Buick Riviera GS
In the early ’60s, Detroit was aware of luxury Gran Turismo European coupes coming to America and selling significant numbers. Performance-oriented buyers wanted to avoid big and heavy domestic-made coupes that had the power but didn’t provide a sports car’s handling. So they turned to Ferraris, Maseratis, and Jaguars for that performance car excitement and prestige. GM decided to capitalize on this trend by introducing a fresh new luxury model with great styling. It also had a cool name and enough power to shame those European coupes (via GM Authority).
So, in 1963, the Riviera left the factory and immediately became one of the most exciting cars on the American market. Its combination of sleek and elegant styling, modern interior, and Buick’s Nailhead engine made the Riviera an instant best-seller. It was also the first real competitor to the Ford Thunderbird. But Buick wanted more, so the company introduced the legendary Riviera Grand Sport or GSin 1965. The car featured a revised suspension and a more significant 425 engine. It also had a host of performance upgrades. In this version, the Rivera was a genuine world-class automobile with 360 hp and 0-60 mph acceleration times of 7.9 seconds, better than most sports cars of the period.