[karlosdeville]

Front end reminds me of a DAF...the rear much like a Nissan Figaro!
On the whole though it has a startling resemblance to a Citroen DS, albeit on a smaller scale...

[ajmat]

id 264 Citroen Bijou - 2 CV based coupe !!!! Assembled in the UK oly 207 were built

[Ram]

Wow ajmat! Well discerned!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by ram

Wow ajmat! Well discerned!

Frankly, the wheels gave it away. Then I remembered, something like this existed

[Ram]

The Citroën deux chevaux was a low-priced, rugged "umbrella on four wheels" that would enable two villagers to transport 100 kg of produce to market at 60 km/h, across muddy unpaved roads.

It could drive across a ploughed field without breaking the eggs it was carrying, returning a fuel economy of 33 km per litre.

Back then, the French citoyens had not yet adopted the automobile whole-heartedly due to cost.

Close to our Indian situation and motivation to have a one-lakh car.
BTW, did you like my name, "Eclaca"?

Within months of the Citroën 2CV hitting the market, there was a three-year waiting list which soon grew to five-years.

The wait caused the lopsided economics of a used 2CV being dearer than a new one because the bugs had been ironed out and there was no waiting period.

Citroën's plant in Slough, England (10 km from Heathrow airport) built this glass-fibre coupé version called the Bijou. Styled by Peter Kirwan-Taylor, it was not as light and good as the original deaux chevaux. Kirwan-Taylor, an accountant by education, is famous for designing the two-seat glass-fibre coupé body for the Lotus Type 14 Elite, in addition to arranging its financing. The Elite had a drag-coefficient of 0.29.

The Bijou's weight proved to be its nemesis.

[Ram]

ID:265
What's this beautiful baby blue coupe with the double headlamps?

[V-16]

ID :265-1963 Buick Riviera Hard Top

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by ram

ID:265
What's this beautiful baby blue coupe with the double headlamps?

thats a 63 buick riviera...dont you just love the side scoops?

[manikjeet]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

thats a 63 buick riviera...dont you just love the side scoops?

you took the word out of my mouth i to thinks its a buick riviera

[V-16]

Truly a car worth its weight. A very desirable classic.
The Riviera was initially planned as a code name"LaSalle II", borrowing the name from Cadillacs(1927-40) pillerless hard tops. Buick was chosen for the 'LaSalle II" as Cadillac could not build a smaller car having no facilities for the same and Chevrolet was riding high on popularity. Pontiac and Oldsmobile were already preoccupied so Buick was reassigned to make this and give it a much needed boost. The name subsequently changed to Riviera
Riding a 117 inch wheel base, the Riviera was arond 200-300 lbs lighter than other big Buicks. Initially offered engines were the Electra's 325-bhp 401 V-8 as standard and the 340-bhp 425 as optional. A standard two speed Turbine drive automatic was available as transmission
In 64 the latter became the base engine and a new more powerful 360-bhp was added to optionals with a standard three speed Turbine Hydra-Matic transmission.
A typical 325 car could do standing quarter mile in 16 seconds @ 85mph and with the 360 in 15.5 seconds @ 90 plus mph.

[Ram]

All of you guys are absolutely right. It is a 1963 Buick Riviera.

GM's Buick line was primarily a luxury line.
Still 1963 brought this beautiful sports coupe called the Riviera.

Designed by GM design chief Bill Mitchell's as a "personal luxury" land yacht, this four-place sports coupe was aimed at Ford's big Thunderbird.

While on vacation in England in 1959, Bill Mitchell had decided that his next design would be a sophisticated merger of Ferrari GT styling with Rolls-Royce luxury.

It came in 1963 with a host of standard features, including two-speed wipers with windscreen washers, back-up lights, glare-proof inside mirror, parking brake signal light, safety buzzer, electric clock, license frame, padded instrument panel, trip mileage odometer, front and rear cigarette lighters and ashtrays, front and rear bucket seats, courtesy lamps, deep pile carpeting, center console, heater and defroster, and frameless side windows. Don't we take all of these things for granted today in 2007, even at home in India?

A loaded luxury cruiser, with classic, tasteful lines, the 1963-65 Buick Riviera continues to rise in appeal today, both as a collector car and as an appreciating investment. A rare example of excellence, it is a true daily driveable classic with stylish appeal and solid engineering.

All of 17 feet 4 inches (5283 mm) long, it was shorter than many Americans of its time. Still it was a big car, with a 115-inch (2921 mm) wheelbase and weighing over 1.8 tons.

Performance
In 1963 the Riviera was fitted standard with Buick's 325-bhp, 401 "Nailhead" V8, and could be ordered optionally with a 340-bhp, 425V8. Both engines drove Buick's "Super Turbine 400" AT. With the 425V8 engine, the 1963 Riviera could do a 0-60 mph sprint in 8 seconds and top out at 200 km/h.

In 1964, a "Dual Quad" (two four-barrel carburetors) option became available boosting horsepower to 360 bhp.

Popularity and Prices
Parts availability is good, maintenance is cheap, and Buick Riviera has well-organized clubs in USA and Western Europe. Prices of 1960s American muscle car prices are rapidly rising. Today this 1964 car in low-mileage, properly restored, original interior condition is worth $30-32K [Rs. 12.5 lakh].

[Ram]

Originally Posted by V-16

A standard two speed Turbine drive automatic was available as transmission

Gogi, the Buick Riviera never had a two speed automatic. Maybe you're thinking about the two-speed Dynaflow automatic found on Le Sabres?
The Buick Riviera had a 3-speed THM400 with a different name.
They called it "Super Turbine 400". Its oil pan has a peculiar shape. It looks like the outline map of Texas State.
After 1965, TH400s had a torque converter with a variable-pitch stator called "Switch-Pitch".

Ram

[V-16]

Originally Posted by ram

Gogi, the Buick Riviera never had a two speed automatic. Maybe you're thinking about the two-speed Dynaflow automatic found on Le Sabres?
The Buick Riviera had a 3-speed THM400 with a different name.
They called it "Super Turbine 400". Its oil pan has a peculiar shape. It looks like the outline map of Texas State.
After 1965, TH400s had a torque converter with a variable-pitch stator called "Switch-Pitch".

Ram

Ram you had me in a fix for a while, confused even. The literature I have access to of the 63 Skylark says it was a two speed. I searched the Wikipedia and found this:
Quoted from Wikipedia
The Riviera continued with minimal trim changes for 1964 including the discontinuation of leather upholstery from the option list, differing mainly in substitution of the old two-speed Dynaflow-based Twin Turbine for the new three-speed Super Turbine 400, which was marketed as Turbo Hydra-Matic by other GM divisions.

Buick Riviera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ram, the ST-300 (two speed)was used in a lot of GM cars, This replaced the earlier Dynaflow. . The TH-400 or the turbo hydramatic 400 was introduced later in the riviera as the engines got more powerful. This was used to replace the GM car transmissions and GM had replaced all these with the TH-400 by 69. The ST 300 was introduced somewher in 63-64 and amnot sure if this is the transmission which came with the 63 Riviera. But the Riviera did come with a two speed.
In fact the tow speed wasalso used in high performance cars like the Pontiac Firebird in its early days.
Im guessing its the ST-300 (2-speed) or another two speed which came std in the riviera later giving way to a three speed.

[awini]

there was one for sale here a couple of years ago, it needed a lot of work, and the only reason i did not buy it was because there were issues with documentation...and for once the price was right. it finally was sold for under 2 lakhs!! i didnt want someone to pop up and claim ownership after i restored it!!

[pawan]

id:265