I went with my uncle to retrieve this rare first year Riviera Hardtop Coupe (one of 4,343 produced) from St. Louis, Missouri in the spring of 1979. It was a rust free car from San Antonio, Texas, and even though the paint was faded and there were plenty of little old lady dents, the car ran and drove great. In fact, except for having to replace dry rotted tires with a new set of wide whitewall 8.20 x 15s (which are still on the car) we drove back to Flint with no mechanical problems whatsoever, although the straight eight only averaged a bit over 13 mpg at 70 mph.
My uncle and I stripped and primered the car in his garage that summer and he applied the acrylic lacquer Mariner Blue finish that the car still wears. The Buick is an old family friend and I'm thrilled that the folks at the Sloan, who completed the restoration themselves, have taken such wonderful care of it.
Oh, and the Texas and Missouri inspection stickers are still in place on the windshield!
In second place is another very exciting Buick, one from the powerhouse days of the Buick V-6. This 1981 Regal was the Pace Car for the 65th Indianapolis on May 24, 1981. It was a highly modified example with a hand built 4.1 liter conventionally aspirated V-6 that produced 281 HP. The body was modified as well with T-Tops, an open rear roof section and a special color scheme of silver and maroon inside and out accented with shades of orange, yellow and red. A very handsome car that helped drive Buick further into the V-6 performance direction.
As always, the Reynolds Buick GMC Facebook Page is the place to go for daily images and fun conversation with Buick fans around the globe. Stop in and visit soon!
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