What an unusual Riviera. Has the 307 V8 and not the turbo V6 and looks like a standard Riviera but for the T Type emblems and bucket seats. https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d/kansas-city-1981-buick-riviera-type/7107048444.html
It's a beautiful example of that car. You didn't want the turbo in those early years, they had quite a few problems. I believe cammerjeff had one that was nothing but trouble. It always makes me laugh to see a bucket seat\console car with the shifter on the column. Buick was still arguably an old man car at this time, no matter that Olds, Pontiac, and Chevy all had floor shifted versions of this car in their lineups going back to 1978.
I think it has had T-Type emblems added to it sometime in the past for some reason. Nice car. And yes I avoid any Carb'd Buick V6 Turbo like it is infectious! But I did find out what caused most of my 78 Regals issues just before I sold it! Porous intake manifold casting! It would leak into the crank case under high boost conditions causing intake manifold, and front & rear main oil leaks. Under low boost conditions it would cause poor idle and oil burning. I agree with the Bucket seat Console and Column shift combination. Seemed to be alot of Buick's and Chevy's built that way. I did see pictures of a 73 Lemans GT equiped that way recently though, still looks odd to me. But I do own a Pick up Truck equiped that way today.
I think it is a factory original T Type. The 1981 brochure shows the bucket seats were only available in the T Type.
Its probably my thinking the T-Type stood for Turbo Like it did on the Regals, so does it stand for Touring on the Riviera's?
