RIVIERA VS. T-BIRD; JUST SOME OPINIONS

[60FlatTop]

This '70 Eldo could be a twin to the one I owned if it had a white interior. I bought it in 1980 and if I had not already owned my '64 Riviera I would probably still have the Eldo and never bought the Riviera.

 

It had the 500 LUX engine. They might need an axle shaft, the distributors tended to seize in the block, the Q-jet carbs seemed to leak at the fuel passage plugs more that other applications of the carb, and they were hard to stop. Oh, the A pillars tended to rust as well. Minor things for the great cars they were.

 

The first E-body Eldorado I saw was at night in downtown Chicago in the block where the Picasso statue stands. It was 1967 at night and the car was all black with no vinyl top. A thrilling memory.

 

Left the Thunderbird in the dust and was (is) tough competition for the Riviera.

Edited February 22, 2022 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[BulldogDriver]

2 hours ago, EmTee said:

What? -- it's "the Standard of the World" for cryin' out loud!  That knife-edge styling surely is stunning though... 

I thought the saying was “Mark of Excellence”. I think that is in the literature on my ‘36 Fleetwood.   I have had 9 Eldorados over the years. Three Gen 1’s and the last a ‘99 ETC.  Never thought the Gen 1’s were hard to service. Not cheap but nothing like a European car.  Would have gone for another Gen 1 but promised myself if a clean Riviera should up I’d buy it. 
 

It did. No regrets.

 

Ray

[TexRiv_63]

5 hours ago, JZRIV said:

They sure do have killer styling. Careful what you wish for Pat! 🙂 If you ever get one make sure it doesn't need any work. Horrible to work on compared to a Riv.  

I've owned both Toronados and Eldorados because of the styling. It's the drivetrain and suspension that make all the GM FWD first gen cars challenging to service, mostly the drive axles in my experience.

[EmTee]

A friend of mine's mother had a '74 Toronado when I was in high school.  I recall that car could do some awesome smokey front-wheel burnouts... 

[rocketraider]

Hell yeah.😎

 

I've stunned more than a few unsuspecting people who had no idea a Toronado was front wheel drive.😺

[Turbinator]

19 hours ago, Pat Curran said:

The 68 ElDorado has been on my bucket list for years.

Pat, I could go for the 68 El

 Dorado in seconds. The looks are “ killer”.

Turbinator

[Craig Balzer]

On 2/21/2022 at 10:35 AM, TexRiv_63 said:

That right there is my all time favorite T-bird, right down to the color!

I helped a friend who was performing a just-short-of-frame-off restoration of a Thelma & Louise clone. The work was done in CO for his California-based customer. The wife of the owner (and her mom) are extreme fans of the movie and plan to drive the route from the movie ending at the cliff.

His biggest challenge was Frankenstein-ing 2-3 harnesses together to add the features not usually found on a 1966. The 428 was also problematic when the machine shop had the new guy do some of the work. Three blown head gaskets later . ..

 

 

 

[65VerdeGS]

Riviera vs T-Bird (and Eldorado)

 

The first time I became aware of Thunderbirds was when I was in 4^th Grade.  The mother of my best friend Eric drove a beautiful ’66 Canary Yellow T-Bird with white interior.  I thought it was pretty cool with its swing-away steering wheel and futuristic cabin.  At the time my interest in cars was being stoked by my father’s purchase of a brand new ’67 Mustang fastback.  Now that was a cool car!   But Fords weren’t to be in my future, as my first car was my mother’s ’75 Camaro that she gave me before she moved to Hawaii. From there I stayed with GM cars.  I bought my ’65 Riviera when I was 24, and still have it today.

 

T-Bird was the direct competitor to Riviera back in the day.  Ford did sell a lot more ‘Birds than GM did Rivieras.  My favorite T-Birds are the ’61-63 fuselage bodied ones, which seem more directly comparable to the Rivera in terms of overall packaging.  I’ve never driven a T-Bird, so can’t comment on how well they go or handle.  By most accounts the Riv is the better all around performer.  Neither car will win any fuel economy competitions though!

 

I owned a ’68 Eldorado for 20 years.  Another very handsome Bill Mitchell inspired design.  I loved its razor-edged fenders and surface treatment.  That is one big car with the proportions of a pony car, but writ large!  Had bragging rights at the time: the largest engine, longest hood, front-wheel drive!   ’68 is arguably the best year of the ’67-’70 Eldos for its 472 engine – smooth and reliable.  ’68 was also the last year before Cadillac started to de-content the car by using lower grade plastics in the interior, eliminating the hide-away headlights,  and putting boring wheel covers on the car.  One downer on the '67-’68 Eldos (and Toronados of those years) is the front wheel bearings are super expensive ($300 each?).  Guys would find it cheaper to convert the front spindles to the ones used from ’69 to ‘78 as bearings are much cheaper.  The Eldorado had remarkable traction, even in snow, thanks to FWD.  But this car was a TANK, and it couldn’t compare to the Riviera in terms of overall handling and braking.  Despite having front disc brakes the Eldo was downright scary in a sudden stop situation.  At 4,600 lbs this was a very heavy car so not nearly as ‘sporting’ as a 1^st Gen Riviera, which had more ‘go’, handled better and has safer brakes too, making it more of a driver's car.

[jframe]

12 hours ago, 65VerdeGS said:

Riviera vs T-Bird (and Eldorado)

 

The first time I became aware of Thunderbirds was when I was in 4^th Grade.  The mother of my best friend Eric drove a beautiful ’66 Canary Yellow T-Bird with white interior.  I thought it was pretty cool with its swing-away steering wheel and futuristic cabin.  At the time my interest in cars was being stoked by my father’s purchase of a brand new ’67 Mustang fastback.  Now that was a cool car!   But Fords weren’t to be in my future, as my first car was my mother’s ’75 Camaro that she gave me before she moved to Hawaii. From there I stayed with GM cars.  I bought my ’65 Riviera when I was 24, and still have it today.

 

T-Bird was the direct competitor to Riviera back in the day.  Ford did sell a lot more ‘Birds than GM did Rivieras.  My favorite T-Birds are the ’61-63 fuselage bodied ones, which seem more directly comparable to the Rivera in terms of overall packaging.  I’ve never driven a T-Bird, so can’t comment on how well they go or handle.  By most accounts the Riv is the better all around performer.  Neither car will win any fuel economy competitions though!

 

I owned a ’68 Eldorado for 20 years.  Another very handsome Bill Mitchell inspired design.  I loved its razor-edged fenders and surface treatment.  That is one big car with the proportions of a pony car, but writ large!  Had bragging rights at the time: the largest engine, longest hood, front-wheel drive!   ’68 is arguably the best year of the ’67-’70 Eldos for its 472 engine – smooth and reliable.  ’68 was also the last year before Cadillac started to de-content the car by using lower grade plastics in the interior, eliminating the hide-away headlights,  and putting boring wheel covers on the car.  One downer on the '67-’68 Eldos (and Toronados of those years) is the front wheel bearings are super expensive ($300 each?).  Guys would find it cheaper to convert the front spindles to the ones used from ’69 to ‘78 as bearings are much cheaper.  The Eldorado had remarkable traction, even in snow, thanks to FWD.  But this car was a TANK, and it couldn’t compare to the Riviera in terms of overall handling and braking.  Despite having front disc brakes the Eldo was downright scary in a sudden stop situation.  At 4,600 lbs this was a very heavy car so not nearly as ‘sporting’ as a 1^st Gen Riviera, which had more ‘go’, handled better and has safer brakes too, making it more of a driver's car.

Great post. I always have liked the late 60's Eldorados as well, but have heard from more than one source that they are typical Cadillac; i.e., made to be driven, not worked on, lol.

[rocketraider]

One of the old-time Forum posters often referred to "Caddy-whomp!" when someone was trying to fix a 50s-70s Cadillac gadget.😄

 

That's the trouble with desirable but "gadgety" cars like ours. They'll beat hell out of you trying to keep all them gadgets going!😏

[Buffalowed Bill]

Please pardon the whimsy of this old man who loves them all. I was in my late teens and early 20's when these cars were new. All of them were old man's cars. I'm not talking about the initial buyers either. Even the secondary market was comprised of old men. It just didn't comport with our reality that anyone but an old man would drive any personal luxury car. It was all about the "A" body GM cars, Corvettes, pony cars and for me Studebaker's Avanti.

 

I have since moved on, but I never left any car that I loved behind. That's why I'm a car collector and not married to any car manufacturer whether it's in this country or overseas. I also span the decades. It has allowed me the luxury of perspective without prejudice. A good car is a good car and it's not just because of it's styling. I'm a sucker for a good original car and with the story that must ultimately go with it.

 

When I think about the mid 60's T-Birds I think the reason that they don't have a higher value is simple supply and demand. They just sold more T-Birds then they did the Riviera. The Riviera's clean styling has also just worn better then the T-Bird's busy look. The convertible notwithstanding demand is going to be higher for the Riviera because a good one is harder to find.

 

I drive 90's T-Birds and Lincoln Mark Vlll's. Not because they are Fords but because they are the last of a dying breed a two door rear wheel drive, V8 powered, personal luxury car. 

 

Try this on on for size, it will not fit averyone it didn't in the day and it won't today.