1957 Buick Super Riviera Two-Door Hardtop

High: $12,500
Avg.: $8,500
Low: $1,500

For 1957, the entire Buick lineup of Special, Century, Super and Roadmaster models all wore new body styling. Like the other GM cars, this was to be a single-year body shell, superseded in 1958 by the heavily chromed and highly flamboyant new styling. This body again lasted only a year before being replaced by a much sleeker and linear design complete with graceful canted fins in place of the awkward chrome blobs on the 1958 rear fenders.

The 1957 Buicks, by comparison, were models of conservative design in that era of ever-growing wheelbases and tailfins. The two-door hardtops shared the sedan and four-door hardtop roof treatment that included two metal divider strips making a three-piece rear window. This was undoubtedly the Bill Mitchell influence at work, for even in his earliest design days special rear window treatments culminating in the split-window 'Vette, had always been a Mitchell touch. Of course, the wrap-around windshield was retained as a standard feature, as it had been on Buicks since 1954. The one exception to this window treatment was found on the scarce-and new for 1957-Roadmaster 75 series, which distinguished themselves from the other Buicks by featuring a one-piece rear window, a huge amount of standard equipment and very posh interiors.

Up front, the Buicks eschewed the currently fashionable quad headlamps in favor of the traditional pair of lights; and out back, the '57's taillamp treatment was a slightly sleeker refinement of the 1956 design. Buick's traditional sweepspear side treatment was also retained in an updated form while streamlined versions of the famous Buick "portholes" rode on the front fenders-three each side for the Special, and four each side for Century, Super and Roadmaster.

All in all, in that time of excessive design statements from most auto companies, the 1957 Buicks, like the '57 Chevys, were good-looking, understated cars. Unfortunately, such moderate simplicity did not help the sales department in that year. Sales were down from the banner year of 1955 and even 1956, when the Buicks enjoyed only a slight facelift. For instance, the Super Riv hardtops for 1957 found 26,529 customers while in 1956 they sold a total of 29,540 Super Riviera two-door hardtops.

Super Riviera hardtop interiors were attractive combinations of Nylon and Cordaveen and the cars came in a myriad of single- and two-tone colors.

Today, a 1957 Buick from any model series is a somewhat unusual sight at shows and other old-car events. Like many cars from the '50s, they were susceptible to body rot and rust and this took many of them to the salvage yard prematurely. But if you find a solid one with a good interior you'll have a relatively smooth restoration as mechanical parts are very easy to come by, and the "nailhead" V-8 is a very long-lived motor. Not only that, the very active Buick Club of America offers plenty of expertise to help you along as well as a large array of activities to enjoy with your '57 Super once it's back in shape.

Specifications: 1957 Buick Super Riviera two-door hardtop:
Base price: $3,536
Base weight: 4,271 pounds
Body: All-steel, five-passenger, two-door hardtop coupe
Frame: Ladder type with X members
Wheelbase: 127.5 inches
Suspension: Independent coil with A-arms front; torque tube with coil springs rear
Steering: Power-assisted steering standard on Supers
Brakes: Hydraulic four-wheel drum, internal expanding
Engine: OHV V-8, 300 bhp @ 4600 rpm, 4.125 X 3.4" bore and stroke, 10.0:1 compression ratio
Transmission: Dynaflow automatic standard