The 1971-85 Buick Riviera Design Story: Boattails, No Boattails, Blandness and Romance: 

1971 - 1973 Riviera are true works of art...

The Kady and Manoogian interviews have been awesome. So glad that you've documented so much of this ,since unfortunately, these fellas won't be around forever. I wish someone was doing this back in the 70s and 80s to document 50s and 60s cars, designers, and design origins. What Adam is doing here is far more important than just getting views on RU-vid. I can only hope to see this continue. That being said, I'm hoping for a new Bob Lutz interview soon!

I think the 1971 - 1973 Riviera is one of the most beautiful cars ever build. I LOVE the design and size.

I miss the days SO MUCH when cars had individuality, style, and flair. Today, everything is distilled down to efficiency, in every aspect, and that makes all of them look alike. I dream of a day when we can be free to play around with the beautiful, artistic aspects of automobiles again.

The 1979-85 Riviera is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Timeless elegance.

The first and second generation style and beauty could never be matched.

I bought a new '85 Rivera burgundy on burgundy with burgundy velour fully loaded - even had a digital dash (very rare I've seemed to notice) with a moon roof - absolutely loved it and got allot of compliments on it. My dream lottery car would be a '72 boat tail GS with bucket seats.

Riviera was a great looking car from the 60’s to the end of the boat tail. They had such great styling and very classy

My Sister had a 1965 Buick Gran Sport. It was one of the Beautiful cars I ever seen. I did like the boat tail design.

Adam, Comfortable, colorful velour interiors are overdue for a comeback!

The ‘71-73 Rivieras were really sharp looking cars. I am surprised they didn’t sell more. It’s great having interviews with designers like Wayne Kady and getting the inside story of how things developed.

The boattail Rivieras are some of the most sought after Buicks ever built. That design was epic! They were FAST for a big 4,600 pound beast! They rode nicely too.

I'm still a fan of the 71, flamboyant or not. I worked at our local Buick dealership after school every day in high school in the 70s, and even though I loved my 69 Riviera, I lusted after a 71. I'm a huge Bill Mitchell fan, and I completely agree with his disdain of vinyl tops. I'm also a big fan of your videos. Please keep them coming!

A teacher at my elementary school had a 70 or 71 boat-tail Riviera and I thought that was the most outa-sight car I'd ever seen.

I have to say that the Riviera is one automobile that I absolutely love throughout its entire life from the first model year all the way till the last.

LOVE the 1971 Rivs! My best buddy in high schools Father had a 1971 Riviera GS. He would let us borrow it on Friday and Saturday nights for dates on occasion. Man, Some great times were had in that super smooth and plenty fast Riv! Still can remember the feeling of smoke rolling off both back tires on a pedal to the metal takes offs. Best buddy deceased at 54 and his Father passed away at 67. Miss them both.

The room in the background is a epic of class and style

It is obvious that Wayne's 1977 Riviera proposal became the 1979 - 1985 Riv. Almost the whole body he designed was used, sans minor changes they made to it. I saw a new Riviera in person in 1980 and almost flipped over its incredibly beautiful good looks. I remembered the boat tail cars and the previous models of Riviera but had not seen one in many years. I was astounded when I saw that 1980 model. I will never forget how lustful it made me. I also loved the Toro and the Eldo that were built and designed as twin models to the Riviera. I ended up loving the Toronado more out of all three but the divisions agreed on the design of those triplets and that's why we love all three models today. Very nice report and I learned more about one of my favorite cars. Thank You.

These oral histories will be a treasure trove for future auto historians. Well done.

Well done historic piece on Riviera. Reminds me of my 78' LXXV Olds 403 powered Riv. I had in the mid 90s. Black and silver 2 tone exterior AND interior with brushed stainless dash (sort of a unicorn for that time period) and a "sport" three spoke steering wheel unique to that car, really any luxury cruiser like that wouldn't have had a factory steering wheel like it. Now I miss that car. Thanks Adam!!!🙂

Wayne's 77 Riviera would've been one of the most distinctive and attractive cars of the era. Not only can I see elements of it in the eventual 79 Riv, but also in the downsized intermediated introduces in 78 (Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Regal and Cutlass).

I always liked the looks of the 85 Riviera would love to have one as a weekend driver

Riviera was not a consistent car in the 1970’s - actually counted 5 designs. Finally, Buick really hit their stride with the 1979 model - it was flamboyant, but also elegant. Even a person who never saw a car before could take one look at it, and sense the owner took great pride in driving it.

I happen to love the 1977-78 Riviera styling. I’ve owned 3 in my lifetime and they’ve all turned heads and started great conversations with people.

....... simply gorgeous !

Beautiful video Adam. It's really epic to see and hear a classic former GM employee/executive discuss these historical moments. A time capsule moment on RU-vid to be sure. Kudos. Nice to see they later adopted his version of the car. It's really a beautiful design.

What had to be a very awkward Saturday morning for Wayne all those years ago, can now be looked back upon with humor and a smile. Thanks again for yet another important piece of our automotive history Adam. This stuff is awesome. Cheers!

Wow, the 74 looks so mundane after the 73. Nice to see the styles back to back in the video.

Always loved the Boattail Rivieras. Friend of mine had one in the early 90s. Pulled into a parking lot full of muscle cars one night & it became the center of attention. Everyone loved it !!!!

Wayne's 77 prototype is simply stunning, leave it to the suits but the behind the scene story's are priceless!

Great episode ! I love the variety of car reviews, opinion pieces, designer interviews and history videos! Thanks Adam!

The 79-85 GM E-Bodies are some of the nicest looking modern automobiles produced.

Working at a bodyshop in high school, one of the duties was delivirering cars to dealers. One of them was a 71 GS Riviera, to a dealer in Tacoma Wa. It was a Black on Black spectaculer looking and driving car. My family had a 66 225 so I was very familiar with the love of Buicks.

Great story...64-73 and 79-85 were fantastic...I had an '83 Convertible and was one of my favorite cars.

I enjoyed this very much

Someplace on a road between New Mexico and Arizona, a once 12 year old boy was over the moon when his Father pulled over to the side of the freeway and said "Son, take the wheel. Its about time you get some driving experience." The car was a 1983 Buick Riviera in a repainted dark burgundy metallic with red interior and landau top. She was a quintessential American land-yacht. Comfortable, easy to drive and despite the occasional carburetor vapor lock, reliable. I've loved them ever since and its probably why I'm so fond of full sized American classic cars over the muscle cars of the day. I'd love to own a Boat-Tail.

My father always had Riv’s, his 71 was all gold no vinyl roof and no side body molding. With the steel mag wheels it looked great. Luck I got my license before he traded it in. The 74 had the Oldsmobile rear, I thought it killed the car. My father hated the new design and waited until they moved to the 85 design you featured at the end of the video

I remember seeing one of those boat tails in high school, jacked up with air shocks and Cragar SS wheels with N-50 tires on the back. Typical for the late 70s to early 80s. Looking back, the 71-73s were still beautiful cars.

Morning Adam. Great video. I see a lot of that clay Riviera mock-up design in the Monte Carlo of that era. Please keep doing these interviews for posterity! Thank you. 👍👍👍

Those boattail Rivs are some of my favorite cars. I also like the `65s.

Another thoroughly enjoyable video. Thanks and 👍

I love that you know these designers. These interviews are automotive history! Another remarkable episode. ❤

1965 Riviera best to gen 1, 1966 best of gen 2 and 1971 or 72 best of gen 3. Hats off to Wayne Kady for his fine work. Thanks to Adam for another fine watch.....

I could watch your videos like this all day long. Owning an e body and a 84 Electra with this dash this video just educates me on my own cars even more.

Every car design is trial and error, but I frankly love all the models of Riviera introduced up to 1985. They look well designed and brought luxurious styling that was perfect for the time they were built at.

The '74 turned the dramatic Riviera into just another pedestrian sedan. This was also in the wake of the first gas shortage, and the rush by consumers into small cars.

The Riviera was always ahead of its time even with the mid-90's version. Certainly one of GM's legendary nameplates. Personally I'm a fan of the early 70's boat tail design. Getting that back glass if needed today is nearly impossible, likely looking at paying a mint for getting that glass custom made.

Great video sir 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Oh this is pure gold! 😍😍😍 Thank for the interview!

This was super fun seeing Wayne crackin' up telling Bill Mitchell stories.. Another great video as usual.

73 my first car and after all these years my favourite. 455 on the column...green on green

I remember back in 1986 my neighbor picking me up for school in a boat tail Riviera! She was a beautiful blue! That 455 just rolled!

I think we view car designers as "guys who just sketch something on paper" and it becomes the next new model. In fact, there is a lot of drama behind many of the classic designs, and honestly, I'll bet some of those stories would make great movies.

I love the boat tails I think 73 was my favorite. I had a 1983 riviera white, white vinyl top, maroon leather, tru spokes. Great car it was slow though it had the 307 olds.

BOATTAIL WAS THE BEST HANDS DOWN

I always wanted a Boat Tail ever since I was a kid in the early seventies when I first saw one. I even went so far as in the late 1980s to get myself an extra rear window from a 1971 Riviera for when the time came that I could get a car itself. Unfortunately that has never happened and 35 years later I don't think I ever will have a use for it. It is a two-piece glass still joined in the middle. If anyone is interested I think it's time for me to sell it. Don't know a price yet. A great video, I always loved Buicks over the years having had a 72 and a 73 centurion 4-door hardtop as well as a 4dr 76 Park Avenue limited. Keep up the great videos I always look forward to them!

Had a chance to buy a 73 for 4k in 1990. It was mint. I regret passing on that any time I think of it.

Terrific coverage on this subject that we just can't find anywhere else! These Wayne Kady interviews are genuine treasures. I'd always heard that Buick General Manager Lee Mays and Bill Mitchell did not get along. Mays was the Buick Chief who would not allow the boat-tail to be built on an intermediate platform and insisted on the larger B body for the car, because he disliked smaller cars. Mitchell reportedly said while viewing a pre-production 1971 at the GM Proving Ground, "They turned a speedboat into a tugboat". George Elges came to Buick later from a series of executive positions at Cadillac. Looks like Mitchell didn't much care for his opinions either! Bill Mitchell had a very paternal relationship with the Riviera, as the first one was originally a pet project and not an official program, designed purely as an exercise in answer to the Ford Thunderbird. It was originally offered to Cadillac as the "LaSalle II" but they were not interested, primarily due to production constraints and selling everything they could build. It was shopped to all of the other divisions and eventually "won" and marketed successfully by Buick. Thanks also for that interior rendering for the 1977! That production Riviera wound up looking like kind of a "last minute" car - really just a LeSabre with some different sheet metal, end caps and a better interior. The struggle between Elges and Mitchell finally explains what happened with that generation of Riviera and how the program's timing was probably really set back leading to the compromised design which made production. Thank you, Adam!

Thank you Adam. Well stated and well executed. Glad to hear more designers and guests are coming in the weeks ahead. I liked the interior design photo. I liked the casket door handles. I prefer them. I hate when they took them out of so many GM cars over time. The last car that had them was the Cadillac Fleetwood. Buick Roadmaster got rid of them in 1994. The 1994 Deville did not have them. I recall when Pontiac Bonneville and Pontiac Parisienne had them. There were so many GM cars that had them. I know the full sized Buicks and the Riviera shared a lot in the 1977-1978 time frame. I still say Mr. Kady's design influenced the 1979-1985 Buick Riviera. He was on the money with that design that got him sent back to Cadillac. I think the 1979-1985 E Cars were quite successful. It is what happened to them in 1986 that did the damage. The 1989-1993 Riviera tried to recapture that. I like the looks of the 89-93 Riviera. They upsized it, but I would have given it a bigger trunk and two more inches on the length and on the width. I saw one for sale the other day online with 28,000 miles on it. I saw it on Ebay. I liked the 1979-1985 Buick Riviera when it had the digital gauges option. Thank you so much again Adam. I really do thank you as your channel grows and makes many happy.

Looking forward to hearing from Mr. Fisher on here!!

Always loved the boat tail design. How can anyone not like it is baffling to me.

I was wowed by the first three generations of Riviera!

The gas crisis probably affected sales of the revised '74 Riviera as well. Wayne's DLO on the '77 proposal reminded me of the 1953 Studebaker coupe.

A great overview, Adam. It's always a treat to hear from Wayne Kady about how the design of various GM cars coalesced. Peronsally, I liked the boat tail Rivieras but thought the -74--78 versions were boring. And know we know precisely why.

The 71 Buick Riviera is a personal favorite.

Just in case we thought auto design managers a high-class, well mannered demographic (not that we did😁) ... here's a story to 'sunset' any such perceptions. Well presented, Adam!

Great vid, really enjoyed!!! 👍👍🙂

71 thru 73 boattails were so beautiful and ahead of all others cars

Wayne's 77 Riviera proposal reminds me a lot of what turned out to be the 78 Grand Prix, especially the rear end. Btw Wayne's house looks very relaxing & unpretentious, reflective of the man himself

Your channel is a favorite!!

At Nissan I met Jerry Hirshberg many times. He said once the job of upsizing the 1971 Riviera it its production larger platform was one of the most difficult things he had to do in his career. I think the boat tail was a great design.

Would love to see Wayne give a tour of his home and hear him speak about the design of some of the furnishings and the architecture of the house. Thanks !

I loved the 71-73. I remember as a kid seeing a 72 model in my hometown when a high school friend of my Dads who was a big shot at the Buick Division in Detroit brought it back to his summer cottage in the finger lakes. What a great story Wayne tells!!

Loved my '83. Eventually old man winter put it in the crusher. Rusted out the shock towers and all around the gas tank. But I put almost 300k miles on it. Only had standard maintenance done on it. Best thing about it was those cushy seats. Made it without anyone stealing the hood ornament.

I recently saw one of these Riveras sitting under a shelter way off the road behind a house near my church. Thinking of the possibilities!

Actually got to ride in a Boattail when it was near new. It was my Great Aunt's car. That clay model @7:32 looks kind of like a Pontiac to me - with those individual taillight lenses and that thin wrap-around bumper!

My dad bought a '73 Riv brand new. It got pancaked by another car while it was parked. My dad wasn't in it at the time. I loved that car so much I cried when I saw the wreck. That car had the BEST backseat I ever saw. It might have been a tight squeeze back there for an adult, but for a kid it was like a leather wrapped cocoon.

His proposal for the '77 Riviera looks a lot like the Chevy Monte Carlos that came out a few years later.

I have a desktop wallpaper on my laptop, exactly like the red Buick in your thumbnail. For some reason, this exact model is probably my favorite of all sedans ever made. Not saying it is the best of anything, I just like it.

Most beautiful design ever ! Boat tail is just amazingly stunning ! Can’t believe people did not like it that much !

I absolutely love this channel. The topics and content is superb .

I loved the 74 to 76

I never forget the first sight of right-hand-drive Buick Riviera in _Mad Max_ (1979), driven by Fifi, the police captain, navigating through the accident site.

I too believe the first and second generation Rivieras were the best GM design work. In the late 70's I had a friend who collected both generations; he had about ten in every color available. He tracked down owners of these cars which tended to be older, affluent people, giving them his contact information as he knew due to their ages, would soon give up driving and need to sell them off. These owners were the types who took excellent care of the vehicles. The bonus was that even at five, six or seven years of age, the cars had very low mileage. My friend bragged that he never paid more than 4k for any one of them, even though that was still a good deal of money in the 70's for a used car. While there were some quirks to the Riv's, as he called them, but they were wonderful cars to drive or ride in.

We briefly had a forest green 71 Riviera. Bench seat and column shift but it had AC and power everything.

Back in 79 I bought a 72 Riv GS. It had MaxTrak and it cornered really good. I remember it had a button at the end of the gearshift lever but I don't remember what it did.

My mom referred to the neighbors' new 1971 Riviera as The Batmobile. For 1974, I remember thinking the LeSabre coupe to have a much more attractive roofline than the Riviera, which came across as a distinctly unsexy exercise in controversy reduction.

The greatest era of American car body design.

i owned two 1971 rivieras back in the day, my favorite year boattail and the only year it had grills in the trunk lid.

2:18 The '71 was weird, but wonderful. Maybe it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but having it around made the roads more interesting. The '74, with 4 rear bumper guards, a bustleback hump that looked liked a piece of a different car and those awful almost full-sized opera-goggle windows GM seemed to love during the 1970s, always rubbed me the wrong way. Even as a kid, I remember riding behind these things and saying "What did they do to that car? Rivieras used to look cool." 1977 was a good time to put the Riv on the new B-body, if only to get rid of that all that. I really don't mind the "boring" exterior of the '77-'78 models, at least the few that were shipped without vinyl roofs. The '77 interior was one of the best of the new B-bodies and the '79 was a work of art. During the 1970s, GM was better at original designs than mid-cycle "updates".

Great discussion - Big fan

The exterior of his design has a similar look to the 1980's Regal as well

Love hearing the stories of how the cars I loved as a kid came to be... thanks!

Great episode!!!

Hey Adam, I think the 79-85 Riviera is a real work of art. I also like the first & second generation Riviera!!! The ones that I think are horrible are the 1970 & the 77-78 models, yuk!!! Wayne is always a fascinating interview!!! Thanks for sharing this interesting video!!! 👍👍🙂

Check out Bud Lindemann road testing a brand new 1973 Buick Riviera GS. Lots of fun.

Man my brother had a 71, gorgeous, 454 with duel exhaust that sounded like God talking. I had an 83, great car super drive, comfortable cross country cruiser.

Wow 4 rear bumper guards on that 74 rear bumper! Safety first!

Let me start by saying I really enjoy these interviews with the men who had such an impact on the automotive industry. You can clearly see that Buick used Wayne’s design of his ‘77 Riviera on the ‘79-‘85 model run. As a teen in the ‘80’s (with a passion for cars) always regarded the 79-85 Riv as the classiest looking car still to this day.

IMHO, the 71 to 73 Riviera looks much better than the early drawings on smaller platform