First generation Riviera survival

Has anyone tried to determine how many of the 63-35 Rivieras have survived? With the seemingly high survival rate is a guess even possible? The first generation Rivieras held a vary important place in the car crazy 60's. As such an important car throughout it's fifty years I would like to know more about their survival.

Hi Bill I wondered the very same thing from time to time. They were well built cars and because of their value back then they were also well cared for by their owners. They were built in limited numbers compared to other cars of the era however (around 40,0000 per year), so this lowers the overall figure a bit. Personally I would put the number at around 10-15% but that's just a guess using just my own feeble brain and some wild calculations. It would take tons of research I think of the different state's DMV and car collector clubs nation wide and around the world. There are the registries of the ROA but that's only a small portion of the owners I believe. A monumental task for sure...

That's something I've always wondered about too; at the local cruises, when people see my 67' you'd be suprised how many people haven't seen one. I think they built 44,000 units; that can't be a rare car, can it?

Buick limited the production of the first generation Rivieras to 40,000 annually. They met the cut-off in '63 but fell short in '64 and '65. Compared to 559.,451 Ford Mustangs built in 1965, I would say that the car is pretty rare. If Darren's guesstimate of 10% were true, then there would be only 4,000 Riviera on the road compared to 55.945 Mustangs. More 50 year old Mustangs still running around than Rivieras built in that year.

That has more to do with the restoration market. You can buy almost anything for a Mustang now, including new Dynacorn bodies. Market was there, restoration industry answered. They were popular when new, cheap, and have stayed popular. Riviera weren't ever either, popular or cheap.

If you purchase a new Dynacorn body, is it titled as a 1965 or as a 2014? I would think to title it as a '65, you would need a '65 VIN tag from a car somewhere. It that's the case, there has to be a pot full of old Mustangs somewhere to pull the VIN tags from even if you can reproduce every piece on the car. All I was trying to say is "yes" I'd consider the Riviera rare.

You are supposed to use an existing serial number on the new Dynacorn body and then destroy the old body. 559,451 65 Mustangs to choose from to build. Compared to 34,586 Rivieras in 65. Only about six percent of the Mustang total in 1965.

You are supposed to use an existing serial number on the new Dynacorn body and then destroy the old body.

WOW! Some folks are paying property tax and license fees for 1965 on a brand new car.