End of 2021 Report

2021 is ending, so it’s time to assess the overall state of this tiny press for this calendar year.

Generic charts graphic

In the spring, I had a major medical issue that involved surgery and meant little activity for about four months. Despite that setback, I made a lot of progress on what will likely be the press’ next book. As of December 2021, the Riviera Project sits at 66,000 words and 182 pages—substantial increases over 2020, even as the writing got steadily more involved. 2021 was definitely a productive year for writing about the Riviera and its times—even if I still don’t have a title for the book.

I visited the Sloan Museum in Flint in October and spent a few hours in the archives—I’ll finish the blog post on that stop at some point. Suffice to say that some of the sources I viewed and photographed in the archives had me heavily revising various components of the book. Over the year, I also spent a lot of time thinking about book formatting.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Highway 101, Second Edition continues to find an audience—reinforcing my belief that it was worthwhile to revise it in the first place.

Finally, the J3Studio Press website continues to get a reasonable amount of hits, though I’ll stand by my observation that it’s hard to build an audience for a small press from nothing. However, page views were up 7% over 2020.

Thanks for reading, and on to 2022!

60,000 Words and Another Test Print

Last week, the Riviera Project hit 60,000 words. With that number written and the 168 pages currently created, I can estimate that completion will come when I get to at least 66,000 words and 182 pages—and likely considerably more. It has taken over two years to get to this point.

I had previously decided to do another test print at 60,000 words (or so), so I uploaded the PDFs to the printer yesterday. By my method of counting, this is revision 17—the previous test print was in December 2020.

Annotations on the title page say this:

Content not complete, brackets indicate questionable data, layout not optimized,
photos largely unedited, color correction not applied

—this is all true. Though I have worked a lot on the general form, there’s still much content left to go, so there’s been almost no attention made to optimizing the layout. Thus, nearly all of the photos and illustrations are in a few standardized sizes to get an idea of page flow and chapter length. Beyond using generic dimensions, I haven’t yet given consideration to cropping any of the photos or illustrations.

I also haven’t attempted any color correction except for the work I did on the exterior paint appendix. I sense that color correction will be fraught and will require some artistic choices—how closely, for example, will I try to get brochure selections to their original and unfaded colors?

Content that is known incomplete includes some option tables for 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, and 1983, along with completing the Development chapter and the Annotated Bibliography. Across the book, I keep finding things to add, amplify, and clarify.

The two most lengthy chapters remain those on the sixth generation (1979-1985) and the seventh generation (1986-1993) cars, which were the Riviera generations longest in production at seven and eight model years, respectively. I don’t see this changing because—at least to a certain extent—yearly changes drive chapter length.

1966 Buick Riviera photo
1966 Buick Riviera

Unsurprisingly, by far the most pages per year are for the first generation. However, that count only comes when I combine both the chapter on the Riviera’s initial development and the one on the actual three model years from 1963 to 1965. Otherwise, the second generation (1966-1970) leads, driven by its notably lengthy options lists and the onset of significant competition from Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Lincoln. All together, the chapters on each of the eight generations currently make up 84% of the book.

We’ll see how this test print looks—no matter how many times I look at something on a display (even a good display), there are always things I miss.

On to revision 18 …

More Formatting Questions: What’s Worth A Subhead?

1969 Pontiac Grand Prix advertisement

As the Riviera Project gets steadily longer—currently at 158 pages and 57,000 words—I find myself using more subheads within each chapter.

Some subheads are easily placed. For example, every model year of the Riviera gets its own subhead, as does each of the three special edition Rivieras.

Other subhead decisions are not so obvious. As an example, I discuss many personal luxury coupes in the Riviera Project—they were the Riviera’s primary competitors—but in my mind, there isn’t room for every one of them to get a subhead.

1969 Lincoln Mark III press photo

An excellent illustration of this repeating formatting conundrum happens over the 1969 and 1970 model years. Those years are part of the fairly lengthy (currently 18 pages) chapter on the second-generation Riviera, which ran from 1966 through 1970.

For 1969, Pontiac introduced the second-generation Grand Prix, while Lincoln introduced the Continental Mark III, based on the same platform as the fifth-generation Ford Thunderbird. In the following model year, Chevrolet introduced the Monte Carlo, based on the same A-special platform as the Grand Prix.

1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo brochure cover

Despite being designated as personal luxury coupes, none of these three models directly competed with the Riviera. In fact, the Grand Prix and the Monte Carlo were substantially downmarket from Buick’s pride, while the Mark III was more of a Cadillac Eldorado adversary.

Because the Mark III was an offering from Ford Motor Corporation, I think it is the more relevant and important competition to the Riviera. I’m leaning toward giving the Lincoln its own subhead and including the Pontiac and the Chevrolet within the other text.

What do you think?

At 55,000 Words, Is It Time to Come up With a Real Title?

Last week, the Riviera Project went over 55,000 words. With that number written and the 154 pages currently created, I can estimate that completion will come when I get to at least 61,200 words and 170 pages—and likely considerably more. It has taken almost two years to get to this point and over three months to generate the last 5,000 words.

What we still don’t have is a working title—Riviera Project is just a placeholder. I want the title to include some reference to my central thesis; that the Riviera would often differentiate from its competition with exterior design—with varying degrees of critical and financial success. But nothing has yet come to mind that I like.

Delco-GM/Bose Music System head unit

I have made significant progress recently on several fronts. The chapter on the sixth-generation cars now includes a section on the ground-breaking Delco-GM/Bose Music System, which first debuted in 1983 in the Riviera, the Cadillac Eldorado, the Cadillac Seville, and the Oldsmobile Toronado.

Work with the colors and the options continues to add notable context to the chapters themselves. In particular. I’ve done an extensive analysis of the prevalence of various colors in the seventh generation (1986-1993) and the eighth generation (1995-1999) Rivieras, since there doesn’t seem to be any actual data available.

Some statistics while we’re at it; the two most lengthy chapters remain the ones on the sixth generation (1979-1985) and the seventh generation cars, which were the Riviera generations longest in production at seven and eight model years, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, by far the most pages per year are for the first generation. However, that count is generated when I include both the chapter on the Riviera’s initial development and the one on the actual three model years from 1963 to 1965. Otherwise, the short (only two years) fifth-generation (1977-1978) leads, driven by its origin story, its notably lengthy options lists, and 1978’s 75th Anniversary Package—the first of several special edition Rivieras. The chapters on each of the eight generations currently make up 85% of the book.

End of 2020 Report

2020 is (mercifully) over, so it’s time to assess the overall state of this tiny press for this calendar year.

A lot has gotten done, though my internal clock always tells me we’re slow. The Riviera Project currently sits at 53,600 words and 152 pages—substantial increases over 2019, even as writing got harder. 2020 was definitely a productive year of writing.

Over the year, I’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about how to display the Riviera’s exterior color palette. Part of the process has also included unexpected sources, deep dives, and other cars that are part of the story.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Highway 101, Second Edition has continued to find an audience—reinforcing my belief that it was worthwhile to revise it in the first place.

Finally, the J3Studio Press website itself has taken a reasonable amount of hits, though I have discovered that it’s hard to build an audience for a small press from nothing. However, page views were up 13% over 2019.

… on to 2021!

50,000 Words

Last week, the Riviera Project went over 50,000 words. With that number written and the 148 pages currently created, I can estimate that completion will come when I get to at least 57,700 words and 170 pages—and likely considerably more. It has taken a little over twenty months to get to this point and over five months to generate the last 5,000 words as the writing has become less easy.

I have made significant progress recently on several fronts. Appendix Two, which displays the Riviera’s exterior colors, now has placeholder displays for all eight generations—details on some of the color diagramming considerations are here and here. I also continue to give attention to the options tables, adding more data and cross-referencing what’s already there. This work with the colors and the options is adding notable context to the chapters themselves.

Riviera 75th Anniversary Package advertisement

Some statistics while we’re at it; the two most lengthy chapters remain the ones on the sixth-generation and the seventh-generation cars, which were the Riviera generations longest in production at seven and eight model years, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, by far the most pages per year are for the first generation. However, that count is generated when I include both the chapter on the Riviera’s initial development and the one on the actual three model years from 1963 to 1965. Otherwise, the short (only two years) fifth-generation leads, driven by its notably lengthy options lists and the 75th Anniversary Package—the first of many special edition Rivieras. This is interesting (at least to me) because the fifth generation (1977-1978) is one of the “forgotten” generations, along with the fourth generation (1974-1976) and the seventh generation (1986-1993). The eight chapters on each generation currently make up 84% of the book.

Other Cars That Are Part of the Story: 1958 Ford Thunderbird

Writing the Riviera Project has emphasized to me how much of the Riviera’s story is also that of other cars. Of course, the first car to discuss is the 1958 Ford Thunderbird, whose release and success surprised General Motors and directly prompted the Buick Riviera.

Ford began a feasibility study for a four-seat Thunderbird in October 1954. Designated as 195H, the new direction was approved on March 9, 1955. Aside from essentially creating a new market segment, the second-generation Thunderbird was also the first Ford Motor Company vehicle to use unibody construction. This technical innovation allowed it to be astoundingly low for a mass-market late 1950s four-seat coupe—at 52.5 inches, more than half a foot shorter than Ford’s Fairlane 500 Victoria coupe and only one and a half inches taller than Chevrolet’s Corvette sports car.

Rumors of a four-seat Thunderbird started showing up in the press in early June 1957. On Wednesday, October 16, 1957, Ford formally disclosed that the glamorous and acclaimed two-seat Thunderbird would be replaced by a four-seat version for the 1958 model year. The new Thunderbird was unveiled to a select group on New Year’s Eve 1958 at the prestigious Thunderbird Golf Club in Palm Springs, CA. The 1958 didn’t show up at dealers until late in January 1958, with an official introduction on February 13, 1958.

Cover of the 1958 Ford Thunderbird brochure

The first of the four-seat Thunderbirds sold very well, despite a down year for the industry overall and only nine months of production. Ford moved 35,762 hardtop coupes at a base price of $3,631, proving that there was considerable demand for a brand extension well above the previous four-seat top-of-the-line—the $2,435 Victoria hardtop coupe. Indeed, the Thunderbird cost more than many Mercurys in an era when there was usually strong price separation between brands—only the Park Lane models and the Montclair Voyager four-door station wagon were pricier.

At the time, the 1958 was lamented by automotive enthusiasts as a horrible corporate change from the lovely 1955-1957 two-seat convertible, but Ford’s management knew they had made the right decision—sales of the two-seater had peaked at 21,380. General Motors marketers and product planners must have noticed what was going on—and been aware that they had no competitive vehicle. The new Thunderbird was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 1958, and it continued to sell well over the next few model years: 57,195 hardtop coupes in 1959 and 80,983 hardtop coupes in 1960.

Hue … and Cry?

As I continued to work on the exterior paint color charts for the Riviera Project, I have been thinking about arranging the colors I display. I’ve been trying to sort visually using ROYGBIV, with some degree of success. After a few months, a seemingly obvious concept finally came to mind—why not just use the color hue values to place them?

I’ll expand: one of the many ways to describe a particular color is the HSB color space—Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. Also named as HSL (Hue, Saturation, and Lightness), HSB is a different way of measuring the RGB color space. The interest here is that it nicely separates hue from other color factors over 360 degrees, with the red in ROYGBIV starting at about 345 degrees.

HSB was initially conceived as a way to add color to black-and-white television transmissions without changing the signal that the black-and-white sets were receiving. It has been around for quite a while—French engineer Georges Valensi invented it in 1938, pre-dating the first consumer color televisions by 16 years. Those first color televisions were astoundingly expensive—the Admiral C1617A’s $1,175 price (about $11,200 in 2020 dollars) gives a hint of why substantial color television adoption would take almost 15 years.

fifth-generation Riviera color chart

So far, I’ve charted the exterior colors using the print-oriented CYMK color space. Still, Adobe Illustrator (which I’ve been using) and a plethora of other applications have no trouble converting the values displayed to HSB so that I can see the hue value. It was time for some testing—what could go wrong?

I tried this new-to-me color sorting method out on the current beta of the fifth-generation chart. It seems to work decently, but more exploration will be needed. The early results are shown to the right.

While I’ve been testing these sorting revisions, I’ve added the appropriate Buick-assigned two-digit color number and an asterisk if the color is metallic to each paint swatch. So, the charts now also have higher data density.

The charts also show the somewhat confounding color naming inconsistencies that prevailed throughout the Riviera’s life. A color can keep the same marketing name (i.e., Medium Green), but be a different painting formulation (changing from PPG 2694 to PPG 3062). Another color can alter its marketing name but remain the same paint formulation. Finally, the same Buick-assigned color number (63) can change paint formulations (PPG 2970 to PPG 3090) and color names (Gold to Dark Gold) from year to year.

Details, details, details, …

Why the Riviera Project?

I’ve managed to publish three travel books over the last 15 years, but now I’m working on an automotive title. Why this particular book? Why the Riviera Project?

The first hint is in the draft dedication:

For my glorious wife, who told me that she always thought
I should write books about automobiles

—but there’s more to it. As I write this book, I have not yet owned a Buick Riviera (though I am currently searching for one). However, the Riviera has been on my radar since I was a young child.

Cadillac La Salle XP-715 prototype

When I was attending elementary school in the late 1970s, a local public library that I visited often had a few books on automotive styling. In one of those books was a grayscale picture of the side profile of a Riviera prototype. I remember to this day the precise point when I became aware of Buick’s coupe—though I can’t find or even identify that book (how does one search for such a thing?). I am quite sure it was the photo shown here, or a variation thereof.

My Riviera predilections became known—and have been known for decades. An encounter with an ex-girlfriend shortly after the eighth generation version was released led to a seemingly out-of-the-blue question: “What do you think of the new Riviera?” she queried. “I really like it.” was my reply. “I thought you would,” she said with a knowing smile.

When Buick announced the end of Riviera production in the fall of 1998, I remember writing an angry email to the corporate office telling them that they were losing their soul. I then inquired with our local Buick dealer about the availability of a Silver Arrow, but all 200 made were already long gone.

Over the (so far) sixteen month process of writing this book, I have found myself becoming steadily more enamored with the romance of the Riviera. I am now rooting for all eight generations—even the ones I was previously disinterested in.

Progress: 45,000 Words

Yesterday evening, the Riviera Project went over 45,000 words. With that number written and the 140 pages currently created, I can estimate that completion will come when I get to at least 53,400 words and 166 pages—and likely considerably more.

1977 Riviera advertisement

I have made significant progress on several fronts. Appendix Two, which displays the Riviera’s exterior colors, now has placeholder displays for half the generations—details on some of the color diagramming considerations are here. With those colors tables now in place, there’s now more precise analysis by year in each of the separate generational chapters.

There’s also been notable work on further rationalizing and extending the index and adding to the books discussed in the annotated bibliography.

Likely the most time-consuming effort over the last two months has been the attention I continue to give the options tables, both adding more data and refining their display. I’ve put extra time into the tables that show the complex 1982-1985 period when the Riviera offered coupe, T Type, and convertible versions.

Some statistics while we’re at it; the two most lengthy chapters remain the ones on the sixth-generation and the seventh-generation cars, which were the Riviera generations longest in production at seven and eight model years, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, by far the most pages per year are for the first generation, though that count is generated when I include both the Riviera’s initial development and the actual three model years from 1963 to 1965. Otherwise, the short (only two years) fifth-generation now leads, driven by its notable options lists and the 75th Anniversary Package. The eight chapters on each generation currently make up 86% of the book.