65 Riviera

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Sydney NSW Australia

Tony's 65 Buick Riviera Gran Sport Page

65 Riviera Gran Sport escapes Downunder after Big Chill
After attending the inaugural Australian ROA Meet in Coffs Harbour in 2010 I fell in love with the 1st Generation Riviera. It's not like I hadn't seen them before but the starts were aligned. I'd sold my 66 Riviera, the Aussie Dollar was very strong and the idea of a new project appealed to me. My concept was to get a bit of a roughy for between $4K - $7K that needed restoration and do it to my taste, a mild custom.

There wasn't much available locally so in March 2011, I placed a Wanted Ad in the US Riview, the Buick Bugle and after couple of months of solid searching not much was happening when I received a phone call from a gentleman in Peru MN. He said he had bought the car 41 years ago from Texas and it had never been in the rain or snow and he claimed it was a Gran Sport. He didn't have email so we arranged for photos to be sent to me by snail mail and within a week or so they duly arrived. The car had accumulated a lot of sixties accessories, stickers, ribbons and pin stripes but looked straight and heavily loaded with options. A local ROA member checked it out for me and emailed me a bunch of photos.

At home in Peru MN	Factory LX Dual Quad engine
Genuine wood wheel	Electric 1/4's, cruise control, Deluxe Trim

I had it transported to the West Coast for a good price and then it went into a 40' container with two other cars for it's long sea journey to Sydney arriving in August 2011.

I tidied up underside	DreamWorks starts their magic
Bare is best	The blue looks stunning

click to view the restoration gallery

A Brief History on the 1st Generation Rivieras
GM's styling chief Bill Mitchell had visited London and been captivated by the Rolls-Royce custom bodied machines. Stylist Ned Nickles was tasked with creating a similar union and adapted to Buick's shortened cruciform frame. There were only a few differences from the prototype version and the production versions. The most visual were the forgoing of the hidden headlights in an effort to keep costs reasonable. This vehicle was unique; it did not share its body with any other GM product. It rode on a wheelbase that measured just 117-inches and had a length of 208-inches. Mounted under the elegant hood was a Buick V8 Nailhead engine that displaced 401 cubic-inches. A 425 Buick V8 Nailhead engine was also available for those looking for slightly more performance. Aluminum finned drum brakes were standard, as was the power steering, bucket seats, center console, and floor shifter. Popular options at the time were cruise control, power windows, power seats, AM/FM radio, wire wheel covers, air conditioning, and tilt steering wheel.

For 1965 Buick introduced the Gran Sport which came standard with the Super Wildcat V8 engine, a 3.42 axle ratio, upgraded suspension, and dual exhausts. Mechanically the most dramatic change was with the gearbox, which saw the Twin Turbine replaced for a three-speed Super Turbine 400 with a variable pitch torque converter. Styling changes for 1965 included the hidden headlamps, as per the original design. The scoops located between the doors and rear wheel arches were removed. The taillights were now incorporated into the bumper rather than the body. Tilt steering wheel was now standard and a black vinyl roof was added to the list of options.

1965 Production: 34,586 Engines: 401 V8 325bhp @ 4400rpm.
425 V8 340bhp @ 4400rpm, 465 lb-ft @ 2800rpm. 425 V8 (2x4) 360bhp.

65 Riv Drive By

LS3 Engine Swap Feb - Jun 2020

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