The name Riviera first appeared in 1949 and was used to identify Buick's pillarless hardtop models. But beginning in 1959, the Riviera name was only applied to Buick's 6-window pillarless hardtop, (a 4-window hardtop was available that didn't use the Riviera name).

Also in beginning in 1959, the Electra 225 name first appeared replacing the Series 700 Limited line from 1958. The Electra 225 became the top trim level of Buick's offerings.

This 1962 model is powered by Buick's 401 CID 'Nailhead' V8 that makes 325 hp.

1962 Chevrolet Impala.

Class 27E: Production vehicles, 1962 - 63.

The 1962 Impala has achieved Icon status in the muscle car world. And even though this car isn't a 409/409 4-speed screamer, it's 250 hp 327 CID V8 is enough to get the job done.

1963 Willys Aero 2600.

This car was displayed as an HPOF car, even though it would qualify for Class 27E.

The story of Willys automobiles begins in 1908. John N. Willys was a dealer for the Overland Automobile Company in Elmira, New York. Willys purchased the company that year and renamed it to the Willys-Overland Motor Company in 1912. A series of subsequent acquisitions allowed the company to become the second largest automaker in the US, (behind Ford). But over-extending itself and the resulting financial setbacks put the company in a bad position. Then, as was common in that era, the Great Depression happened. A number of Willys' brands, such as Sterns-Knight and Whippet, didn't survive.

The name Willys is perhaps most associated with the very successful military Jeep from the WWII era. After the war, Willys stopped producing passenger cars in order to concentrate on its Jeep in both military and civilian forms. Then after thinking about it for a few years, passenger car production resumed in 1952 with the Aero. Sales started off mediocre and only declined from there. By 1955, Willys car production was done in this country. The Willys name would be gone entirely by 1963, even though its products lived on as Kaiser-Jeeps thanks to Kaiser Motors purchasing Willys-Overland in 1953. In 1970, the company was sold to American Motors, which, itself, was sold to Chrysler in 1987. Normally, that would be the end of the story.

However, in 1953 just before the sale to Kaiser Motors, Willys began building vehicles in Brazil, which ended up being very successful. Along with Jeeps and Jeep variants, Willys-Overland do Brasil produced the car seen in the photos above and below, the Aero 2600. Brazilian production lasted from 1960 - 1971.

This car came from Brazil and features a Brazilian license plate.

Power comes from a 161 CID "Hurricane" inline 6-cylinder that makes 130 hp.

1963 Mercury Comet S22 convertible.

This car would fall under Class 27E, Production vehicles, 1962 - 63, but was being displayed as a Driver Participation Class (DPC) vehicle.

The S-22 package was introduced for 1961 and included trim upgrades, bucket seats with a center console, and special badging. Initially available only on the 2-door sedan body, a hardtop and convertible arrived for 1963. The convertible is very rare, with a total of 5,757 produced that year.

1965 Chevrolet Nova.

Class 27F: Production vehicles, 1964 - 65.

Power comes from a 327 CID V8, which, according to NovaResource.com, makes it one of only 643 cars equipped with the 327 that year. Both a 250 hp version (L30), and a 300 hp version (L74) were available. With a curb weight of less than 2,700 pounds, the L74 Nova would be quite a performer.

1967 AMC Marlin.

Class 27G: Production vehicles, 1966 - 67.

The Rambler Marlin (1965)/AMC Marlin (1966 - 67), could best be described as a great idea by the wrong company. The car was originally designed to appeal to a younger buyer who might be drawn to a Ford Mustang or Plymouth Barracuda, but with some changes. On the inside, emphasis was placed on offering more room and a greater level of comfort compared to its competition. On the outside, the popular fastback styling gave the car a sporty appearance not seen in other Rambler/AMC products. The ultimate goal was to take the car upscale toward the evolving personal luxury car segment.

The problem with this was that Rambler/AMC never really ventured into the world of sporty personal luxury cars before. Their customer base bought Ramblers and AMCs because they were smaller and more economical. Even so, 10,327 Rambler Marlins were sold in 1965.

For 1966, the Marlin now had to compete with the new Dodge Charger, a sporty personal luxury car from a manufacturer who was very good at sporty personal luxury. Dodge sold 37,344 Chargers that year while sales of the Marlin fell to 4,547.

Things only got worse for 1967. In addition to the Dodge Charger, the Marlin also had to compete against the new Mercury Cougar (150,893 sold), and the newly redesigned Ford Thunderbird (77,956 sold), as well as the higher-end all-new Cadillac Eldorado (17,930 sold). Marlin sales fell to 2,545, and the model was discontinued.

1966 Cadillac Deville convertible.

Another Class 27G car, production vehicles, 1966 - 67.

The 1965 - 66 Cadillac convertible is one of my all-time favorites ! My first car was a project 1965 model that never made it out of that stage. But I loved it, miss it very much, and would own another one in a heartbeat !

Power comes from Cadillac's 429 CID V8 that makes 340 smooth and quiet hp.

According to the information displayed with the car, the current car owner is owner number 5, but only the second person to register the car so it could be legally driven.

1967 Pontiac LeMans Sprint convertible.

Another Class 27G car, production vehicles, 1966 - 67.

For 1964 and 1965, base level Pontiacs were equipped with a 215 CID inline 6-cylinder engine that made 140 hp. Not only was this not thrilling by any means, it wasn't even a Pontiac design, as this engine was Pontiac's version of Chevrolet's 230 CID I6.

For 1966, Pontiac General Manager John DeLorean and his team of engineers redesigned the Chevrolet engine and fitted it with a belt-driven overhead camshaft, something very unusual for the time. Power immediately rose to 165 hp. A high-performance version was available that made 207 hp and had a 6,600 rpm redline.

For 1967, Pontiac introduced the Sprint option for both the Firebird and Tempest. The SOHC Tempest Sprint now made 215 hp and was marketed to the customer who wanted a car that looked like a GTO, but didn't cost as much to own and operate, didn't use as much fuel, and was a little more insurance-friendly. The lighter six-cylinder had a positive effect on handling thanks to its influence on weight distribution.

Pontiac produced almost 110,000 Tempests in 1967, with 17,735 of them being Sprints, making this car somewhat rare. A total of 9,820 LeMans convertibles were produced that year.

1967 Plymouth Barracuda convertible.

This is another Class 27G car, production vehicles, 1966 - 67. It's also a vary rare car, being one of 4,228 made that year.

1966 Dodge Dart GT convertible.

Another Class 27G car, production vehicles, 1966 - 67.

This appears to be the 2-bbl version of the 273 CID V8, which would make 180 hp.

For whatever reason, there seems to be quite a bit of variation on 1966 Dart production numbers. But a Hemmings article from 2008 agrees with my Encyclopedia of American Cars, and says that of the 176,027 Darts built that year, only 30,041 were Dart GTs.

Of the 30k Dart GTs produced, Hemmings estimates that around 10k were equipped with a V8 engine, like this car. For whatever reason, the breakdown of hardtops vs convertibles isn't available. Either way, this is still a very rare car.

1967 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible.

This is another Class 27G car, production vehicles, 1966 - 67.

A total of 9,545 Impala SS convertibles with a V8 engine were produced in 1967, which is actually a small percentage when compared to the roughly 575,000 Impalas of all body styles produced that year.

The black paint on this car was pretty amazing. Although, the curvature of the fender makes my reflection look like something from Tim Conway's "Dorf" series of videos.

1968 Chevrolet Chevelle.

Normally, this car would qualify for Class 27H, production vehicles, 1968 - 69. But it was being displayed as a DPC (Driver Participation Class) car.

This is the kind of car I enjoy seeing at a show ! It may not be a top-of-the-line L78 SS. But it is an unmolested survivor that is almost completely original.

1969 Buick Riviera.

Class 27H: Production vehicles, 1968 - 69.

The second generation Riviera shares a chassis with the Oldsmobile Toronado and (beginning in 1967), the Cadillac Eldorado. But while the Caddy and Olds were front wheel drive, the Riviera retained a rear wheel drive layout. A 430 CID V8 that makes 360 hp was the only engine choice for Buick's personal luxury car. Sales set a record in 1969 with 52,872 sold that year.

1971 Buick Riviera.

Class 27I: Production vehicles, 1970 - 71.

The second generation Riviera seen in the previous set of photos was replaced by the all-new third generation for 1971. The most obvious change between the two is the fastback "Boattail" styling seen in the photo above which was influenced by the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. The distinctive styling set the car apart from its Oldsmobile and Cadillac platform mates, but didn't translate into increased sales.