Buick Riviera VII photos

Launched for the 1986 model year, the seventh-generation Buick Riviera switched to a compact unibody configuration with a transverse engine layout on GM's revised front-wheel-drive E-body platform. The car made automotive history by featuring the high-tech Graphic Control Center (GCC), the world's first production in-dash color cathode-ray tube (CRT) touchscreen interface controlling audio, automatic climate control, and trip diagnostics. The sole engine architecture was Buick's celebrated 3.8-liter V6 (LN3 and later 3800 Series I L27), outputting between 140 and 170 horsepower, coupled to a four-speed 4T60/4T60-E automatic transaxle. Following customer pushback against the stubby proportions, Buick performed a major restyling for the 1989 model year that extended the overall length by 11 inches, restoring a formal luxury profile. The Gran Sport (GS) performance package was re-introduced for 1991, adding a firmer touring suspension, quick-ratio steering, and blacked-out exterior trim.