A recent trip to the Cleveland International Auto Show over the weekend gave me a chance to see a concept that I didn’t know existed. After being able to stand there and lay my eyes on it, I felt very lucky to see a piece of automotive art.

This concept, called the Buick Riviera Concept, was designed in China by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center for the 2007 Auto Shanghai. According to a General Motors press release, the Riviera concept was designed and developed with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) to showcase a new hybrid system built specifically for the Chinese market.

But that doesn’t matter to us, now does it? What we care about are those looks!

The Riviera Concept, with its carbon-fiber body, is stunning. The taut, yet aggressive front end gives the car a look of both class and power. Those headlamps are my favorite part of the design, with their tiny LED lamps and how they seem to be pulled back along the top of fenders give the whole front end a sinister look.

The overall profile of the car is very reminiscent of a Honda CRX, with a slightly round, smoother-flowing and more masculine look. The long hood and a very short overhang in the rear belie the fact that this car is much larger than it seems. However, the car looks well-proportioned from every angle: Continue Reading…