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Slammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Hides Its Glorious “Boattail” in the CGI Shadows

They say that 1971 to 1973 Buick Riviera fastbacks offered some of the best “boattail” designs the automotive world has ever seen. So, is there any chance of upgrading the styling without being (too) offensive?
Slammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokop 7 photos
Photo: rostislav_prokop / Instagram
Slammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokopSlammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokopSlammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokopSlammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokopSlammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokopSlammed, Widebody Buick Riviera Boattail rendering by rostislav_prokop
General Motors introduced the Buick Riviera to the world as a personal luxury car for the 1963 model year. And it was successful enough to run almost continuously (with a singular, 1994 model year interruption) until 1999, throughout no less than eight generations.

As many fans will agree, one of the most intriguing iterations of the series was during the third-generation run of 1971 to 1973, when the Riviera got a radical (to say the least) fastback redesign. The flowing boattail styling was doubled by a dramatic treatment of the rear window, and it naturally garnered a mixed reception from the public. Still, today it is regarded as one of the best.

Naturally, with such a quirky demeanor, it’s quite hard to attack a Riviera with ideas of improving the design. Of course, as far as the virtual realm is concerned, at least pixel masters have the luxury of being wrong without an actual styling impact on a real car. So, they do have some leeway when playing with classics.

On the other hand, it seems that Rostislav Prokop – the Czech virtual artist better known as rostislav_prokop on social media – wanted to nail everything right from the first attempt. Although, perhaps even he wasn’t so sure about the result. Maybe that’s why he decided to hide the virtual Riviera under a city overpass. Or he’s again entering a gloomy mood. Who knows?

The stark reality is that he’s not giving us any hints. There are no details regarding this virtual build project, save for a quick love letter addressed to the car’s “curves.” So, it’s up to us to interpret this Buick that seems to possess all the right values of a cool restomod. It’s slammed to the ground. Has a subtle widebody kit. LED tech (at least at the rear) is also here. And massive wheels and tires, don’t forget about that. What more could we possibly need?


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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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