Photo: Wicked Aero/Instagram
It’s relatively easy to develop a soft spot for cars such as the third-generation Buick Riviera. Built between 1971 and 1973, it stood as a radically different automobile compared to its predecessor in terms of its design.
Imagine how much work went into creating its stunning “boat-tail” rear end, or its gorgeous fastback rear window inspired by the 1963 Corvette Stingray Coupe, only to have the ‘71 Riviera snuffed out after two years in favor of another short-lived iteration of the nameplate. But that’s Buick for you. They were doing a lot of weird things back then, redesigning cars left and right.
The Buick Riviera was a lot like a modern-day smartphone, in the sense that there was a brand new one out almost every year.
Back to the third-gen car, its design was penned by the same guy who went on to create the Nissan 240Z Concept but only after having already worked on the likes of the 1967 Pontiac Firebird and the 1968 Pontiac GTO, prior to the Riviera.
Speaking of designs, we just had to show you this stunning rendering depicting a 1971 Riviera with an ultra-aggressive stance, courtesy of Wicked Aero. It’s got a custom body kit on, consisting of wider fenders, side skirts, a front spoiler lip, a rear spoiler (above the taillights), a rear diffuser, and some really big wheels. The concept also sits way closer to the road than any regular Riviera, which makes it look tremendously sleek.
It’s safe to say that if somebody was to build this car out in the real world, it would then certainly become the main attraction wherever it went.
What about performance, you ask? Well, the real 1971 Riviera was powered by a 455-cu in (7.5-liter) V8 engine, mated to a 3-speed TH-400 automatic transmission. It produced 225 hp in the regular model and 250 hp in the Gran Sport variant.
Feel free to let your imagination run wild here and insert whatever modern-day engine you’d like underneath the hood of this digital rendition. Since a little Camaro ZL1 muscle never hurt anyone, how does a supercharged LT4 V8 sound?
The Buick Riviera was a lot like a modern-day smartphone, in the sense that there was a brand new one out almost every year.
Back to the third-gen car, its design was penned by the same guy who went on to create the Nissan 240Z Concept but only after having already worked on the likes of the 1967 Pontiac Firebird and the 1968 Pontiac GTO, prior to the Riviera.
Speaking of designs, we just had to show you this stunning rendering depicting a 1971 Riviera with an ultra-aggressive stance, courtesy of Wicked Aero. It’s got a custom body kit on, consisting of wider fenders, side skirts, a front spoiler lip, a rear spoiler (above the taillights), a rear diffuser, and some really big wheels. The concept also sits way closer to the road than any regular Riviera, which makes it look tremendously sleek.
It’s safe to say that if somebody was to build this car out in the real world, it would then certainly become the main attraction wherever it went.
What about performance, you ask? Well, the real 1971 Riviera was powered by a 455-cu in (7.5-liter) V8 engine, mated to a 3-speed TH-400 automatic transmission. It produced 225 hp in the regular model and 250 hp in the Gran Sport variant.
Feel free to let your imagination run wild here and insert whatever modern-day engine you’d like underneath the hood of this digital rendition. Since a little Camaro ZL1 muscle never hurt anyone, how does a supercharged LT4 V8 sound?
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