1983 Buick Riviera

Buick produced the Riviera from 1963 to 1999 (1994 was the exception) with total production reaching 1,127,261 examples. Initially, it had a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform. In 1979, the layout was changed to front-wheel drive.

The Sixth Generation was introduced in 1979 and continued until 1985. It had a 114-inch wheelbase platform and shared its mechanical design with the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado. The Oldsmobile 403 and Buick 350 were no longer offered, but the Oldsmobile 350 remained, as did the new turbocharged 231 cubic-inch V6 delivering 185 horsepower. It was named Motor Trend's Car of the Year and sales more than doubled, to 52,181 for 1979 and 48,621 for 1980.

The turbocharged V6 was renamed the T-Type in 1981 and the 350 engine was replaced by the Oldsmobile-built 307 cubic-inch engine with 140 horsepower. The standard engine was the 252 cubic-inch V6 offering 125 horsepower, and a new optional diesel engine with 105 horsepower was offered through 1985.

In 1982, a convertible body style became available with a relatively high base price of $23,945, resulting in few sales. Two color choices were offered on the convertible including white or red firemist with the only interior color of red leather.

For 1983, a turbocharged Riviera convertible was selected to pace the Indianapolis 500. Two Riviera Convertibles were built as pace cars for the 1983 Indy 500 race. For production, Buick had 500 two-door hardtop copies made of the Indy pace cars. They were called the 'XX Anniversary Edition, as this was also the Riviera's 20th birthday. The bodies were painted two-tone beige and given an Anniversary grille and front end panel. They rode on true wire wheels (made by the Appliance Wheel Company), and the fender, decklid, and grille emblems were plated in 24-carat gold. Special nameplates appeared on the wheel centers and hood. The bumper strips were brown with gold inserts. Inside was a medium beech Anniversary interior with English walnut wood veneer trim plates and special carpeting. The glove leather seat upholstery had suede inserts. Additional amenities included a leather-wrapped wood steering wheel, leather upper door trim, wood horn cap, 140 MPH speedometer, and gold-plated Anniversary identification. They were given a rear window defogger, Gran Touring suspension, Uniroyal goldwall stripe steel-belted radial tires, and dual electric mirrors.

The Riviera T Type had a blacked-out grille, tungsten-halogen high/lower beam headlamps, amber parking/signal lenses, sport steering wheel, T-Type identification, and accent stripes on the body. The engine was the 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 fitted to an overdrive automatic transmission and 3.36:1 final drive axle ratio. They rode on aluminum wheels with self-sealing, all-season whitewall radial tires. The Gran Touring suspension had higher-rate springs with recalibrated shock absorbers and special stabilizer bars. On the front of the hood was an ornament with the letter 'R.' They came standard with air conditioning, electronically-tuned Delco 2000 AM/FM stereo radio, and could be ordered in all colors except light brown and light green.

Buick offered an optional premium Delco GM/Bose Music System on the Riviera, which was acoustically tailored to the interior, with 50-watt power output. A new option was the digital instrument panel cluster which displayed miles per hour, remaining fuel, and a trip mileage in either metric or English values. A new electronic tone warned when seatbelts were not buckled or the key was in the ignition. Standard equipment included a six-way power seat, four-wheel disc brakes, and a 4.1-liter V6 with overdrive automatic transmission. The 5.0-liter gas V8 or 5.7-liter diesel V8 were optional. The convertibles did not have the diesel engine option.

A trailer towing equipment package was offered which could accommodate loads up to 3,000 pounds.

A total of 47,153 examples of the coupe and 1,750 examples of the convertible were built in 1983. Prices for the base Riviera was $15,238 and $15,906 for the T-Type. The convertible was a hefty $24,960.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2019