1981 Buick Riviera: The T Type and the Diesel

Riviera production for 1981 totaled 52,007, this record's own overview states, a figure the Riviera Owners Association's own table and Wikipedia's own reproduction of James Flammang's Standard Catalog of Buick table agree on; the turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6, now badged T Type rather than S Type, was rated 180 horsepower, this record's own engines section states. This record's own second overview paragraph adds that beforeblack.net gives 3,990 turbo Rivieras and T Types for 1981.^1,2,3

This record's own production section quotes the Owners Association's Evolution article directly on the year's two non-standard drivetrains: "only 11,793 V-6s for the model year, and 3,990 T-Type turbocharged V-6s," a wording this record's own note says leaves unstated whether the 11,793 figure already includes the turbo V-6s fitted to standard coupes. A separate production row credits 8,372 Rivieras with the new 350-cubic-inch diesel V-8, citing the same Evolution article for a figure it describes as 16.1 percent of the year's production and states was not sold in California.⁴

This record's own conflicts section carries a T Type production disagreement it does not resolve: the Owners Association's own 1981 row gives 1,944 T Types while Wikipedia's own Production Figures table gives 3,990, with this record's own treatment note again saying it is not clear whether each source counts only turbo cars or all cars carrying the T Type trim. A second conflict in the same section carries a price disagreement between two Owners Association pages, $12,146 for the coupe and $13,090 for the T-Type in its own options-and-prices transcription against $12,523 and $13,499 in its own Evolution article, with both pages shown since neither carries a stated revision date.^1,2,5,4

This record's own key facts section is empty for 1981; the production notes and conflicts section carry the year's narrative detail instead. This record's own options section itemizes 75 entries in total, including the diesel engine itself under code LF9 at a $695 upcharge and a diesel-specific heavy-duty battery under code UA1 at $42, alongside T-Type-specific seating options such as a manual passenger's-side recliner under code AT6 at $65 and an electric driver's-side recliner under code A80 at $124.⁵

This record's own paint table carries 16 colours from the Owners Association's 1981 chart, its own note pairing dark and light two-tone shades, citing Black with Light Sandstone as an example, plus eight vinyl-top colour codes. Its interiors section carries 17 trims, opening with a standard 45/45 velour-cloth seat offered in Blue, Jadestone, Sandstone and Gray among its listed colours, this record's own chart source cited for every row.⁶

This record's own specifications section carries seven 1981 figures from the Owners Association's weights-and-measures table: a 3,673-pound curb weight, a 114.0-inch wheelbase, front and rear track of 59.3 and 60.0 inches, a 206.0-inch overall length, a 71.5-inch width, a 54.3-inch height, and a P205/75-15 tire size. This record's own identification and unpublished-leads sections are both empty for the year, and its own performance and transmissions sections carry no entries either, leaving the production, conflicts and options sections as this record's own richest sources for the year.⁷