Boat Tail Riviera

Just personal opinion, YUCK! 

I am not a fan of the 71 Riviera as I thought it looked bloated and the styling just did nothing for me, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why that was until now.  The roofline, rear window, grille and rear taillights and bumper changes on Silver Arrow III make IMHO a huge improvement; I quite like it.  I wonder how this design, instead of what was manufactured, would have impacted sales?  Also, I wonder what the Silver Arrow design done on the smaller chassis once considered for this car would have looked like?

@jack-dodds, that would be a series of design sketches worth seeing. I'd put them right up there with the early design sketches and clay models made for the MOPAR '62 models. Those somewhat awkward designs relegated to mid-size platforms had great potential if placed on the full-size platforms for which they were originally intended. 

For the 3rd gen Riv, I think Mitchell saw what was coming and was determined to create the ultimate land yacht before they became extinct. I think he made the design to be polarizing and interesting. For me, he succeeded.   

What a beautiful automobile ! This Buick Riviera, as with the previous versions, featured some great design elements and were notable styling winners from GM and Bill Mitchell.