On my birthday, here’s a big, comfortable eighties convertible.
“A classic in its own time.”
After being considered by Buick since the early 1960s, the 1982 model year’s most significant news for the Riviera was the advent of the first production convertibles—though the division didn’t deliver the first examples until July 1982. Every Riviera convertible began life as a “normal” Riviera coupe built at GM’s Linden, NJ assembly plant. Cars destined to become convertibles were assembled with neither a rear seat nor a headliner and were finished in either White or Red Firemist paint with maple leather interiors.
Buick then shipped these coupes about 675 miles to American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) in Lansing, MI, where the involved process of changing them to convertibles began. This procedure required cutting the top off, strengthening the body, adding a different rear seat (narrower than the one fitted to the coupe), and installing the white diamond-grain vinyl convertible top and the associated electronics for the power top’s operation. This process took more than 300 parts and required a quoted 10 hours of labor per car—both notable additions.
Once completed, new Riviera convertibles underwent two separate leak tests to ensure the top’s integrity before being shipped to Buick dealers. Buick general manager Lloyd Reuss was quoted as saying, “it’s not a hacksaw job,” perhaps comparing it to contemporary efforts from Chrysler and Ford.
Additional standard equipment packaged with the Riviera convertible included contrasting body-side stripes, four-wheel disc brakes, Custom locking wire wheel covers, deluxe trunk trim, 45/45 leather seats, and the aforementioned Firemist paint (if one went with red). Convertible-specific components included a power-operated convertible top, a cloth headliner, power-operated rear quarter windows, and a “special” radio speaker system. It was a good thing that Riviera convertibles came well-equipped because they were really expensive—with a base price of $24,064, 1982’s droptop Riv was about 66% more expensive than its coupe relation’s barrier to entry. In constant dollars, the sixth-generation convertibles are easily the most costly production Rivieras ever built.
Options & Production Numbers
Exterior and mechanical options for the convertible included door edge guards ($15), an 85-amp Delcotron generator ($35), tungsten-halogen high beam headlamps ($10), and Twilight Sentinel headlamp control ($97). Inside, electric seat back recliners for the driver and front passenger ($139 each), Electronic Touch Climate Control air conditioning ($150), and a tilt and telescoping steering column ($150) were available. Buick offered five optional radios for the Riviera, ranging up to a Delco ETR AM-FM stereo radio with a cassette tape player, CB, and Triband power antenna.
For all its expense—a Riviera convertible started at about $80,200 in today’s dollars—the convertible made and continues to make a distinct impression. A friend of mine who has owned his Riviera convertible since new remembers viewing one at a Buick dealership and thinking it was one of the most beautiful cars he had ever seen.
Buick sold 1,248 Riviera convertibles in the 1982 model year, making the droptop 2.8% of overall production. Approximately sixty were part of Buick’s Select 60 program for top dealers.
The View From 2025
There’s robust discussion and support for the sixth-generation Riviera on the AACA’s Buick Riviera page. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1982 Riviera convertible in #1/Concours condition is $40,600, with a far more normal #3/Good condition going for $12,900. Riviera convertibles often come up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, on Bring a Trailer, and at in-person auctions.
Make mine Red Firemist, please.
Other sixth-generation Rivieras I have written about include the 1980 S TYPE and the 1984 T TYPE. I should write about a “civilian” coupe at some point.
Most material in this blog entry was sourced from the unfinished Riviera Project.
Last updated December 2025.
Eighties Cars 
I’m so late getting to this reading, and I was eager to read it.
Around 2009, I sort of reconnected with an older cousin (the one who I run car shows with now). He was doing shows and had a group of friends with older/classic/special cars. One was named Bill, he was about 80 at the time, and his ‘classic’ was a white Riviera convertible. I don’t recall what year it was specifically, but it was in wonderful shape. Bill was a GM guy, he had a Buick Lucerne that was his daily, he kept a mid-90s Deville that he used to visit his wife in the LTC home she was in (because that was her favourite), and he had another mid-80s Riviera coupe he kept at his daughter’s home. Sadly he passed a couple years after I met him.
I admit I have something of a desire to own one of the 1979-85 e-bodies. I think they’re so well-proportioned, stylistically very good-looking cars. And, I like that the Toro, Riv and Eldo have very distinctive looks… absolutely you see they share a platform and overall look, but they’re unmistakably Olds, Buick and Cadillac respectively.
I find that people that have this generation of E-body just love them. I think especially highly of the Riviera, because it seemed like such a return to form after the 1974-1976 and 1977-1978 generations.
Thank you, as always, for your comment.
Hello Riviera fans,
I own a 1982 Riviera Select 60 Convertible that my dad bought new. It only has 4231 Original Miles and I believe it may be the very first Select 60 made. It is the first SS listed in the Convertible Registry and I just found the build sheet that may indicate that it is the first one built. Gonna have to do some more research, but really may have something here.
That’s really cool, Jim. Does it have the plaque above the climate control?
No, I think that was started sometime after this one was built, and at the dealer level.