Under the Hood: Riviera Gran Sport Withstands the Test of Time

When resident Dave DeMick spotted his first car in 1975, it was love at first sight.

"I had to have it," said DeMick, who grew up and still has family in Oak Lawn. "My grandma sold it to me for $1,500 when I was 16. I've since freshened it up."

He stood beside the beauty—a teal 1970 Riviera Gran Sport—last week on . He recalled what it was like to save every penny of his $2.80 per hour paychecks from Oak Lawn News Agency to buy it.

"I was stuffing papers," the 52-year-old said, with a laugh. "I was stowing away this nest egg. I never knew this would happen."

His grandmother bought the car from a Buick dealership in 1970. Her husband was ill at the time, DeMick said, and she told salesman she wanted, "the best car that money could buy."

"She went to the hospital to see my grandfather and said, 'Glen, if you get better, this car is yours,'" DeMick said. "He got better."

The couple later bought a Ford Galaxy and sold the Riviera to DeMick. He said it's had one new paint job and it's engine has been in pieces about three times.

"It'd be hard to give this car up," DeMick said. "It's such a proud feeling to drive it."

Make and Model: Buick Riviera Gran Sport

Year: 1970

Odometer: 36,000

Engine: Buick 455, 420-horsepower stock engine

Interior: Black vinyl

Year Purchased: 1975

Bought from: His grandmother

Owner Occupation: An independent distributor for Pepperidge Farm Bread. He calls himself a "loafer."

Tags: DAVS RIV

General fun facts: DeMick wanted the car to "look original but not to run original," he said, referring to it as a "sleeper." The Riv is punched 30 over, the heads, intake and exhaust manifolds have been ported and polished.

What makes it all worth it?: "I just enjoy the camaraderie," he said. "It's the people you meet on the journey through life that make it all worthwhile."