A white 1963 Buick Riviera photographed from the front three-quarter.

Front three-quarter. The crease runs unbroken from the headlamp door to the rear edge.

1963

Buick Riviera

Bill Mitchell drew this one to look like a Ferrari that had been left out in a Michigan winter, and it is still the sharpest thing Buick ever built.

What it costs

$340 per day · 150 miles included · fuel included

Collect

Return

Mileage

150 miles a dayIncluded in the rate— Add 150 miles a dayFor a long route or a two-state day$45/day

Damage cover

Standard$2,500 deposit held, released in 5 days— Reduced excessDeposit drops to $500$65/day

Collection

From the garage2461 Bellevue St, Detroit— DeliveredAnywhere inside Wayne County$120

Total for 2 days —

Refundable deposit of — held separately on the same card. Fuel is included — the car leaves full and comes back full at our expense, because we would rather fill it ourselves than argue about it.

Every figure we hold on this car.

Engine401 cu in “Nailhead” V8Original block, rebuilt in-house.

Output325 hpGross, as rated when new. Modern net figures would read lower.

Torque445 lb-ftWhich is what you actually feel.

TransmissionTwin Turbine 2-speed automatic

BrakesDrums, all four cornersRead the braking note before you drive it.

BodyTwo-door hardtop coupe

Seats4Lap belts only. No child seat anchor points.

Curb weight3,998 lb

0–60 mph8.1 secPeriod road-test figure, not ours.

FinishArctic White over blue leather

Daily rate$340150 miles a day included. Fuel included.

Deposit$2,500Refundable, released within five working days.

The Riviera was General Motors' answer to the four-seat Thunderbird, and it is the one car in this building that people misidentify constantly — usually as something Italian and usually as something more expensive. The knife-edge crease running the length of the body was hand-finished on the clay model by Mitchell himself, and no photograph has ever done it justice.

Ours is an early car with the 401 Nailhead, which is not the fastest engine here but is comfortably the smoothest. It pulls from nothing, it never sounds strained, and it will hold 75 on the freeway all day without ever feeling like it is working.

What it's like to drive

The lightest steering in the fleet and the most relaxed gearbox — two speeds, and it does not want to be hurried. This is the car to take if you have never driven anything from this era before. It flatters you.

The one thing that will surprise you

The headlamps are behind clamshell doors that open on vacuum. On a cold morning they can take a few seconds to swing. That is normal and it is not a fault.

Take it somewhere worth going.

We keep five routes written up, with the distances, the surfaces and where to stop. The Woodward run is the obvious one. The lake road is the better one.

See the routes Back to the fleet