However, since it was a body style designation and not a model, the Riviera name does not usually appear on the car. Four-door Riviera hardtops were added to the Roadmaster and Super lines at the beginning of the following model year. In the middle of the 1955 model year, Buick and Oldsmobile introduced the world's first mass-produced four-door hardtops, with Buick offering it only on the Century and Special models, and the Riviera designation was also applied to these body styles. In 1953, with the move from the Fireball straight-eight to the more compact Nailhead V8 engine, the Roadmaster and Super four-door Riviera sedans became the same length.

The 1951вЂ“52 Buick Super four-door Riviera sedan is still 0.75 inches (19В mm) shorter in wheelbase and length than the regular Buick Roadmaster and 4.75 inches (121В mm) shorter than the Roadmaster four-door Riviera sedan. The 1951вЂ“53 Buick Roadmaster and Super four-door Riviera sedans feature more standard features, more plush interior trim, and a wheelbase (and overall length) that is 4 inches (102В mm) longer than a regular Buick Roadmaster or Super four-door sedan. Buick added a two-door Riviera hardtop to the Super the following year, the Special in 1951 and the Century upon its return, after a 12-year absence, in 1954.ДЇrom 1951 to 1953 the Riviera designation was given to the existing long-wheelbase versions of the four-door Buick Roadmaster and Super sedans. The Buick Roadmaster Riviera coupe (along with the Cadillac Coupe de Ville and Oldsmobile 98 Holiday coupe) constituted the first mass production use of this body style, which was to become popular over the next 30 years. It first entered the Buick line in 1949, as the designation for the new two-door pillarless hardtop, described in advertising as 'stunningly smart'. The name Riviera, Latin for coastline, was chosen to evoke the allure and affluence of the French Riviera. The Riviera name was resurrected for two concept cars that were displayed at auto shows in 2007 and in 2013.

A total of 1,127,261 Rivieras were produced. While the early models stayed close to their original form, eight subsequent generations varied substantially in size and styling. Unlike its subsequent GM E platform stablemates, the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado, the Riviera was initially a front engine/rear-wheel drive platform, switching to front-wheel drive starting with the 1979 model year. It was a ground-up design on a new GM E platform debuting for the 1963 model year and was also Buick's first unique Riviera model. The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car that was marketed by Buick from 1963 to 1999, with the exception of the 1994 model year.ДЄs General Motors' first entry into the personal luxury car market segment, the Riviera was highly praised by automotive journalists upon its high-profile debut.

1950 buick super riviera