This is a 1971 Buick Riviera that benefits from a slew of major upgrades, including an LS3 V8-swap, lowered suspension, a rebuilt transmission, new exhaust system, new wheels, and jet black paint over brown upholstery.
The car has an undeniably sinister look to it, and I mean that in the best possible way, and it’s now vastly more powerful than it ever would have been originally. It’s being offered for sale out of Pennsylvania with build records.
Fast Facts: An LS3-Swapped Buick Riviera
- The Buick Riviera, built from 1963 to 1999, was GM’s answer to the Ford Thunderbird, positioned as a personal luxury coupe under the Buick nameplate. The early models stood out with their unique styling and highly-capable V8 engines, later generations shifted toward technology and front-wheel-drive layouts as market demands evolved, though they never enjoyed the popular success of their earlier forebears.
- The 1971 to 1973 “Boat Tail” Riviera is one of the most recognizable American car designs of its time, it was directly inspired by 1930s speedsters and the 1963 Corvette. Designed by Jerry Hirshberg, it was powered by a 455 cubic inch Buick V8 mated to a TH-400 automatic transmission, and it weighed over two tons – yet it still managed solid performance figures for the time.
- The 1971 Riviera shown here has been significantly modified with a 6.2 liter LS3 V8 producing 638 bhp and 604 lb ft of torque. Additional upgrades include forged internal components, cold-air intake, a rebuilt transmission, Champion radiator, and a fully refreshed suspension system, making it vastly quicker than its stock form.
- The car also features modern comforts and tasteful improvements like dark tinted glass, power front disc brakes, an Alpine audio system, a power driver’s seat, and steel wheels with white-letter tires. Finished in black over brown upholstery, it’s a visually striking restomod now offered for sale out of Pennsylvania with documented build history.
The Buick Riviera
The Buick Riviera was a personal luxury car produced by General Motors from 1963 to 1999, spanning eight generations and for almost 40 years. The Riviera was originally developed as GM’s response to the Ford Thunderbird which had enjoyed significant sales success – the Riviera was marketed under the Buick nameplate but stood apart from the rest of the lineup – it was never a high-volume model, and that was very much by design.
The Buick Riviera was a personal luxury car produced by General Motors from 1963 to 1999, spanning eight generations and for almost 40 years. Image courtesy of General Motors.
The first-generation Riviera (built from 1963 to 1965) was a sharply styled hardtop coupe with a distinctive coke-bottle silhouette, penned under the direction of Bill Mitchell. Built on a unique platform shared with no other GM vehicle at launch, it featured a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and was powered by Buick’s 401 or 425 cubic inch “Nailhead” V8s. It earned praise for its styling, elegance, and its strong performance, especially compared to the many bulkier American luxury cars of the time.
In subsequent generations, the Riviera grew in size and luxury, often following along with General Motor’s overall design trends. The 1971 – 1973 “boattail” Riviera remains one of the most polarizing and memorable American car designs of the era, with its fastback rear and prominent styling cues drawn from classic boat-tail speedsters – its considered highly collectible today.
Along with much of the rest of the industry, the Riviera underwent downsizing and platform shifts during the late 1970s and 1980s, eventually transitioning to front-wheel drive for the 1979 model year. The focus slowly shifted from opulence and overt luxury to technology, like early attempts at touchscreen controls and more modern interiors.
The final eighth-generation Riviera (built from 1995 to 1999) returned to a curvier design, it was powered by a 3800 Series II V6 engine and was even offered with optional supercharging. Production ended after 1999 due to declining sales and changing market tastes, it seems unlikely the Riviera will ever make a comeback as an all-new model – but stranger things have happened.
The Third-Gen “Boat Tail” Buick Riviera
The third-generation Buick Riviera, commonly nicknamed the “Boat Tail” featured a completely new design, penned by Jerry Hirshberg under Bill Mitchell’s direction. The rear end of the vehicle was directly inspired by the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, and the car was given a sporting, almost forward-leaning design.
The Riviera was originally developed as GM’s response to the Ford Thunderbird which had enjoyed significant sales success – the Riviera was marketed under the Buick nameplate but stood apart from the rest of the lineup. Image courtesy of General Motors.
It was built on the GM B platform and it was offered with only a single engine choice – the Buick 455 cubic inch V8 capable of 315 bhp, or up to 330 bhp if the buyer selected the GS or Grand Sport package. The only transmission option was the 3-speed TH-400 automatic unit, which sent power to the rear wheels.
The Riviera was a luxurious car, and as a result it was undeniably heavy, tipping the scales at 4,247 lbs (1,926 kgs). Despite this, it was still able to do the 0-62 mph dash in 8.1 seconds (for the GS version). The third-gen Buick Riviera remained in production from 1971 to 1973, with sales hovering a little over 30,000 annually.
The LS3-Swapped 1971 Buick Riviera Shown Here
The 1971 Buick Riviera you see here has been given a comprehensive rebuild, the original transmission was sent off for a professional rebuild, and then it was fitted with a 6.2 liter LS3 V8 which has forged pistons, forged H-beam connecting rods, a cold-air intake, and a Champion aluminum radiator was added to help keep everything cool.
This version of the LS3 V8 is capable of 638 bhp and 604 lb ft of torque – over double that of the original Buick engine once you take the SAE/DIN equation into account. The car has also been given lowered suspension, new black 15″ steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps and white-letter Radial T/A tires.
The 1971 Buick Riviera you see here has been given a comprehensive rebuild, the original transmission was sent off for a professional rebuild, and then it was fitted with a 6.2 liter LS3 V8 producing 638 bhp and 604 lb ft of torque.
It has power-assisted front disc brakes, rear drums, aftermarket power steering, tinted glass, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, an Alpine head unit, and power windows. In 2024 the upper and lower front control arm bushings were replaced, as well as the ball joints, and the front and rear shock absorbers.
The car is now being offered for sale out of Douglassville, Pennsylvania with build records and a Pennsylvania title. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.