Massive luxury coupes were the sleds of our fathers and now the nostalgia of such excess has been lost by every automaker. Let’s see what made this Buick Flagship more than just a historic name.
High school in 2002 meant a parking lot filled with second-hand sheet metal, and my ride was my mom’s abused 1996 Buick Riviera. Learning my way around front-wheel-drive, I gained an appreciation for style and composure only to see Buick’s last grasp at being an independent part of GM. For full disclosure, I have owned three examples of the 8th generation Riv in my 38 orbits of the Sun. They debuted in 1995 as a new flagship for GM’s oldest marque, just as the LT1-powered Roadmaster and its Estate Wagon were prepared for the big sleep. The Riviera appeared as a trim level in 1949, as Harley Earl’s microcosm of the Mediterranean coast. Becoming its own model in 1963, it has an interior and exterior styling that has never been conservative or cheap. That’s why GM poured millions into building the world’s strongest FWD chassis. The W-body would continue on underpinning the Pontiac and Chevy cars for years, but it wouldn’t cut it here. The first application of high-strength steel outside GM’s truck divisions was in building the 1995 G platform. It was their first passenger car chassis built on the outputs of number-crunching computers. As such, it has layers upon layers of steel everywhere. Destined for FWD only, it has a full-length tunnel for the exhaust that could easily abide a driveshaft to the rear.
Writing this makes me lament selling my 1998, because although it had 180,000 miles (289,600 kilometers), all it needed to be happy was a set of struts and tubular headers originally intended for a Grand Prix Comp G. Parts are very cheap and easy to install, and front-wheel burnouts at 35 mph will cure any form of depression. What still separates it from modern luxury is strength. When subjecting the body to torsion (twist tests) it broke the test rig. After moving the prototypes to the SUV test cell, it broke that machine also. This translates to a ride quality that is on-par with the 3rd generation Cadillac CTS (compared to my 2015 sedan). With a natural frequency of 25 hz, Oldsmobile jumped onboard for their Aurora sedan, and Cadillac adopted it for the Seville/DeVille twins. They also make great daily drivers, if the Northstar V8 is still running. Buick kept their engine for themselves by supercharging the venerable Series II 3800 V6. My introduction to forced induction was the Eaton M90 blower that was standard equipment.
The beauty of this beast is in the fact that the Buick V6 was and is indestructible. Series II arrived in ‘96 with forged internals that easily handle 6-8 lbs of boost. Once I had my fun with exhaust and intake tuning, the real fun began. Buick licensed their 3.8L to Jeep for 30 years in addition to being the turbocharged heart of the Grand National in the '80s. As such, it has a healthy aftermarket of heads, cams, and hardened parts. As a freshman in college, I lived on campus and I didn’t honestly need a car. Instead of chasing women, there was a dork building a FWD sleeper in Orlando. Removing the supercharger takes 10 minutes, so I ported it by hand while adding a smaller pulley. The only Buick with a boost gauge used 1 bar to make 330 horsepower at the front wheels while offering nearly 30 mpg on the highway. These cars ride like a dream, and once you add decent audio, they become a relaxing experience with ample power on-tap. With most late-model Buicks coming from China, your New Year’s Resolution is to find a neglected Riviera for a few grand and have a Merry Christmas from all of us at autoevolution!
Keyword: Why the 1999 Buick Riviera Silver Arrow Was the End of an Era
(Source: GM Design) Could General Motors be crafting a rugged electric SUV for its Buick brand? A new painting from GM Design that looks eerily similar to Kia’s flagship EV9 could give us a clue. When you think of rugged SUVs, Buick isn’t often the first brand that comes ...
