PWB Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 In the market for a boat tail. Whats with this double R ornament? The R styles don't match at all. My '73 did not have two "R"s. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I believe the stand up hood emblem was an option, or maybe an owner added item from a later model Riviera Mr. Paul ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Somebody added the hood ornament.......appears to be originally off of an 80's Riviera. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 This is an interesting question. I have a 73 Riviera GS which does have both emblems . I questioned it myself when I bought the car a few years back and then saw the '73 Riviera of Mike Desianate featured on the cover of the July/ August 2015 Riview which also had both emblems. Contacted Mike and he bought his car new in 73 and said the double emblems were original to the car . The majority of 73 's that I have seen, however, do not have the double emblem and I can't find it listed as an option so... Still not sure what is correct . Bottom line for me is I'm keeping mine right where it is ! KReed ROA 14549 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) Dealer added? it actually looks really good on Yours KReed, but sometimes I don’t like the look. Case by case senerio. Rare option!? Edited May 12, 2018 by Chimera (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) To my knowledge, the 73’s did not come from the factory with a hood ornament. The 73 emblem had a less formal slant to it which is the one that is mounted correctly on the header panel. The sales brochure for 73 doesn’t show one but if you all remember, hood ornaments we’re becoming all the rage during this time and well into the 80’s. Some Cadillac dealers are adding them to cars today. No harm, no foul. I always liked looking out the windshield to see a hood ornament riding high and proud! Edited May 12, 2018 by Pat Curran Added content (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 10 hours ago, kreed said: This is an interesting question. I have a 73 Riviera GS which does have both emblems . I questioned it myself when I bought the car a few years back and then saw the '73 Riviera of Mike Desianate featured on the cover of the July/ August 2015 Riview which also had both emblems. Contacted Mike and he bought his car new in 73 and said the double emblems were original to the car . The majority of 73 's that I have seen, however, do not have the double emblem and I can't find it listed as an option so... Still not sure what is correct . Bottom line for me is I'm keeping mine right where it is ! KReed ROA 14549 This was a point of discussion between Ray Knott, myself and other ROA tech advisors in the recent past. We came to the conclusion this stand up emblem had been added and is not a "factory" option as it does not appear in any factory reference material. At the time of our discussion I found an Ebay auction for an NOS emblem which appeared to be the exact same emblem. If my recall is correct the NOS emblem was for a `75 (?) Riv. Tom Mooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dship Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 2 hours ago, 1965rivgs said: If my recall is correct the NOS emblem was for a `75 (?) Riv. Tom Mooney I would agree. The 79-85 emblem had a different base. The 86-93 not only had a different base, but the horizontal spears did not protrude outside of the oval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 I see the dealer/aftermarkets did well. That's a bling bling sandwich on too little real estate! Now - I'd have to fill the hole then repaint. '74 Chevy and a '75 Caddy...whoa Nelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 They got the Chevy one mixed up. The hood ornament is off a Malibu Classic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 3 hours ago, Pat Curran said: They got the Chevy one mixed up. The hood ornament is off a Malibu Classic. Good catch. The curtains should match the drapes! Sometimes more is just...more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) On 5/11/2018 at 8:05 PM, Seafoam65 said: Somebody added the hood ornament.......appears to be originally off of an 80's Riviera. According to the well respected reference book I have, Buick Riviera 1963-1973, by Chris Wolfe, the stand-up hood ornament was indeed an option for 1973. It's described as such in one photo caption, where the hood ornament is shown. I think the stand-up hood ornament is a scarce option-- so seldom seen that even Riviera fans have thought it's incorrect! If your car has one, don't think of discarding it! Edited May 14, 2018 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 43 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: According to the well respected reference book I have, Buick Riviera 1963-1973, by Chris Wolfe, the stand-up hood ornament was indeed an option for 1973. It's described as such in one photo caption, where the hood ornament is shown. I think the stand-up hood ornament is a scarce option-- so seldom seen that even Riviera fans have thought it's incorrect! If your car has one, don't think of discarding it! Thoroughly went thru all the original literature we have in the ROA library and could not find ANY evidence the standup ornament was a factory option. I suppose it could have been added at some point during the model year and our literature does not cover that time frame but until I see some documentation I cant in good faith document this as a factory option. I wish we could find something! Tom Mooney ROA Tech Advisor and Librarian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) Tom, I think the fact that it exists on several cars shown on this thread; that it is the same style on those several cars; and the fact that one researcher (Chris Wolfe) referred to it, indicate that it's not just a customization by an owner. When Mr. Wolfe's book was published in 1992-- a new addition with corrections and additions to his first edition of 1986--those cars weren't all that old, were still pretty fresh in collectors' knowledge, and Riviera fans probably would have corrected him after the 1st edition if he was in error about the hood ornament. Somewhere, somehow, there must be an obscure factory reference! Are there any Buick Division employees, or dealers, around that have close knowledge of 1973 product offerings? Edited May 15, 2018 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 On 5/12/2018 at 12:15 AM, kreed said: ... I have a 73 Riviera GS which does have both emblems . I questioned it myself when I bought the car a few years back and then saw the '73 Riviera of Mike Desianate featured on the cover of the July/ August 2015 Riview which also had both emblems. Contacted Mike and he bought his car new in 73 and said the double emblems were original to the car ... Here is possible documentation, if owner Mike Desianate (sp?) still has the original window sticker and paperwork from when he got his Riviera in 1973. The hood ornament may be a line item on the sticker, unless it was an unnamed part of some exterior trim package. If nothing else, though, it's an account from an ORIGINAL OWNER that the hood ornament came with his car originally. Ah, the benefits of being there in 1973! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 11 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said: The hood ornament may be a line item on the sticker, unless it was an unnamed part of some exterior trim package. ...or maybe something a handful of dealers came up with at one of their regional/national sales meetings? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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