When it comes to musclecars, anytime you see a roots-style blower sticking through the hood it becomes the focal point of the car. Sure, modern, centrifugal or screw-type superchargers make power, too, but they don’t have the same sound that a 6-71 has with the Gilmer-style belt making that sweet, whining sound. A few revs of the engine, and it doesn’t matter what car it’s on; it’s blown, and it’s cool.

But then you look at the car and it’s not your typical blown musclecar. In the case of the video above, it’s a 1964 Buick Riviera; and it doesn’t have the typical blown SBC that you see in most classic cars produced by the General, either. This one has the Buick 425 Nailhead, likely the engine that came in this car.

How often do you see a blown Riviera, especially one this nice? The Hampton 6-71 helps this Nailhead produce about 750 horsepower, according to the owner, which makes it quite potent.

So what’s a Nailhead, you might ask? The Nailhead was so named for the rather small, vertical valves in the cylinder heads, which looked like nails. The valves were smaller than most engines of those cubic dimensions, and the whole valvetrain was lighter, meaning quicker revving. And with the spark plug in the center of the combustion chamber, a short flame travel meant a more complete burn.

The small ports and valves also meant that the engine needed less timing advance because of the good chamber design. Overall, the engine ran better than it should, and with 425 cubic inches it made decent power.

If the Nailhead sounds familiar, perhaps you nostalgia buffs will remember the famed “Showboat” dragster of TV Tommy Ivo, with it’s four Buick Nailheads and all-wheel drive. Ivo loved the Nailheads, and after seeing this ’64 Riviera we like them too.