This 1965 Buick Riviera "Clamshell" Belongs to Danny Trejo

The Riviera is not a muscle car, but a luxury American GT. And 1965 is a particularly good year since it's the only one with the Clamshell design for the headlights.

As the story goes, General Motors wanted a slice of the Ford Thunderbird pie and put legendary designer Bill Mitchell on the job. His vision was quite different from the Electra coupe that sat in Buick dealerships at that moment and was supposed to resemble European exotics.

Inspired by the razor-edged roof, rear deck and sides of Rolls-Royce of that time. Meanwhile, Ferraris of that era inspired the front end. The first-generation Riviera was only built for three model years but is considered to be the start of the personal luxury era.

It had a slightly longer wheelbase than the Thunderbird but was lighter. Initially, the standard engine was the 325 hp 401 "Nailhead V8 (6.6-liter) hooked up to the unique 'Twin Turbine' automatic transmissions. Later, they also offered a 7-liter option. Unless we're mistaken, Trejo has a different gearbox, though. Both powered brakes and steering were standard, which was unusual for the time.

On the 1965 model, the headlamps were vertically arranged and hidden behind clamshell doors in the leading edges of the fenders. This was the way the Riviera was originally intended to look. The non-functional side scoops between the doors and rear wheel arches were integrated into the chromed bumper. It's a shame that Jay Leno's crew didn't film the dashboard, because the brightwork is amazing.