BuickBugle celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the 65 Riviera

[Bill Stoneberg]

I got my newest Bugle last night and it is full of information on the 1965 Rivieras including information on a special order Riviera.

[Seafoam65]

                        Awesome......can't wait to get my copy of the magazine.

[Rivman]

I received mine last night, normally don't get to the Bugle that quick but when I saw the 1965 Riviera mentioned I opened it right up.

 

I enjoyed the story about the SCO GS, it looks like it is in the right hands to get a proper restoration, and should turn out to be a very interesting GS! I'm sure it will turn-out to be a 1 of 1 being it was painted Cadillac "Samoan Bronze", has more "options" listed on the body tag than I have ever seen, and is a very early small emblem GS.

 

I am a little disappointed that the main article about them was not fact checked a bit better though, a few items in that story were incorrect.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Rivman (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

I received mine last night, normally don't get to the Bugle that quick but when I saw the 1965 Riviera mentioned I opened it right up.

 

I enjoyed the story about the SCO GS, it looks like it is in the right hands to get a proper restoration, and should turn out to be a very interesting GS! I'm sure it will turn-out to be a 1 of 1 being it was painted Cadillac "Samoan Bronze", has more "options" listed on the body tag than I have ever seen, and is a very early small emblem GS.

 

I am a little disappointed that the main article about them was not fact checked a bit better though, a few items in that story were incorrect.

Randall,

   The acc section of the tag looks a little unusual because the car was ordered with tinted windshield only instead of all tinted glass which is very, very common for an A/C equipped car. This was  a very wise decision by whoever ordered the car. The exterior and interior colors already clash (maybe the repaint is a shade or two "off") and if one views them including the green tint of the windshield the combination of colors gets very funky. If the full tinted glass option was specified the green tint of the side glass would really detract from the overall appearance of the car IMO.

  Andy and I emailed many times while he was researching the car and short of an earlier car appearing it very well may be the earliest GS out there. Andy did his homework, very interesting story.

  I dont think the pics which appear in The Bugle accurately represent the original color-the car has been repainted. The pics in the bugle give the color a rosy appearance. I think the original color should look more like this:

BTW...regarding fact checking, I offered, never heard back

Edited December 2, 2015 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[lrlforfun]

OK Tom: My pet peeve is cars with clear glass. I have seen a few First-Gen Rivs, mostly povertys, with all clear glass. Some with factory tinted windshield only, again, mostly povertys....of which many could have been changed to tint after they were cracked and replaced.

 

I have done a full tint swap out on a dark green/white standard interior 65 Riv and it really helped a lot.

 

I believe the lion's share of First-gens had full tint. Personally I think full tint adds so much to a cars appearance.....even a 53 Plaza which is as unexciting as it gets looks better with full tint.

 

Now, for a personal observation. I have many old cars and the interiors of cars with full tint have fared so much better than their identical counterparts with clear glass. I also have a white/black custom leather 63 with almost all options and clear glass. A mystery? 

 

Finally, a B-60 friend has a convert with fresh clear windshield. I asked him why he went with tint rather than the clear it originally had and he explained that being 6-6 his vision was somewhat obstructed by that shaded area on top.  A reasonable explanation.

 

Finally, the 65 is now getting the respect it has always deserved. This is evidenced by the scarcity of units for sale,  the dramatically higher asking price over 63 and 64 models, the number of builds going on and the much greater exposure they are receiving in media and at shows.

 

Mitch

Edited December 2, 2015 by lrlforfun (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

Hi Mitch,

 I am also a fan of factory tinted glass in most colors but IMO the strong green color of the glass clashes with some colors. Obviously color is as subjective as it gets but I`m not crazy about green glass in a gold/saddle/bronze/brown colored car....just another opinion,

  Tom

[Pat Curran]

I was glad to see the articles on the 65 in the Bugle but somewhat disappointed in the inaccurate facts regarding the 65's.  Overall though, any article on a Riviera is always good!  The Samoan Bronze GS must have been quite the car in its day and thankfully it looks like it will be again.  It is certainly a piece of Buick Riviera history that should be preserved.

[Rivman]

Randall,

   The acc section of the tag looks a little unusual because the car was ordered with tinted windshield only instead of all tinted glass which is very, very common for an A/C equipped car. This was  a very wise decision by whoever ordered the car. The exterior and interior colors already clash (maybe the repaint is a shade or two "off") and if one views them including the green tint of the windshield the combination of colors gets very funky. If the full tinted glass option was specified the green tint of the side glass would really detract from the overall appearance of the car IMO.

  Andy and I emailed many times while he was researching the car and short of an earlier car appearing it very well may be the earliest GS out there. Andy did his homework, very interesting story.

  I dont think the pics which appear in The Bugle accurately represent the original color-the car has been repainted. The pics in the bugle give the color a rosy appearance. I think the original color should look more like this:

BTW...regarding fact checking, I offered, never heard back

Tom,

 

I looked at the pictures I have of my tag, the one that is being worked on, looking at that I realize the only differences between mine and Andy's is the tinted glass/windshield and his has a "B"  in group 3 and mine does not. I know what the "T" is in group 3 but the "B" is not shown on the ROA website, can you share what option it stands for?

 

Was this the SCO tag you were looking into when you asked for the picture of the SCO tag on my '72 GS? Was the information I sent any help with your research?

Edited December 3, 2015 by Rivman (see edit history)

[RivNut]

3B is the rear defogger. 

[1965rivgs]

Tom,

 

I looked at the pictures I have of my tag, the one that is being worked on, looking at that I realize the only differences between mine and Andy's is the tinted glass/windshield and his has a "B"  in group 3 and mine does not. I know what the "T" is in group 3 but the "B" is not shown on the ROA website, can you share what option it stands for?

 

Was this the SCO tag you were looking into when you asked for the picture of the SCO tag on my '72 GS? Was the information I sent any help with your research?

Yes Randall, Andy`s inquiries sparked some research and prompted my request to you.

  Tom

[Jim65Riv]

The myth of the vacuum operated headlights on the 65 is, unfortunately, still alive.