FINE LITERATURE FOR THE RIVIERA CONNOISEUR
Some reading material to go along with your 1971 Riviera...
Here we have the 1971 Buick Sales Ideas dealer Organization Training kit. I got this on eBay for an ridiculously low price. Inside the box are four film canisters and four 33 1/3 record albums.
The film canisters are labeled as follows,
Green canister... Buick's Sales Ideas.. Presenting the 1971 Skylark and GS... 1971-1-A.
Brown canister... Buick's Sales Ideas... Presenting the 1971 estate Wagon, Sportswagon and 1971 Options and Accessories... 1971-1-B.
Blue canister... Buick's Sales Ideas... Presenting the 1971 LeSabre, Centurion and Electra 225... 1971-1-C.
Orange canister... Buick's Sales Ideas... Presenting the 1971 Riviera, Emission Control, Engines and Safety... 1971-1-D.
The numbers 1971-1-A, 1971-1-B, 1971-1-C and 1971-1-D refer to the sides of the four records.
The records are labeled as
Buick's Sales Ideas 1971-1-A... Presenting the 1971 Skylark and GS, flip side of this record is titled the same and is side 2
Buick's Sales Ideas 1971-1-B... Presenting the 1971 Estate Wagon, Sportwagon and 1971 Options and Accessories, flip side is titled the same and is side 2
Buick's Sales Ideas 1971-1-C... presenting the 1971 LeSabre, Centurion and Electra 225, flip side is titled the same and is side 2
Buick's Sales Ideas 1971-1-D... Presenting the 1971 Riviera, Emission Control, Engines and Safety, flip side is labeled DO NOT PLAY THIS SIDE.
The color of the film canisters and the printing on the records are color matched. It appears to be a complete set... there are 15 holes for the film canisters and only four canisters, but the all of titles cover the entire Buick line.
Here we have the Canadian version of the Buick full line brochure (I also have the more common American version, which is smaller, cropped horizontally) and a dealer postcard. The Riviera matchbook was supposed to be in this pic, but I can't find mine. It has the same photo as the postcard, but it's smaller and full of matches...
Even rarer is this Riviera specific brochure. It was only 8 pages, but goes for big bucks on eBay. Rivieras had their own literature in some cases, as GM tinkered with the idea of treating it as a separate line from other Buicks. They never really made that distinction stick with consumers, however.
The 1971 Buick Chassis Service Manual has just about every mechanical procedure you'll ever need to work on this car. The middle book, the 1971 Buick Chassis New Product Service Manual is an earlier abridged version that only points out major changes from previous years. The 1971 Fisher Body Manual covers all body and exterior parts and procedures for GM passenger cars for that year. These are all must have books for the resto process. Reproductions are available of these books for big bucks. You can also find them on DVD if you only need them for the information.
The Buick Service Information binder is full of Technical Service Bulletins issued to dealers regarding the 1971 Buick line. It contains over 100 separate documents with diagrams, technical illustrations, and photos of updated parts and procedures and recall information and warranty procedures. It also includes sample text for letters notifying customers of recalls, some of which are rather amusing to read. Bulletins are arranged by category and there are even laminated tabs with authentic mechanic thumbprints on them. This book is probably the rarest piece in the trunk of my car. The Essential Service Tools guide is part of the TSB binder.
Some consumer pamphlets that one could pick up in the showroom. A guide to Buick FM stereo, a brochure showing other add on options (here's to you, Mrs. Robinson... Grrrr!), and a color chip chart.
This piece was also found in the showroom, but buyers didn't get to take it home... The 1971 Buick Color & Trim Guide contains actual fabric samples in every color for every trim level of Buick. It also has a guide to different wheel options. An amazing piece. The small book, the 1971 Buick Facts Book was for dealer use only. It's a cheat sheet with all the specs for Buick and Opel designed to fit in the salesman's pocket.
Also included in the Color and Trim Guide is the Exterior Color and Top Selector. The upper section includes fabric samples in every color for convertible and vinyl tops. The bottom consists of large painted chips of every color available. You could flip them around to mix and match every possible combination to see just how ugly a green top would look on a red body...
These would be in the glove box... 1971 Riviera Owner's Manual is pretty self explanatory. It does suggest the new fangled notion that parents might want to consider strapping young children into car seats. The Consumer Information pamphlet contains data and charts regarding stopping and passing distances. For 1971, by the way, Riviera had its own literature separate from other Buick models.
A set of paint chips for body shops and one of the magazine ads for the Riv. The paint chips are not printed on the sheet, but actually small pieces that have been painted each color. A well preserved copy of this should be everything you need to recreate the exact shade of your car.
The 1971 GM Stockholders guide previewing all the new cars. GM did some major overhauls in '71, so there are lots of new models in here. On the cover... Introducing the VEGA! Woohoo!
This 1971 Buick trailering brochure is a rare piece. There are no Rivieras in it, but you could put a tow package on your Riv. You can see the entire brochure here.
Just for the hell of it, here's the cover of Girlschool's 1981 LP "Hit and Run". The front cover shows a '72 Riv getting the best of a brick wall. No such images on the back or inner sleeve, though. The UK version is on translucent red vinyl, by the way. If you're looking for it on eBay, please note the CD version usually has a completely different Riv-less cover. As for the music... well, it's a neat illustration.You can listen to it here.
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Ron Ruelle, Cartoonist, Illustrator, Blogger, Social Media Guy, Graphic Novelist, Pen for Hire. HeyDarwin@comcast.net Or snail mail to Ron Ruelle, PO Box 19492, Boulder, CO 80308-9492. All contents (C) 1986-2020 Ron Ruelle and/or their respective copyright holders. So don't go printing this stuff on t-shirts and selling it at the county fair! This website designed, developed and maintained by Ron Ruelle.