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Hey, have you seen that Buick with a blower?
My name is Don, and I've been collecting cars for the last 30
years, during which time, many have come, been customized, and gone, with one exception, a 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport
that I still drive today. I bought the Riv in 1978, drove her and showed
her in stock condition for years, before deciding to supercharge her. Late in 1997, I bought a second Buick 425 engine
and hood and proceeded to add a 671 blower to her.
Owning a supercharged car can be a real challenge and expensive, I ought
to know. The Riv has blown 3 motors, 3 trannys, 3 sets of pistons, 4 torque converters, 2 rear ends, and dozens of head
gaskets. She also eats up tires pretty fast, but that probably has something to do with the driver...
Anyone who has seen us at cars shows knows that I work the car pretty hard. She has a made young
women go berzerk, children cry, and old ladies accuse us of "Disturbing the Peace."
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Blown!
The Riv's
first car
show after
being
super-
charged.
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1998 Concours D'Elegance Custom & Rod Show
Port Gardner, Everett, Washington
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Crusing & Car Shows
The Riv's a driver, we only
trailer it to long distance car shows, because finding replacement parts can be difficult, even when you know you need them
in advance. I drive it most weekends, and/or when ever I get the opportunity.
My wife, Kelly, and I frequent many local car shows in the southern California
area. Some of our favorite shows are the Temecula Rod Run, Route 66 Rendevouz, and Rialto Run What Ya Brung.
We also like to attend some of the car shows out of state, like the
Midnight at the Oasis show in Yuma, AZ, and Hot August Nights in Reno. We also occasionally frequent some smaller cruise-in
shows in Mesa, AZ.
I customized the Riv because I wanted to do something different, knowing
that it would draw mixed reactions, people either love it or hate it. Over the years though, it has been honored
with a few awards. A couple of my favorite awards are the "Bad to the Bone" and the "Muffler Rap" won at local car shows
in the southern California area.
If you happen to see me at one of these cars shows, c'mon over, I'm always interested in what other
Buick owners are doing, and of course like most motor sports enthusiasts, like to swap stories.
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