
Body style -- Two-door coupe
Layout -- Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front -- Unequal-length A-arm with coil springs and tubular shock absorbers
Rear -- Four-link with coil springs and tubular shock absorbers
Wheels & Tires
Wheels -- Buick Rallye
Front -- 15 x 7 inches
Rear -- 15 x 7 inches
Tires -- BFGoodrich (originally Firestone Radial 500)
Front -- 225/70R15 (originally GR70-15)
Rear -- 225/70R15 (originally GR70-15)
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase -- 112 inches
Overall length -- 210 inches
Overall width -- 77 inches
Overall height -- 53 inches
Front track -- 61.5 inches
Rear track -- 61 inches
Curb weight -- 4,105 pounds
Capacities
Crankcase -- 5 quarts
Cooling system -- 17 quarts
Fuel tank -- 22 gallons
Transmission -- 20 pints
Calculated Data
Bhp per cu.in. -- 0.47
Weight per bhp -- 24.8 pounds
Weight per cu.in. -- 11.7 pounds
Production
For 1976, Buick produced 1,920 Century Pace Car Replicas
Performance
Acceleration:
0-60 mph -- 12 seconds
1/4-mile ET -- 18.864 seconds @ 74.01 MPH*
*Source: Owner-generated timeslips at Beech Bend Raceway Park quarter mile.
Recent
Images from Pat Foster's collection
Courtesy of Pat Foster
One of the first products of the Mitchell Motor Car Company was the small runabout seen here. Although the photo is identified as a 1903 model it appears to be of later vintage, possibly 1904/1905.
The Mitchell saga began in 1838 when Scottish immigrant Henry Mitchell moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and established the Mitchell Wagon Company, a manufacturer that became known as "The first wagon maker of the Northwest." Successful almost from the start, in 1854 Mitchell moved his business to larger quarters in nearby Racine. It continued to expand and in time son-in-law William Lewis joined the company. Lewis eventually headed the firm and changed its name to Mitchell & Lewis Wagon Company. During the Gay Nineties, Mitchell & Lewis established another business, the Wisconsin Wheel Works, to produce bicycles, and for a while was manufacturing light motorcycles too. Thus,established in the transportation field, the idea of producing automobiles was the next logical step.
In a major change of company direction, Wisconsin Wheel Works sold its bicycle business and was succeeded by the Mitchell Motor Car Company, a subsidiary of the Mitchell-Lewis Wagon Company. The former’s first models were two small runabouts: one powered by a 7-hp, single-cylinder two-stroke engine, the other by a 4-hp, four-stroke single. Reportedly, sales were modest, despite prices that began at a mere $600 for the 4-hp model. It seems the company initially had difficulty reaching high-volume production due to problems acquiring sufficient parts and components, but when resolved sales quickly improved.
For 1904 a new 7-hp two-cylinder runabout on a 72-inch wheelbase chassis, and a 16-hp four-cylinder touring model on a 90-inch wheelbase, replaced the previous one-lungers. The two-passenger runabout was priced at $750, while the five-passenger touring car started at $1,500.
Courtesy of Pat Foster
Mitchell’s 1910 cars were priced from $1,100 to $2,000. The company said of its car, “It is rakish, smart, refined, solid, comfortable and luxurious. It is silent in running – absolutely silent – and it will last and serve you faithfully for years to come.”
In the years that followed Mitchell cars grew bigger and more powerful. In 1906 a 24/30-hp five-passenger, 100-inch wheelbase Model D-4 Touring car joined the expanded line-up priced at $1,800. The company reportedly sold 663 cars that year. For 1907 Mitchell offered three distinct series: the Model E, a 20-hp two-passenger Runabout on a 90-inch wheelbase; the Model D 24/30-hp five-passenger 100-inch wheelbase Touring; and the Model F seven-passenger Touring on a 108-inch wheelbase. Prices ranged from $1,000 to $2,000 and total sales more than doubled.
By 1910, Mitchell was offering five models: two- and three-passenger runabouts and a Runabout Surrey in the Model R series, each powered by a 30-hp four-cylinder engine and priced at $1,100; and two touring cars, a 30-hp four-cylinder Model T for $1,350, and a 50-hp six-cylinder Model S priced at a lofty $2,000. That year’s sales totaled 5,733 units. (There was even a jaunty little song titled "Give Me a Spin in Your Mitchell, Bill,” a recording of which can still be found on the internet.) The same year, Lewis retired, and Mitchell Motor Car Company and Mitchell & Lewis merged to form the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company with Lewis’s son,William Mitchell Lewis, named president.
In 1912 a stylish $2,500 four-cylinder Limousine joined a line-up that included a budget-priced 25-hp Runabout for $950 and an $1,150 Touring car, both of which used a four-cylinder engine and a 100-inch wheelbase chassis. Also available was a $1,350 four-cylinder Touring, while a Model 5-6 34-hp Baby Six Touring and Roadster were available on a 125-inch wheelbase, each costing $1.750. Finally, there was a big seven-passenger Model 7-6 six-cylinder Touring on a regal 135-inch wheelbase for $2,250. Sales for the year were 5,145 cars.
Courtesy of Pat Foster
The Mitchell line of six-cylinder cars for 1917 saw lower prices, with the Mitchell seven-passenger priced at $1,460 and the Mitchell Junior priced at $1,150.
Unfortunately, sales were just 3,087 cars in 1913 and William M Lewis left the firm to start a new company building the so-called Lewis car. Banker Joseph Winterbottom took over as president and the firm was reorganized as the Mitchell Motors Company. Only 3,500 Mitchells were sold in 1914, perhaps a result of the company’s emphasis on higher-priced models. For 1915 new lower-priced Light Four and Light Six models seemed just the thing to spark a revival, and some 6,174 Mitchells were sold that year.
Mitchell sales manager Otis Friend then took over as president. Believing that offering more cylinders was the way to go, for 1916 the company dropped its four-cylinder models in favor of value-priced six- and eight-cylinder cars. It was the right move; sales climbed to 9,589 units, its highest total yet.
The company continued to flourish, selling 10,069 cars in 1917, but in ‘18 Otis Friend left to start his own car company in Pontiac, Michigan. Replacing him was formerGeneral Electric executive D.C. Durland. Things initially went well, and by 1919, Mitchell prices ranged from $1,275 to $2,850; some 10,100 cars were sold. While the company was profitable, it seems management might have been feeling over-confident because for ‘20 it was decided new Mitchells would feature unique styling touches to help them stand out.
Sedans boasted unusual vee'd windshields, with a prominent forward-placed center post supporting angled side panes, and cowls featured a forward sweep on each side, very much in the style of expensive custom-built cars. The angle of the sweep didn’t match the angle of the windshield post, which gave the closed cars a slightly odd appearance. The biggest styling feature, one that was impossible to ignore, was a radiator that tilted back at a noticeable angle. Print advertisements bragged that "Future styling trends…" were "Forecasted by the new Mitchell design." Ads claimed, "These new Mitchell Sixes bring to motoring America its first accurate example of the coming style [and].... viewed from any angle–from inside or out - the effect is impressive."
Courtesy of Pat Foster
The 1920 Mitchell Touring car, to my eyes, looks a bit sporty with its sweptback radiator shell, but many buyers didn’t like it.
Looking at the 1920 Mitchells today it’s difficult to see any big styling problem. In fact, on Touring models the sweptback radiator adds to the sporty appeal, at least in my opinion. But on closed cars the different lines and angles of the split vee-d windshield post, cowl sweeps, and radiator shell offer too much visual conflict. Apparently, they must have seemed even more at odds with convention then because the ’20 models soon earned the nickname “The Drunken Mitchells.”
Pundits love to poke fun, so "The Drunken Mitchell” sobriquet stuck. It’s easy to guess what happened next. Sales fell 36 percent, with the slump worsening in 1921 when a mere 2,162 cars were sold, this even after a hasty restyle. The ’22 model year was about the same. Then in 1923 Mitchell sales collapsed entirely and only about 100 cars were sold. The company had come to the end of the line. Despite a history going back more than 80 years, Mitchell was gone by the end of 1923.
One company benefitted from Mitchell’s demise. In January 1924, the Nash Motors Company of Kenosha, needing more production capacity, acquired the Mitchell plant for $405,000.
Photography by Scotty Lachenauer
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
Tim, a resident of West Deptford, New Jersey, is well versed in Buick’s Riviera legacy, thanks largely tohis dad, Gene Guarnere, who has had a penchant for the personal luxury car since he was a teen. “My dad has been into first generation Rivieras since he came home from Vietnam in 1967. That’s when he got his first ’64 to drive back and forth from South Philadelphia to Fort Dix, to finish his draft requirement,” Tim says.
Since then, Tim estimates his dad has owned too many Rivieras to count, through a combination of having driven, collected, parted out, and rebuilt many for resale. Though the Riviera nameplate lasted for eight generations of production, and thirty-six years as a standalone model, the 1963-’65 editions will always be Gene’s favorite. “There’s something about those Rivieras. There was really nothing like them on the market at the time,” Gene says.
The Riviera name had a long history with Buick. It first appeared in conjunction with the revolutionary true hardtop design unveiled within the 1949 Roadmaster lineup, the missing B-pillar ushering in “Riviera styling.” That design moniker evolved slightly through the mid-Fifties, provoking thoughts of elegant open road motoring for a modest price, and it even survived Buick’s model name revamp of ’59, when it became a trim level within the Electra 225 series though ’62.
Right about the time the dust was settling from the Buick renaming buzz, GM Advanced Styling guru Ned Nickles had already created a sketch of a new car that–according to later interviews with Nickles and GM Styling boss Bill Mitchell–was based on Mitchell’s foggy visit to London, where he spotted a custom-bodied Rolls-Royce in front of the Savoy hotel. Mitchell is famously quoted as saying, “make it a Ferrari-Rolls-Royce.”
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
What makes this 1964 Buick Riviera desirable among collectors is the optional dual-quad 425-cu.in. V-8, which boasted 360 hp. It would become the foundation of Gran Sport option a year later.
Coincidentally, Cadillac was considering the introduction of a junior line to bolster sales, helping prompt the development of the XP-715 project (Mitchell is also quoted as saying GM didn’t take kindly to Ford attending the Motorama events to study concept cars, which lead to the four-seat Thunderbird, prompting development of the XP-715). Unofficially, it was dubbed La Salle II, but by the time a full-size clay mockup had been created, Cadillac had reversed its sales slump and was having trouble filling orders. It didn’t need a new car complicating matters.
The XP-715 might have been forgotten had Buick’s general manager Ed Rollert not learned of its unclaimed status. He made a pitch for the project but would have to fight for rights to it with Oldsmobile’s and Pontiac’s management. The latter was lukewarm on the idea of adding another series, while Olds wanted to modify the existing design, something Mitchell was deadset against. By April 1961, the XP-715 / La Salle II concept mockup was photographed wearing Buick emblems.
In the fall of 1962, Buick rolled out the Riviera on a new E-body platform. The car was a departure for Buick, with “knife edge” body lines, minimal trim, a Ferrari-like egg-crate style grille flanked by running lamps/signal indicators behind 1938-’39 inspired La Salle grilles, and kickups over the rear wheels designed to hint at the car’s power (helping conjure the “Coke bottle” design nomenclature). It was an amalgam of styles, fitting in somewhere between a sports car and luxury car, all rolled up in one breathtaking package.
Speaking of power, the Riviera was equipped with Buick’s four-barrel equipped 401-cu.in. V-8 that boasted 325 hp and 445 lb-ft. of torque, though in early December, the division started to offer the 340-hp, four-barrel 425-cu.in. engine as optional Riviera equipment. Just 2,601 examples of the latter were produced. Backing either engine Buick’s Twin Turbine Dynaflow automatic in its final year of production.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
Although the cabin is in dire need of detailing, it looks otherwise complete.
A year later, Buick management elevated the 340-hp, single four-barrel 425 engine to standard power team status, paired with a new Super Turbine 400 automatic transmission. Peppy as the engine was, a dual four-barrel version of the 425 became available, known as the “Super Wildcat.” Aside from its eye-opening 360 hp and 465 lb-ft. of torque, it looked the part of a performertoo, due to finned aluminum rocker covers and a twin-snorkel chrome air cleaner assembly. Despite its low production, only 2,122 of the 37,658 Rivieras built for ’64 came equipped as such, this engine became the cornerstone of Riviera’s Gran Sport package for ’65, cementing Buick’s legacy as a luxurious personal muscle car.
Although any first-gen Riviera is a great score to Tim and Gene, some examples are better than others, whether it was due to overall condition or the car’s born-with options. So, when this 1964 Riviera popped up on Gene’s radar 30-plus years ago, he quickly made a deal. “The history between my dad and this car is a long one. He first bought this car in northeast Philadelphia for $1,450 in the early Nineties,” Tim says.
The reason Gene wanted it more than any other that previously crossed his path was that not only was it in reasonably good shape, but the Buick also turned out to be one of the relatively rare dual-quad 425 examples. But like many of the Rivieras that came Gene’s way over the years, the Buick didn’t stick around too long. “The car was sold and/or traded multiple times for the first fifteen years my dad knew about it,” Tim says.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
However, like all good things, they somehow find their way home and this car is no exception. “For some reason, the Riviera always ended up with us some way or another. I finally ended up buying the car from the last owner in 2009. He had it stored in my dad’s barn during his ownership, so we knew it was in a safe place for a long time. I now have it tucked away in one of my garages waiting for the next phase in its lifeline.”
What Tim has in possession is an interesting example beyond the power team. “This Riviera is typical of the examples built in ’64. It’s just chock full of options that cater to the upscale buyers that would have had the funds to purchase one of these high-end rides from the dealership.”
Present within are many of the accoutrements that catered to the posh consumers in the luxury sports car market. Options here include the Deluxe vinyl and cloth interior, tilt column, and power seats. Power windows and power vent windows add to the lavishness of the Buick’s aesthetic, while its front seat belts, rear armrests, wood ornamentation, and rear defroster only add to the upscale feel.
Though it's seen better days, the condition of the interior is remarkable, knowing of its lengthy journey since it was taken off the road circa 1980. The upholstery is dirty and moldy but with a good washing it will probably clean up nicely. The dash is also in great shape, though since the V-8 has not been started in years, there’s no way to determine what gauges and switches are functional. Underneath the carpet, the floors are solid as well, owing to its life mostly indoors.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
The 1938-'39 La Salle grille is said to have inspired the Riviera's vertically stacked running lamp grilles.
Under the hood it looks as if the engine has barely been touched. It’s “KX” code stamped on the block is still visible, the original Carter carburetors are present, and the wiring and plumbing still appear usable. The air conditioning looks to be intact as well. Finally, power brakes and power steering round out the luxury amenities.
Outside, the body is in excellent shape for a car of this vintage. The last 30-plus years of indoor storage has helped keep the metal intact, though minor body work will be needed on the quarter panels to get it up to snuff. The original Claret Mist paint has turned to a satin finish under all the dirt, but a good cleaning and buff could bring it back to life. Most of the trim is also in great shape, and the car appears to be relatively complete, save for a few pieces of rear window trim.
As for the mechanical functionality beyond instrumentations, no one is really sure of its condition “My first order of business would be to send the engine to “Nailhead” Matt Martin in California, who is an artist that works in the nailhead medium; he’s the ultimate authority in these V-8s. I believe the rest of the car deserves a nut and bolt restoration, too. That time will come soon,” Tim says.
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