Retro 2028 Buick Riviera.

This new illustration of a possible retro revival of the Buick Riviera follows a similar design language to the previously posted Buick Roadmaster and Buick Century illustrations.

A new shape filled with many retro futuristic design cues. Something that would also be big and impressive.

So far, the only new large 2 door coupe we’ve seen in the last 10 years seem to be the all-new Dodge Charger and the redesigned Ford Mustang. Both cars have not met expectations to say the least. While the Charger will probably increase sales numbers with the addition of a gas-powered version, the Mustang seems to be in a downward spiral. And no one seems to be willing to offer a more luxurious, larger 2-door coupe these days…

The Buick Riviera first came out in 1963. From the start, the Bill Mitchell design looked great. And set the stage for a series of great-looking Buicks. The second generation came out in 1966, and again, looked pretty fantastic. In 1971, the 3rd generation Riviera adopted the legendary “boat tail” design. Unfortunately, that design only lasted 3 years for some reason.

Things went way downhill with the 4th and 5th generation that just couldn’t visually match the previous designs. It became one of these generic giant 2 door American cars that were everywhere. The 5th generation from 1979 to 1985 brought back some personality to the Riviera. And, of course, sales went up. To over 63,000 in 1985.

The worst was yet to come in 1986 with the ridiculously downsized new generation. It just looked like a joke. Trying to squeeze as many late 1970s design cues into a car the size of a Honda. Its cousin, the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado, suffered the same fate.

The Riviera came back in 1993 with a great design. It sold over 41,000 units in its first year. However, by that time, SUVs were already starting to take over. It sold under 2000 units in 1999.

There have been a couple of concepts since 2007 and 2013. But no new production Riviera. Which is too bad.

I do understand GM’s fear of launching a new 2 door model for Buick or any other brand in today’s market. Who knows, maybe 2-door coupes will one day be the new rage in China. Where Buick is very popular.

Then maybe, we could see a new Riviera.