65VerdeGS Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Is this a typo? '65 Gran Sport sells at Mecum Kissimmee for $302,500? Did it come with Bill Mitchell's ashes stored in the trunk? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred C Post Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I looked at it on Thursday and it certainly was a stunningly beautiful example. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 In a car with Saddle interior, the black steering wheel looks odd. Why does no one know that the grills up by the cowl, behind the hood, are supposed to be painted body color, except for the U-shaped bit that sticks up? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 14 hours ago, 65VerdeGS said: Did it come with Bill Mitchell's ashes stored in the trunk? Yeah, "Put my ashes in a brown car with a brown interior". 2 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee H Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 49 minutes ago, Jim Cannon said: Why does no one know that the grills up by the cowl, behind the hood, are supposed to be painted body color, except for the U-shaped bit that sticks up? Whadda ya want for $300k? Perfection? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Maybe $200K of bullion in the trunk? 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbuickgs Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Wrong center caps on wheels and wrong Gran Sport left side trunk panel for an early production . Right rear trunk panel Gran sport is correct Still a beautiful car I owned the exact car 30 years ago . Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Over the years you will see outlier auction results at some of the premium auction events. Barrett Jackson was famous for creating markets with a single huge sale or two. It often made me wonder if someone was trying to make a market? If I had a dozen of these stashed away it would cost about 40K to do this public transaction. How many do I need to sell at a newly elevated price point to make it worthwhile? The issue is of course when there is lots of hidden supply that comes out of the woodwork when the apparent value for something is double or triple what it was assumed to be. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly_John Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 3 hours ago, Jim Cannon said: Why does no one know that the grills up by the cowl, behind the hood, are supposed to be painted body color, except for the U-shaped bit that sticks up? Amen to that, Jim. FYI: I also know this, since I owned a very original first-gen RIV some years ago. This little originality factoid seems to have been lost over the years, as many of the original RIVIERA's got restored. Now, the unoriginal can easily be accepted as the norm, as guys are guided by another generally nicely-done RIV that has mistakes in the restoration. John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Some guy on a Riviera Facebook group posted a picture of his 65. In a gentle way I asked him the same question. He replied back with “arrgh.” Don’t know if he was mad at me for advising him of his faux pas or himself for making it. His car also had the lip on the front of the hood chrome plated. Wasn’t that piece painted body color on the 65? I’ve seen them both ways but have never been sure which way is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 6 hours ago, Jim Cannon said: In a car with Saddle interior, the black steering wheel looks odd. Never mind not colour coordinated. At that selling price, no optional wood steering wheel. No power vents, original Delco AM/FM Radio. The dashpad has been re-covered and it shows. It has a RHS OSRV Mirror though. Matches LHS? A perfect enough specimen of a beautiful car. But at that price, should be TWO His and Hers Holy Grails, both showroom new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) I bought my '64 Riviera in 1978 with a black vinyl top already installed. That is 45 years of listening to every person who walked by tell me the car was not supposed to have a vinyl top. Feeble little old ladies would cross the grocery store parking lot to tell me. It got to be laughable to see the urgency they had to tell me. If they weren't breathless from heart palpitations their bladder was surely close to exploding. My wife and I attended the BCA nationals in Sandusky, Ohio. Ask her if she remembers. Her answer this afternoon would be "Oh, where everyone stopped to say your car had the wrong top?". The vinyl came off in 2014 when I put in a new crystal clear windshield and started farting around with a paint job that is taking way too long. Notice (if you will) the car was a brown one when I bought it. I put the Claret Mist on it in 1980. Some of the stall is deciding whether or not to put the original color back on. Whatever I do, trust me, I will leave an oversight just for one more bladder that can't hold back. Edited January 14 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 6 hours ago, billbuickgs said: Wrong center caps on wheels and wrong Gran Sport left side trunk panel for an early production . Right rear trunk panel Gran sport is correct Still a beautiful car I owned the exact car 30 years ago . Bill Had to put two on it to make sure it was recognizable as a Gran Sport. 12B production date so the one on the right is right, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Stock appearing 65 Rivieras are catching on fire in the marketplace right now. People seem to have figured out that these cars are special.....I figured that out in 1964, so as Bruce Willis stated in Die Hard....."Welcome to the party pal". Honestly, since the 65 Riviera is the most beautiful GM car ever made, the car being extremely valuable is at least 3 decades overdue. It's about time that a 65 Riviera brings more at auction than a 65 Bronco LOL. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65VerdeGS Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 7 hours ago, RivNut said: Some guy on a Riviera Facebook group posted a picture of his 65. In a gentle way I asked him the same question. He replied back with “arrgh.” Don’t know if he was mad at me for advising him of his faux pas or himself for making it. His car also had the lip on the front of the hood chrome plated. Wasn’t that piece painted body color on the 65? I’ve seen them both ways but have never been sure which way is correct. The hood lip molding was painted body color for 1965. The chromed one may be correct for '63 and '64, but about that I'm not 100% positive. Perhaps one of our '63-64 experts can confirm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I can confirm that the 63/64 moldings are chrome. I have maybe 4 or 5 of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65VerdeGS Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 Well, that Champagne Mist '65 GS did bring some handsome money! It was advertised as being in "Concours condition" but I spotted a few anomalies and incorrect items: The car was built in during the 2nd week of December 1964, so It's a small emblem GS, but the restorer placed a later style, larger "Gran Sport" emblem on the left side of the deck lid. Wrong chrome wheel center caps. Passenger side mirror installed, which no 1st Gen ever had from factory. Chromed grilles under the wipers (should be body color). Non-stock radio installed. Positive battery cable routed near fender (a common 'mistake') Trunk cardboards look to be brown (they should be grey). No offense intended to the winning bidder of this car, for it's a very nice, clean example. But at $275k (total $302k with buyer's commission) the buyer must have really, really wanted it, for excellent examples can probably be found for at least $100k less. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 16 minutes ago, 65VerdeGS said: I spotted a few anomalies and incorrect items: What do you want for a 59 year old car at such a bargain price? To have your List of 7 anomalies correct, you'd have to pay FULL Price! 1 hour ago, Seafoam65 said: It's about time that a 65 Riviera brings more at auction than a 65 Bronco LOL. I remember seeing Early Broncos abandoned in the bush back-in-the-day. Never ANY 1st Generation Riviera let alone the beautiful '65. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 17 hours ago, RivNut said: Some guy on a Riviera Facebook group posted a picture of his 65. In a gentle way I asked him the same question. He replied back with “arrgh.” Don’t know if he was mad at me for advising him of his faux pas or himself for making it. His car also had the lip on the front of the hood chrome plated. Wasn’t that piece painted body color on the 65? I’ve seen them both ways but have never been sure which way is correct. The 65’s were painted body color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 22 hours ago, Jim Cannon said: In a car with Saddle interior, the black steering wheel looks odd. Why does no one know that the grills up by the cowl, behind the hood, are supposed to be painted body color, except for the U-shaped bit that sticks up? You are correct Jim. One of my former 65’s had a saddle interior and it had a matching steering wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIVNIK Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 In this case I believe the winning bid has little to do with the condition of the car. Some folks just have money to burn. Despite that we do have one thing in common, & that is something money just can't buy.... a properly fitting Riviera glovebox lid. 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericisback Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Love it! Hope the next one sells for half a million. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drhach Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Seems like a bogus sale to me. More and more I think these auctions are a sham. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Today is a holiday, but I am just wondering how many first generation Rivieras are going to raise their insurance value tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeJS Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 46 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: Today is a holiday Good day... Sorry, being in Canada, I assume you are talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as the only holiday we see today is the weather forecast being a high of -21C (-26F) after a number of days living in the near-40'Cs (same same in F). I did search and found this list of today's observations... -- There are 11 holidays listed for January 15th, 2024: Blue Monday, Elementary School Teacher Day, Humanitarian Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, National Bagel Day, National Booch Day, National Day of Service, National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day, National Hat Day, National Strawberry Ice Cream Day, Wikipedia Day. -- But from what I gather the list is missing National Pothole Day, (I think it's a UK thing...) but for those that celebrate any holiday when they can, enjoy a Bagel and Freshly Squeezed OJ on me while dodging snow filled potholes and wondering how to pay all the Christmas bills now coming in...😀 But to stay on topic, although I can admit to being guilty at times, but this sale is clear evidence that there are still way too many people with more money than brains.... Later, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjp69 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, drhach said: Seems like a bogus sale to me. More and more I think these auctions are a sham. what do you mean by it being a bogus auction? Do you think the seller didn't get paid the amount that was bid? he is on FB, and is certainly acting like it is a real sale, and is quite happy with the new record price. His reserve was set at $160k. All it takes is two bidders with deep pockets that really want the car for this to happen (and sometimes some added booze). :>) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I know absolutely nothing about mid 60’s Buicks……and I do like and appreciate them. My question is simple……how many buyers in the world are there on any 60’s Buick at 300k plus? Seems to me you can count those people on one hand, and now there is one less buyer………occasionally any car can bring unusual money…..that doesn’t make the market and set the bar. There are many very nice Buicks from the era…….very nice , and most seem to sell under 50k. I always thought the best value in cars from the 60’s were the Buicks……..better lines than the Chevy, Pontiac, and most other cars. I have also seen the Buick guys are a tight bunch and and seem to be friendlier than many of the other marques……..Ford, Chevy, Corvette, ect. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 4 hours ago, RIVNIK said: Despite that we do have one thing in common, & that is something money just can't buy.... a properly fitting Riviera glovebox lid You mean like this? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 54 minutes ago, MikeJS said: being in Canada Correction: At Latitude <53°34'23.008" N> Edmonton is "NORTHERN CANADA" Being Blue Monday, I am not depressed even with daily highs of -30 deg. C temps outside (Lows at -37). Our winter started late this season! Maybe I'll go out and buy me another Riviera from a depressed owner today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 All I know is mine needs a 150K restoration. Simple math dictates it's worth at least $100,000 as it sits. 😂😂😂 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drhach Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 3 hours ago, cjp69 said: what do you mean by it being a bogus auction? Do you think the seller didn't get paid the amount that was bid? he is on FB, and is certainly acting like it is a real sale, and is quite happy with the new record price. His reserve was set at $160k. All it takes is two bidders with deep pockets that really want the car for this to happen (and sometimes some added booze). :>) I fully agree that bidding frenzies happen. To a much lesser extent, I've been in some myself. I'm sure the car sold, and the seller is happy with what he got for it. I'm also sure that there's more to the story. I can't prove it, it's just my opinion and everyone knows what opinions are worth. I just think a healthy dose of skepticism is probably appropriate in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr914 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 1/14/2024 at 8:23 AM, Jim Cannon said: In a car with Saddle interior, the black steering wheel looks odd. Why does no one know that the grills up by the cowl, behind the hood, are supposed to be painted body color, except for the U-shaped bit that sticks up? agree, something definitely wrong with this one should have had a saddle wheel and of course the vents painted. why 300 grand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65VerdeGS Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 If this is indicative of a trend, then we're going to see a rush of freshly minted '65 Gran Sports coming out of their barns to fetch the big money. These cars aren't that difficult to fake for the determined fraudster. Engines can be re-stamped. Trannys can have a reproduction"BS" plate riveted to them. There's nothing on the firewall Body Plate to indicate whether the car was born a Gran Sport. And even Body Plates are being reproduced (faked). So, with some GS specific parts and cunning, a regular '65 can be transformed into a Gran Sport and in the process significantly increase it's resale value. It's said there are twice as many big-block '67 Corvettes and LS6 Chevelles in existence than were produced by the factory. So, buyer beware! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericisback Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 31 minutes ago, 65VerdeGS said: If this is indicative of a trend, then we're going to see a rush of freshly minted '65 Gran Sports coming out of their barns to fetch the big money. These cars aren't that difficult to fake for the determined fraudster. Engines can be re-stamped. Trannys can have a reproduction"BS" plate riveted to them. There's nothing on the firewall Body Plate to indicate whether the car was born a Gran Sport. And even Body Plates are being reproduced (faked). So, with some GS specific parts and cunning, a regular '65 can be transformed into a Gran Sport and in the process significantly increase it's resale value. It's said there are twice as many big-block '67 Corvettes and LS6 Chevelles in existence than were produced by the factory. So, buyer beware! I think the car in question had a protect-o-plate. Buildsheets help too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Here is what I think is going on........unlike a lot of other 60's cars like corvettes, mustangs, camaros and firebirds and chevelles......the 65 Riviera has virtually no repro parts available, especially sheet metal. There are still a lot of beater rustbucket Rivieras out there but very few babied all their life cars with never any rust or dented body panels. These cars are very expensive and difficult to restore if they aren't darn nice cars to start with. It is these exceptional cars that are bringing the big bucks, because there are darn few of them left. It is true that there are a few incorrect things on the car in question, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in a couple of weekends. It is obvious that 65 Rivieras are heating up quickly in the collector car market, which is why the nice cars are not being listed for sale......everybody is sitting on their nice 65's because they know they are headed into the stratosphere. One real clear indicator of what is going on is that a guy who advertises in hemmings looking to buy Deloreans, Ferrarris, rare Porsches, and Bugattis last month started running an ad looking to buy exceptional 63-65 Rivieras. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greaseball Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 I watched the Mecum auction unfold on this car. Even the announcers were amazed and somewhat speechless. As strange as the pricing was on that auction, the next car that came across the block also had a strange (in my opinion) bidding outcome. The next car was a 1953 Buick Skylark convertible that looked to be in very nice condition. Maybe it was a 20 footer; the cameras didn’t close in too much on the car. That car sold for $50k and again the announcers were amazed and somewhat speechless. A 1953 Buick Skylark convertible used to bring in the high dollars. Do either of these two cars set the market pricing? I don’t think so, but it does show what’s possible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 It takes at least two bidders to run the bid up. It would be interesting to see that Riviera show up at the BCA Nationals this year and have some guy say "I was the #2 bidder on this". That is if it shows up in public before it is consigned to the next auction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 If I happened to own one I would probably get excited. But I think if you rush out and put an ad up for the identical car at the identical amount of money you will own it forever. Auction anomalies happen all the time for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes a drunk billionaire. Sometimes the guy is buying back his HS car, sometimes a dick measuring contest. Lots of reasons that can't be repeated down the road. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Just now, 60FlatTop said: It takes at least two bidders to run the bid up. It would be interesting to see that Riviera show up at the BCA Nationals this year and have some guy say "I was the #2 bidder on this". That is if it shows up in public before it is consigned to the next auction. Not always. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Balzer Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 (edited) I'll admit to reading/scanning the responses here but haven't seen mention of the mileage on this car. The Mecum ad states it has/had 810 original miles -- a VERY rare (and expensive) "option". Edited January 16 by Craig Balzer (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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