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• Coupe Dreams: Low and Slow in a ’65 Buick Riviera [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 26 April 2013

  

  From 1963 to 1999 (though it did take the 1994 model year off), the Buick Riviera served as the brand’s fashion leader, combining snazzy coupe styling with peppy performance (in most cases) and posh interior appointments. We’re partial to some generations more than others, but they’re all distinctive, even compared to other Buicks of the same vintage. We just hope any future Rivieras (assuming they happen) are a bit less distinctive than the two most recent concepts to come out of GM’s Chinese studio.

  Anyway, the first generation Riv (1963 to ’65) arguably remains the most iconic generation of Riviera. And with handsome, European-like styling and torquey Nailhead V8 power, why wouldn’t it be? Okay, maybe you prefer matte black paint, black wire wheels and a slammed stance. In that case, this customize 1965 Riviera has got you covered. Still have an excuse? Well, maybe you’re beyond help. Sorry ‘bout that.

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• 1963 Buick Riviera by Fesler Built is Untouchable

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 12 March 2013

  

  In the early 1960s, the hyper-talented creative types at General Motors Design (led by Bill Mitchell) created a mid-size, two-door personal luxury car. The tidy, almost European proportions and lines would eventually draw praise from such automotive design luminaries as Sir William Lyons, Sergio Pininfarina and Raymond Loewy. But this stylish coupe that would become the Buick Riviera wasn’t originally supposed to be a Buick; the design was intended for Cadillac, as a quasi-revival of the marque’s LaSalle sub-brand. Cadillac management had no interest in the project, and Buick beat out Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile in the internal competition for the right to build it instead.

  With or without the interesting backstory, the first generation Buick Riviera is truly an American classic. However, its classic status hasn’t precluded hot rodders and customizers from putting their own personal spins on this iconic body style. And the custom Riv created by Chris Fesler and the crew at Fesler Built for his friend, Ronin Syndicate CEO Tony Diaz, is very custom and very menacing.

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• The Top 10 Pre-GTO American Muscle Cars

  In Classics / By Tom Anderson / 19 March 2012

  

  An overwhelming majority of sources assert that the Adam of the American muscle car species is the 1964 Pontiac GTO. It was certainly the first muscle car to be marketed toward leadfooted baby boomers, but it was not the first high-performance American passenger car. Nor was it the first American car to combine one of its maker’s big car engines with one of its small car body and chassis.

  In short, the history of the muscle car stretches back many years before the O.G. Goat showed up. Just how rich is that history? Take a look at the following 10 factory hot rods and we think you’ll agree it’s pretty doggone rich.

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• Sub5Zero Fantasy Collection: Buick GNX

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 27 February 2012

  

  If you wind the clock back to last weekend, you’ll see that we ran a feature on a 1987 Buick Grand National for sale on Long Island. We explained how the GN came to be one of the most formidable vehicles of the muscle car renaissance of the 1980s, and also mentioned how even it was put in the shade by a rare, one-year-only super Grand National called the GNX. The following is its story; by the time we’re done, you’ll understand why we can’t possibly not add it to our fantasy collection.

  By the mid-‘80s, the Buick Grand National (and the various other turbocharged Regal coupes that were essentially identical, save for different wheel styles and a choice of interior and exterior colors) was on many a car nut’s radar. Unfortunately, the rear-wheel-drive G-body platform on which the Regal (as well as other GM models like the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Chevrolet Monte Carlo and El Camino, and the Pontiac Grand Prix) was set to be replaced by the thoroughly modern, front-drive GM10 platform beginning in 1988. Buick could have adapted the Grand National’s turbocharged 3.8L V6 to mount transversely and power the front wheels, but it also knew such a car would have been atrocious from a driving dynamics standpoint, particularly with the same kind of power levels the intercooled ’86 and ’87 models were making. So the painful decision was made that the 1987 turbo Regals would be the last; however, work began in earnest on making sure they went out with a bang.

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• Internet Gem of the Week: 1987 Buick Grand National

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 19 February 2012

  

  After the great muscle car mass extinction of the 1970s, fans of these quintessentially American tire mincers were justifiably worried that this particular genus of the motoring kingdom would never again occupy a new car showroom. The fear that the only place to witness these carnivores of the concrete jungle would be in museums, car shows and dragstrips was all too real.

  Thankfully, by the mid-1980s, it was starting to become clear that advances in electronic engine management and emission control technology would allow some of the old magic to return (though we very much doubt anyone could have envisioned the 600hp-plus Shelby GT500s and Corvette ZR1s of today). The 1982 Ford Mustang GT with the “High Output” 302 cubic inch V8 is often credited with reigniting the muscle car flame, but a nameplate that debuted that same year is responsible for pouring gasoline on that flame. And it did so using an unlikely engine and wearing an unlikely badge.

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• The Top 15 Cars for Street Racing

  In Lists / By Tom Anderson / 17 October 2011

  

  The first automobile race, as the old yarn claims, occurred shortly after the second automobile was built. While the accuracy of this anecdote is, to put it gently, questionable, it wouldn’t at all be a reach to assume the first race took place on a public road. It would take a few years before someone would suggest racing cars on dirt ovals designed for horses, and the first racecourse designed specifically for motorcars – England’s Brooklands circuit – wasn’t constructed until 1907, a full 21 years after Karl Benz received a patent for his self-propelled tricycle that was steered with a tiller from the comfort of a park bench.

  But even after the invention of permanent circuits, street racing has endured; sadly, there are far fewer legal street races (with roads closed to traffic and temporary barriers set up) staged than there are illegal ones. While we here at Sub5Zero unequivocally do not endorse illegal street racing (mainly because our legal department – which is comprised of a magic 8-ball and a law school textbook written around the time Ralph Nader started potty training – says we shouldn’t), we realize we can’t reach out of your monitor and bitchslap you for deciding to do it anyway. If you truly insist on endangering the safety of yourselves and others and risking getting your ass thrown in the pokey (You do know why they call it that, right?), at least do so in something that has a decent chance of winning. Something like one of these fine rides.

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• The Top 20 Most Unmistakably ‘80s Car Commercials

  In Car Videos, Featured / By Tom Anderson / 19 May 2011

  

  It’s hard to believe that the 1980s ended more than 20 years ago. Then again, maybe we just don’t want to believe the ‘80s ended that long ago. Either way, it was a pretty long time ago, and while we certainly don’t remember the whole decade (would have been hard considering we were born four-and-a-half-years in), we do remember quite a bit of the music, fashion, the hair (oh, the hair) and, most importantly of all, the cars. Those four era-defining touchstones often came together in TV ads and promotional films. Here are 20 of our favorite such videos, preserved in all their fluffy-mane-babe-filled, giant-“TURBO”-decaled glory. Radical!

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• The Top 20 Most Unfortunate Car Names

  In Featured, Lists / By Tom Anderson / 15 April 2011

  

  When it comes to a car’s identity, its name is arguably the biggest defining factor. Yes, even more than the styling; would the Mustang be the smashing success it has been for almost a quarter century if it had been called the KB112-C? Would the Jaguar E-Type still be one of the sexiest cars of all time if it had instead been christened the Diabetic Chestwaxer? We’re guessing the answers are “No,” and “No.”

  However, for all the brilliant car names sprinkled across the annals of history, there are some that just make you ask a) “What was the marketing department on?” and b) “Where can I get some?” Here are what we feel are 20 of the loopiest labels in automotive history.

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• The Top 10 Los Angeles Auto Show 2010 Debuts

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 19 November 2010

  

  As native Angelenos, we’d like to debunk a few common myths about us. Not all of us have people who will call your people. We don’t all eat anything that has “soy,” “acai” and/or “free range” in front of its name. And a few of us actually know that “like” isn’t really a preposition.

  One story about us that is true, though, is our culture revolves around the automobile. So it’s no surprise that the Los Angeles Auto Show has become one of the biggest new-car parties on the international calendar, with manufacturers from this continent and others premiering their newest wares. Many reflect the rapidly accelerating trend toward environmentally-responsible motoring, while others shower you in the delightful decadences of luxury and speed (sometimes both at once). Here are the ten newbies that got our attention.

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• Detroit 2010: Buick Regal GS Concept – The Gran Sport Legacy Lives On

  In Auto News / By Ari Cox / 12 January 2010

  

  Buick has been trying to capture a younger demographic and add some excitement to its brand for quite some time. With Tiger Woods in the doghouse and no hip celebrity endorser, what’s one to do to reinvigorate a brand that never seems to produce cars on anyone’s wish list? Well, that my friends, is where the new Buick Regal GS Concept comes into play. While GM has not given the green light for production, this car looks pretty much ready to go. Most of the major components are already being cranked out anyway. And with so many detailed specs available, this alone leads us to believe it is a shoe-in for showrooms.

  Of course, the mass-market Regal CXL models will probably get a fair head start (this summer) before the GS drops, but we’ll wait patiently. The Regal GS is based on the Opel Insignia OPC, the model’s high-performance variant, which sports a turbo V6 good for 325 horsepower. But given that the Regal platform will use the same 2.0-liter EcoTec four-banger of which we’ve become quite familiar, GM’s engineers had to put on their tuning hats. As such, the reworked GS engine will reportedly pump out 260 horsepower. That’s a nice number but it’s really the 295 lb-ft of torque that raised our brows along with the fact that a six-speed manual will be offered.

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