Is the Buick Riviera returning

Is Buick's lusty Riviera poised for a comeback? Perhaps, and General Motors isn't shutting the door completely. GM moved to trademark the "Riviera" name on May 3, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Why do this? "There are a number of reasons why companies file for patents or trademarks on names, ranging from potential future use to protecting rights [of] an existing historical name," a spokesman told Autoweek. The Riviera name is one of the most famous in Buick's history, debuting in 1963 with Ferrari-inspired design cues. The cars remained large and luxurious in the ensuing decades, ending life in 1999 as a premium coupe. The name also was used as a trim level in the 1940s and '50s on some Buicks. It's long been a part of GM lore that the Riviera styling was intended for Cadillac, and in 2008, Autoweek named the 1963 model the seventh most significant car in the automaker's history. GM also showed a Riviera concept at the 2007 Shanghai motor show.