The name "Riviera" has always signified something special in Buick history. A sporty car with style and class, Riviera models were generally "high line" Buicks of upper level trim, somewhat limited in production and "Rivi" owners were rightly proud of their "Special" Buicks. (Couldn't help the tongue-in-cheek pun. Sorry.)

This week's story is about one of the more rare Rivieras of modern time... the LXXV special edition, limited production coupe from 1978. But, this week's story is about more than just a Riviera. It's also the story about one of those proud owners, Weston Morefield of St. Louis. I think

I'll take a well-deserved break today and let Wes tell you about his special Riviera in his own words as he

does quite well.

Dear Sir;

1978 was the 75th anniversary of the Buick Motor Car Co., as I am sure you know.

In honor of this anniversary, Buick made a very limited run of a special Riviera called model LXXV. ( My insurer , American Collectors Insurance Co., informed me that only 1,400 of this model were made).

This model differed in many ways from the stock Riviera of 1978: The exclusive paint combination was that used on the Indy 500 Pace Car for 1978. The roof was a full grained vinyl, the steering wheel was a Rally wheel, the window ledges were brushed aluminum, the dash was a padded black vinyl, the instrument panel was brushed aluminum, the upholstery was tufted silver glove leather, the carpeting was silver high nap, the wheel covers were chrome wire, the chrome vertical bars grill was reminiscent of the Rolls grill and the car itself had virtually every mechanical and electrical feature available; 350M v-8 engine, power steering/windows/brakes/door locks/trunk release/cruise control.

St. Louis Buick dealers were allocated a very few of the LXXV cars and I was fortunate to be able to buy one new in July 1978 from Ackerman Buick in St. Louis. and have babied it since the day I bought it. It has always been garaged, never been in an accident, and is still perfect mechanically and in its show-room appearance.

My car is now registered as a Historic Vehicle and I take great pleasure in displaying it at auto shows in and around the St. Louis area.

I enjoy your columns in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and thought you might enjoy hearing about my very special car.

Weston Morefield

I hope you enjoyed Wes' account of his LXXV Riviera. Oh yes... one final note. You'd never know by his eloquent prose, but Wes is 87 years 'young' as he likes to put it!

More about the 1978 Rivieras in the expanded web story, coming soon.