1996 Buick Riviera

The Buick Riviera name traces back to 1963 when GM built what many consider the most beautiful American coupe of its era, competing directly with the Ford Thunderbird and setting the standard for what personal luxury in America could look like. The final generation that returned in 1995 after a one-year hiatus carried that mission forward into the 1990s, shaped like a stretched bullet with a swept dashboard and a level of interior sophistication that rivaled anything coming out of Europe at the price point. Only 18,036 were built in 1996, and this one carries the optional supercharged engine that was upgraded that year specifically to 240 horsepower, making it the strongest version of the eighth-generation Riviera available before the supercharged engine became standard for 1998. Finished in Sandstone Beige Metallic with taupe leather bucket seats, it is a clean, well-equipped example of a car the market is beginning to rediscover. There is some rust bubbling on the front of the hood that is disclosed here for transparency.

Under the hood the supercharged 3.8 liter V6 produces 240 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, backed by the four speed automatic. The supercharger gives the engine a broad, confident torque curve that pulls hard from low RPM with none of the lag you would associate with a turbocharged setup. It hits 60 miles per hour in under 7 seconds while still returning up to 27 miles per gallon on the highway, which is a combination that was nearly unmatched in the personal luxury segment at the time.

Inside, the taupe leather bucket seats with operating console are clean and well appointed with the Prestige option package, the convenience package with Twilight Sentinel, power and memory seats, power lumbar support, passenger comfort control, steering wheel mounted radio controls, wood interior trim, Concert Sound II audio, and the Astroroof electric sliding sunroof. The interior has been praised by every journalist who spent time in this generation Riviera as one of the most thoughtfully laid out cabins coming out of Detroit in the 1990s, and this one backs that up with original condition throughout.

The Riviera ended its run after 1999 with just 1,956 units in its final year, the last 200 of which were special Silver Arrow editions in unique silver paint recalling Buicks historic show cars. The nameplate has not returned since. A supercharged 1996 with the full Prestige package in original condition is a car that a generation of buyers passed over for SUVs, and a generation of collectors is now beginning to appreciate.

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