This 1999 Buick Riviera Silver Arrow Marked the End of an Era

Even though it became a stand-alone nameplate in 1963, the Riviera name is actually much older than that. Buick began using it in 1949 on a two-door hardtop version of the Roadmaster. It was then applied to nameplates like the Super, Special, and Century.

It was also used on the concept car that previewed the production version of the stand-alone Riviera in 1963. It was called the Riviera Silver Arrow. Fittingly, Buick sent the Riviera into the history books with the Silver Arrow Edition. Launched in 1999, the bundle adorned the final 200 Rivieras that left the assembly line. The Sterling Silver coupe you see here is one of those cars.

Spotted by car enthusiast Lou Costabile at the 2024 World of Wheels car show in Rosemont, Illinois, this 1999 Riviera appears to be in astounding shape for a vehicle that's 25 years old as of 2024. This is also surprising, given that it's not yet a classic car. But the owner is quite fond of it and has pampered the coupe he has owned since it was new. It's not exactly a garage queen with 101,000 miles (162,544 km) on the odometer, but this Silver Arrow is a show-stopper inside and out.

Although it's the kind of rig many of us wouldn't even notice on the road, the owner has been treating it like a prized classic. He still has every single bit of documentation from when he purchased the car, plus a lot of extra Silver Arrow paperwork he got from the dealership. He's hauling everything in the trunk while attending car shows, and he could talk about the Riviera for days.

What made the Silver Arrow special in addition to being limited to 200 units? Well, all cars left the assembly line with the exclusive Sterling Silver Metallic paint, which wasn't available on the regular Riviera. It also featured unique exterior badges, embroidered headrests, and a numbered plate inside the cabin. This car is number 105.

The Silver Arrow bundle also included a custom car cover, embroidered front and rear carpets, two silver key chains, and a custom folder with a silver pen and a booklet. The Silver Arrow wasn't special under the hood, but the 3.8-liter V6 engine Buick had at the time was plenty powerful for such a big coupe.

The eight-generation Riviera was initially offered with a pair of V6 powerplants. The base, naturally aspirated unit came with 205 horses on tap, while the supercharged version delivered 225 horses. The latter was upgraded to 240 horsepower in 1996, while the all-motor V6 was dropped in 1997. In short, all Rivieras had supercharged 240-horsepower units in 1998 and 1999.

Granted, this final-year Riviera is nowhere near as cool and desirable as the first-gen version, but its pristine condition and the owner's enthusiasm make it worthy of a place in the spotlight.