When Buick introduced the Riviera in 1963, it was a Bill Mitchell triumph that is often cited as General Motors’ best design of the 1960s. Influenced by old British coachwork, with its razor edges, it originally was going to be a junior Cadillac of sorts (think LaSalle) but ended up being Buick’s personal luxury coupe to compete with the Ford Thunderbird.

Notice the headlights - they flipped down over the grille, rather than hide behind them.

This 1969 Riviera GS on eBay is a great example of how the Riviera evolved from the design purity of the early-1960s into a heftier, solid road car.

The first year of the Gran Sport package for the Riviera was in 1965, the last year for the first-gen car. Standard was the Super Wildcat 425 with 2×4 carburetors and 360 horsepower.

With the redesign in 1966, the GS package for the Riviera was now rated at 340 horsepower with a single four-barrel, although 179 were built with the 2×4 425 (it was a dealer-installed option until the factory started to offer it mid-year).

For 1967, Buick introduced a new engine design, so both the standard Riviera and GS came standard with a 430 rated at 360 horsepower. Engine was a definite improvement from the “Nailhead” 425, but the GS was relegated to a handling package.

For 1968, the Riviera received a heavy facelift. It looked heavier and less graceful than before but was still considered a style leader in its time. However, by then there was inter-corporate competition from Oldsmobile and Cadillac (with the Toronado and Eldorado) which may have stolen some of the Riviera’s thunder. The Gran Sport continued as before.

The 1969 Riviera experienced a big bump in production, reaching an all-time high (at the time) of 52,872. It was very similar to the ’68 with only a grille and segmented taillights being the most noticeable changes.

The GS package continued as before, which included a chrome air cleaner lid, heavier-duty suspension, 3.42 Posi-traction rear, and the 430/360 that was shared with the base Riviera. Variable-ratio power steering entered the option list for the first time.

This Riviera GS is one of 5,272 built for 1969. Owner claims it has a numbers matching 430 and TH400 automatic transmission, the proper performance rear end, and those awesome chrome Buick wheels. Right now the auction is at $8,000 with reserve having yet to be met. Wouldn’t you rather have a Buick?