Ist Gen Riviera values

[J3Studio]

5 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

Watching movies won't always give one the right impression. Here is the car from a real hit in my area 40 years ago. Top guy, too.

 

 

That bomb was meant for John Gotti, if I remember correctly.

[60FlatTop]

OOps, wwrong car. Sammy "G" Gingello's car was the one in Rochester. Different Buick.

 

But Buick's two -, Hollywood Cadillacs- 0. The only Cadillac I remember in Rochester with a connection was Frank Valenti's '53 Caddy convertible with wire wheels. It was for sale at Laje Avenue Auto Parts for around $300 in 1965. Lincolns and Buicks for the most part. In the ;80's a few Cadillacs showed up, but not in that Hollywood era stuff.

 

Hollywood is not a very worldly place, they seem to only know Brooklyn, Manhattan, and vague memories of the Catskills where they got paid for "doing a practiced funny walk".

[J3Studio]

1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said:

Oops, wrong car. Sammy "G" Gingello's car was the one in Rochester. Different Buick.

 

 

Mobsters dying in Buicks was evidently a 1970s/1980s thing.

Edited April 3, 2020 by J3Studio (see edit history)

[rocky5517]

Whenever I see a car that has exploded, I always say to myself " See, that guy didn't know the value of keeping his car in good tune"

[60FlatTop]

A friend of mine was driving down the street and hear a big explosion behind him. His "poor tuneup" fell off. He claimed his car looked just like someone else's.

 

On the Riviera values, I don't think their popularity is associated with any media production unless there are only a few extreme wannabee's. It was just a great combination of ideas and proven parts at the right marketing time. It started in Cadillac as a LaSalle II, a revival of a 20 year old model. But Cadillac wasn't interested in a small model. Owners know how tight it is. On the 117" wheelbase it feels more Skylark sized than Electra. When offered to the divisions Olds was already deep into the Toronado design, which took a lot of ques from the 25 year old Cord. And the concept was too expensive for the remaining divisions, except Buick. They were making a premium car already.

 

The car was a collection of dated design concepts at a time when the population had the money to buy a car that touched their memories at a time when the had the money. Limited production gave it the excusivity of the Lincoln Continental without the price tag. It appealed the the Thunderbird buyer without being merely a Ford. And it was not a unibody with hazy recollections of AMC.

 

For me, the whole car oozes familiarity with the dated, conservative style, the solid Buick mechanics, a sprinkle of future, and the throttle response only a Buick driver knows. Sometimes it all just comes together. The car stands on its own merit without the need for any celebrity connection at all.

 

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