Like in life, the automotive world is full of moments of redemption. The Buick Riviera, one of General Motors’ shining stars of the post-war scene, has had those moments more than most. It could be argued that our Pick of the Day salvaged the Riviera’s reputation and set it back on course — not for the first time, mind you. This 1983 Buick Riviera T-Type is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Hopedale, Massachusetts.

There’s no denying that the Buick Riviera was one of the American style leaders of the 1960s. The British-influenced personal luxury car arrived for 1963 and quickly stole sales from the market leader, the Ford Thunderbird. Hidden headlights for 1965 only added to its allure. The restyle for 1966 was spectacular, tempering the razor-edged styling with a design language featuring contemporary, flowing Coke-bottle styling. A heavy facelift for 1968 looked good (and set a new sales record), but the Riviera lost its edge as the style leader it once was. A 1970 restyle (despite some strengths) made the Riviera a shell of its former self.

The solution came the next model year with the “Boattail.” Though the designers have gone on record stating the design did not manifest itself as planned, the 1971 Riviera nonetheless established the model as a striking style leader in the industry. This lasted through 1973, upon which Buick stylists restyled the Boattail into what I’ll call “1970s contemporary”—think of a sporty Electra coupe and you won’t be far off. That’s not to say the Riviera was unattractive, because it definitely wasn’t, but it lost the distinction that was its modus operandi.

And then 1977 came. That was the model year General Motors downsized its full-size cars, and while many of you dear readers may argue about hyping anything from the Malaise Era, the new cars were magnificent in their time. The crash course also affected the Riviera, which became a very nice Electra coupe in concept. Again, a Buick in the best way possible, but little distinction other than styling that was slightly different from mainstream Buick LeSabres and Electras.

And then GM introduced its redesigned front-wheel-drive personal luxury cars. Previously, that was the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado’s realm, but now the Riviera had officially joined the fold. Built on a 114-inch wheelbase, the Riviera arguably was back to form, a uniquely styled personal luxury coupe in the Buick portfolio. Available with an Oldsmobile V-8 or Buick turbo V-6, it was the latter that helped garner Motor Trend magazine’s “Car of the Year” award.

For 1983, the standard engine was a 4.1-liter version of Buick’s V-6. If you wanted a V-8, you had to settle for Oldsmobile’s 307 or a 350 diesel (the latter not available on the newly introduced convertible). But the turbo V-6 was still available, which is the engine that powers this 1983 Buick Riviera T-Type. The T-Type was the only Riviera to be the recipient of the 180-horsepower turbo engine, which featured new stainless steel exhaust manifolds and lower-restriction exhaust crossover. “Sold new at Magna Buick in Holyoke, Mass. 87k miles. Clean Mass. title. Always garaged,” says the seller. “The exterior silver paint seems to be all original. Original vinyl roof added by the selling dealer … Working power antenna, power mirrors, power moonroof.” Other features include a leather interior, dual power memory seats, Bose stereo, tilt column with sport steering wheel, power trunk, and more.

Only 1,331 Riviera T-Types were built for 1983. It’s certainly a rare vehicle worthy of collector interest, but it should be respected for being a turbo pioneer and for how Buick redeemed the model. For $10,000, it’s like getting two cars in one!

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