Whip of the Week: 6th-Generation Riviera

The sixth generation brought big changes: the smallest Riviera to date was now a front-wheel drive car, and a convertible version was offered for the first time. Engines offered during this era included the 350 V8, the very popular 307 V8, the diesel, and the turbocharged V6. Sales soared, and production hit an all-time high in 1985, with 65,305 cars made. The Riv was honored with Motor Trend’s "Car of the Year" award in 1979, and a turbo convertible was the official Pace Car for the 1983 Indy 500. Though the ’79-’85 Rivs were initially ignored by collectors, interest in these cars has been positively snowballing in recent years. Check out the sweet soon-to-be classic Rivs on CarDomain! Merrill is the original owner of this beautiful ’83 convertible, and his page contains an interesting story about 6th-gen Rivs that were shipped to Kuwait. Bryan’s got some big plans for a two-tone paint scheme on his ’83.  Jayson’s slick black ’84 has the turbocharged SFI, and on his other page he’s got a cool pic of his ’85 daily driver sitting in front of an oil rig.  Mike’s Riv is in beautiful original condition, with plenty of NOS goodies.  Manuel’s Riv rolls on flashy 24′s, while Nick’s has been "modestly turning heads since 1985." Enjoy!