GM introduced the Riviera convertible in 1982 after a 7 year hiatus, domestic convertibles had been discontinued in the mid seventies, possibly for safety reasons?
The cars were built as a hardtop in either red or white, then shipped to American Sunroof Corp (ASC) to be converted to convertibles. They were never a big seller, a mere 3,898 units were produced in 4 years. From a modern perspective, they sure are angular, the straightedge appears to have been overused in the design, but check out that big flat woodgrain dash. I'm undecided on it's attractiveness but it sure is an 80s car.
2 comments:
That's a beautiful car with an incredibly ugly dashboard...I think maybe airbag technology of the day dictated the large flat surface?
Heinz Prechter, who founded ASC, has an interesting story with a sad ending:
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/13/us/heinz-prechter-car-customizer-and-bush-booster-dies-at-59.html
I remember the day he killed himself, because I was doing a stint in interior systems (not very interesting but I learned to sew) and the facility I was working in had an atmosphere as if the President had died. Everything shut down and people just talked about him all day. It was really weird.
I love this quote from him, when asked if he had any interest in being named an ambassador by Pres. Bush: ''I have no interest at this point in my life to be reporting to an assistant secretary''
lol typical Bavarian.
Thnaks forthat link, I never knew the story.
In other news, stargngely, I saw ANOTHER Riviera convertible in the 'hood today. A white one. What a coincidence...
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