Merle Taggart's 1963 Buick

Photo by George Barris

The coupe as it appeared on the cover of Popular Customs Winter Issue 1963.

The Buick as it sat in 2013, while Eugene Vik owned it. Photo courtesy of Eugene Vik.

Photo courtesy of Eugene Vik.

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1963 Buick Riviera restyled by Fostoria Customs in Ohio for Merle Taggart of Ohio. The Buick featured cutaway fenders which gave the Buick a completely new appearance. The stock headlights were discarded because of the new front styling and gave the coupe a look that was a cross between a Chrysler Imperial and an Indy roadster. The front end featured twin sculptured grille openings with chromed square tube grilles. The front end sheet metal sculpture flowed the new lines into the body with the unique cutaway rear fenders. The body was finished up in red and gold Candy. The car was a radical custom for its time.

Larry Kramer owned the car for a while. He remodeled it, and fit it with a chopped Oldsmobile Cutlass roof. Eugene Vik of Ada, Minnesota bought the old custom in 2009. He entered it at the 2010 Grand National Roadster Show. Due to a lack of space, and 8 cars the car is for sale at 24 000 USD. At the time, the car had 29 000 miles on the odometer.

Magazine Features

Popular Customs Winter Issue 1963