1964 Buick Riviera Wins 2014 Ridler Award!

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They’ve been handing out the prestigious Ridler Award at the Detroit AutoRama for over five decades now.

You’d be hard-pressed to think of a past winner that’s more custom than J.F. Launier’s 1964 Buick Riviera—winner of the 2014 Ridler Award.

Launier’s radical Riviera, named Rivision, literally jumped out from the field of Pirelli Great 8 finalists to earn the award yesterday in Detroit. Built at Launier’s shop in Osoyoos, British Columbia, it’s loaded with custom features inside and out, from front to back. A few highlights of the Riviera include:

• Original four-seat layout reconfigured to a two-seat design
• Twin-turbocharged, 850-horsepower GM 6.2L LS V8 with truck-mounted turbocharger, wastegates. and associated plumbing
• Custom copper-color turbo tubing
• Ford GT40-style ducted radiator with hot air exit in the hood
• Six-speed manual gearbox
• Custom-designed rectangular steel perimeter frame which allows the driver and powertrain to sit low within the chassis and the roofline to be dramatically lowered
• Smoothed undercarriage with custom siamesed-exhaust pipes
• Boattail-style rear glass
• CNC grille and headlight frames
• Custom Mike Curtis-designed wheels

This ground-breaking Riviera isn’t just a trailer queen either.

Launier plans to take Rivision autocrossing in the near future. Perhaps after scooping up a few more awards on the way.