riviera s-type

[Guest]

Somebody in the general forum told me that s-type stood for sports package. Is that right? I saw a 84 riviera stype with a v8. I was wandering what an stype was and if it was turbo. Thanks

[BUICK RACER]

I think the S-type was only a '79 option, then the t-type took over and was a turbo in '84-85, for more info, check this out on the Riviera Owners Association web page Here

[Pete Phillips]

I saw an S-type Riviera in a Texas salvage yard a few years ago (believe it was a '79 model). It had the turbo-charged V-6 in it, which is what I thought all of the S-types had (but I could be wrong). If the one you saw had a V-8, could it be possible that the V-6 was replaced later with a V-8? The V-6 Rivieras did not have the best reputation back then.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

[NTX5467]

Don't know if there was a particular engine tied to the "S-Type" package, but it might have included bucket seats and console, a gage package (with a tachometer), an F-41 style suspension, alloy wheels, and probably some Goodyear Eagle GT tires (the performance tire of that time that most OEMs used). Might have also been "vinyl roof delete" too. Just my gut suspicion, without having a sales brochure in front of me or The Standard Catalog of Buick (which usually details these things). I suspect that at that time frame, the 3.8L Turbo and the 307 Olds V-8 probably had about the same power, just that some people were still gunshy of turbos after the early days and still wanted a V-8 (even if it was "stangled").

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest]

79/80 were S Types and 81 on were T Types.

Some years, the S/T Type and the Turbo V6 were not exclusive to each other in the Riviera. You could get a Base Riviera with the Turbo V6, or a S/T Type with a non-turbo V6 or V8.

But in '84 the turbo was the only engine for the T Type.

HTH