Lot 872: 1963 Buick Riviera Custom

The Jim Noteboom/Gene Winfield In 1963 Jim Noteboom bought a brand new Buick Riviera. The Riviera was cleanly-styled and elegant, and it would have been the talk of Detroit if the new Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray hadn’t stolen the limelight. A true personal luxury car, the Riveria was a strict four-seater, featuring bucket seats front and rear. Power came from a 425cid “nail-head” V-8 and went aft through an automatic transmission.

Young Mr. Noteboom hadn’t had his elegant Riviera for long when he took it to legendary custom builder Gene Winfield. Winfield, who is well known for his movie and Television cars, began by removing the grille and replacing it with flat steel bars. The hood was nosed and peaked and the corners rounded. The headlights came out of a 1964 Mercury. The stock taillights were removed and placed in the rear bumper, giving the deck a smooth, clean appearance. Side trim was eliminated and a small scoop formed to house antenna.

On the inside, the console was given simple walnut paneling and the bucket seats were stitched in gold and white naugahyde by Paul's custom upholstery shop. The exterior finish was shot in pear and candy gold lacquer at Winfield's shop in Modesto, California. Doors and trunks operate electrically and the car rolled on wire wheels with chrome knockoffs. Despite all of the interior and exterior work, the engine and drivetrain were left stock. After completion, the Noteboom Riviera was featured in Car Craft Magazine and Popular Hot Rodding.

When Noteboom moved from southern California to the northern part of the state in 1965, he left his custom Riviera behind, and that was that . . . or so he thought. In 1997 a fellow custom car enthusiast learned that the Winfield-customized Riviera was on the market and brought it to the attention of Noteboom. After 32 year, the original owner had his old car back.

Noteboom had the interior reupholstered to its original custom iteration and the car was repainted in the signature Winfield fadeaway gold. To keep the car completely authentic, the Buick still retains the RCA record player young Jim Noteboom installed back when the car was first his.

Since restoration to its original Winfield configuration, Noteboom’s son has taken it to several events including Paso Robles. With a new owner will come more shows and chance to own a significant piece of California’s custom car past.