Buick Riviera 1968

The Buick Riviera was an immediate hit when it was introduced in 1963. It's distinctive appearance and European-influenced 2+2 accommodations quickly established it as the car for the guy who had it made, yet was young enough not to worry about hardening of the arteries.

In the intervening years, the Riviera has vacillated in concept; seemingly destined to become an all-but GT car at one point (with the Gran Sport models) and then reversing course and becoming a floating, understeering, softly-sprung dreamboat. Filially, a well thought-out compromise has been reached. The 1968 Riviera boasts of both good handling and a smooth, quiet ride. When driven hard into a corner, the car displays an alarming amount of body lean, but don't let it worry you--until the limit of adhesion is reached, the Riviera remains quick, agile and predictable.

While handling improvements have been made to make the Riviera a much nicer car, and performance has been gradually increased, the guys in the styling department have dropped the ball. The Toronadolike new front grille/bumper gives what had been one of the most attractive cars on the road, a ponderous nose-heavy look completely out of keeping with the rest of the car. It's a shame seeing that, otherwise, the car has been so vastly improved.