The 1963 Buick Riviera was conceived to be an American Rolls-Royce. Bill Mitchell, General Motors’ Vice President of Design from 1958 until his retirement in 1977, got the idea for it after a trip to England. He saw many of those high-end luxury vehicles and thought GM needed something that — stylish, yet restrained — to sell.

The owner designed and built the four-link rear suspension himself; the front clip is from The Roadster Shop. (Photo by Brian Wagner)

In America, the 1963 Buick Riviera was introduced and expected to compete with the wildly successful Ford Thunderbird. It was pitched to Cadillac originally as a sportier, trimmer vehicle (named LaSalle, after Caddy’s long-defunct companion brand), but the people in charge of the division turned it down.

Hey, they were selling as many jumbo Caddys as they could build. What was the point?

Buick jumped on the concept immediately. It would arrive in dealerships in the autumn of 1962 like a Mona Lisa in a gallery full of Elvis on Velvet. It stood out not only from everything else in a Buick dealership, but virtually anything else on the road.

Instant Smash Hit

It caused an instant sensation. It was practically a classic from Day One. The distinctive styling was everything Mitchell envisioned — razor-sharp lines, trim flanks, and purity of design. It announced its presence immediately. Today, the first-gen Riviera remains as popular as ever, attracting restorers, hot rodders and low rider enthusiasts.

Our feature car is an example of what happens when America’s Rolls-Royce meets American Graffiti.

Tom Duty and wife Eileen Papas are the owners of this stunning example of the breed. Her father had one back in ’63 and she took her road test it. The Riviera has always been more to her than just mere transportation.

Finding A One-Family Riviera

“We live on a lake and one day we were hanging out by the lake with some friends, drinking some adult beverages, and we got talking about one of these,” Tom explained. “I looked on eBay and this one was going off in 10 minutes. I made a bid on it and got it.”

Tom and Eileen drove four hours to pick it up in Cleveland, and what they found was a completely rust-free, one-family-owned car with cooked silver paint.

The Riv’s Billet Specialties’ “Velocity” wheels measure 19×12 inches in the rear and 18×8 in the front. (Photo by Brian Wagner)

In other words, it was a jewel waiting to be polished. It had 100,000 miles on the clock, but they were able to drive it around. The front end was shot, though, so they decided to get a Roadster Shop front clip for it.

Things snowballed after that, as they are wont to do.

Tom started on the car, but he got hurt at work and with two surgeries looming, enlisted the help of Cale Kern Hot Rods in Bedford, Indiana.

“I had a couple of major surgeries and I just wasn’t able work on it, so I turned it over to Cale, who is a friend of ours, and he finished it up for us. — Tom Duty, Owner

Jack Davis at Bedford Body and Paint (Bedford, Indiana) painted it and Brian Barlow from Interiors By Ed (Mitchell, Indiana) finished the office. But Tom gives most of the credit for the build to Cale Kern.

“Cale Kern Hot Rods pretty much built the car,” says Tom. “I started some things on it and Cale had some better ideas, so he pretty much started over.”

Powering the Riv is the same 401 Nailhead it was born with. It was bored .030 inches during the rebuild. The highlight under the hood is the factory dual-quad intake off a 425 Buick, which has been fitted with custom dual F.A.S.T throttle body fuel injection. A 4L60 overdrive trans carries the power rearward.

This is the original 401, though it’s been updated with a ’64-65 dual quad intake fitted with F.A.S.T. fuel injection with twin throttle bodies instead of carbs. Love the headers and front accessory drive, too. (Photo by Brian Wagner)

The Roadster Shop front clip employs rack-and-pinion power streering, plus tubular upper and lower control arms, and Ridetech coilover shocks (also used in the rear).

Tom fabricated the four-link rear suspension, which maintains the factory pick-up points. Wilwood six-piston disc brakes ride at all four corners. Billet Specialties‘ “Velocity” wheels measure 19×12 inches out back and 18×8 inches in the front. Not only do the wheels look great, but the meaty redline tires add a classic touch.

As Nice Inside As Out

The interior and trunk area are really works of art. Barlow took the factory seats, removed the springs and used different densities of foam to build them back up. He them shaped the seats to Tom and Eileen’s liking. When he was done, he covered them in a wine-colored material.

The console and door panels now feature engine-turned appliques, and aftermarket gauges and steering wheel enhance the driving experience.

At the time of our photo shoot, the car only had 362 miles on it, but Tom said the car was put together to enjoy over the open road, so we’re sure that number is far greater now.

By ’65, the Riviera got hidden headlights and some other styling tweaks and a completely redesigned car arrived for ’66. The Riv remained a distinctive automobile for most of the rest of its lifespan (who could forget the outrageous boattail models?).

For better or worse, the market for two-door personally luxury coupes eventually tanked and the Riviera is no more. But thanks to Tom and Eileen, the classics will live forever. We’re certain Bill Mitchell would approve of what they did to this 1963 Buick Riviera.