Boattail 1990 Buick Riviera - concept car

"Faced with slumping sales, Buick briefly flirted with a radical departure from their stodgy image in 1987, when the Board of Directors secretly commissioned Jerry Hirschberg - the original head designer of the powerful & highly-styled 'Boattail Riviera' - to 'reinterpret the classic boattail design and usher in a new Golden Era for Buick.'

Working under a non-disclosure policy so strict it was "pretty much a secrecy oath," Hirschberg spent nearly two years on his design - which maintained the trademark 'boattail' rear end while adding futuristic flourishes, including a scooped grill and daring wheel skirts.

When it was finally unveiled to the Board in 1990, the proposed "re-energizer" of the Buick brand was hugely controversial - and it is not hard to see why, with its gas-devouring, old school 455 V8 and unique styling that many on the board condemned as "beyond comic book."

When the building that housed the only '90 Boattail prototype - as well as all the related plans and drawings - went up in flames, the supporters of the neo-boattail suspected arson. However, no investigation was ever launched. With the project mired in controversy and now hopelessly behind schedule, the experiment was left behind. Instead, Buick continued on the safe and staid course that had been its path for the last couple of decades - ever since the last of the boattail Rivieras had rolled off the assembly lines in 1973."

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• buick
• riviera
• boattail
• riv
• v8
• 455
• prototype
• concept
• post
• apocalyptic
• wasteland
• dystopia

[MaxWasteland]

My uncle works for Buick, and recently a forgotten video was unearthed in the basement of his building - a short movie of the one and only prototype 1990 Boattail, manuevering through Buick's surprisingly demanding R&D test track.

He knows how much I love my own Riv (black, '71 with a rebuilt '70 Buick 455 - and the rumored source of the "bloop" phenomenon of 1997) - so he sent me a copy ...

[leonarddaccardi]

this is funny as hell!!! good job! should be you tubes best list!

[Jaket2000]

Nothing says IAM THEE PIMP then a Boat tail.

[tga2848]

Only the most dedicated students will run that kind of gauntlet just to arrive at his Detroit High School.

[sidewaysntraffic]

That dude was a G for jumping on that car like that.

[SanFran90]

@suedebear: Yep. In fact, I believe this same kind of car was used in the movie. Now, whether it was the original or a replica of the '90 Boattail prototype, it's hard to say. But one thing's for sure: If GM had actually built it for real production, I'm sure someone would've bought it. Heck, I would!

Ah well, though. I guess we can only dream ;-).

[suedebear]

Class of 1999?

[Lu69Square]

why is this called 1990 buick riviera concept car? they MADE a 1990 buick riviera... nothing like this

[superallye]

That is why GM is falling down, lol.

[brownmachine6969]

thats some funy shit man..good job....

[silentman1356]

looks like they put a cattle gaurd off a train on that puppy with a bad ass body kit a about a ton of chrome. looks sweet i would drive the hell out of that battle ship