Buick Regal
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| Buick Regal | |
| Manufacturer: | General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production: | 1973–2004 |
| Successor: | Buick LaCrosse |
| Class: | Personal luxury car (1973-1987) Mid-size (1988-2004) |
| Similar: | Chrysler Concorde Mazda Millenia Mercury Sable Toyota Camry |
| First generation | |
| Production: | 1973–1977 |
|---|---|
| Body style: | 2-door coupe |
| Platform: | FR A-body |
| Engine: | 350 in³ V8 |
| Related: | Buick Century Chevrolet El Camino Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Monte Carlo Oldsmobile Cutlass Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Pontiac Grand Am Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Second generation | |
 |
|
| Production: | 1978–1987 |
|---|---|
| Body style: | 2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon |
| Platform: | FR G-body |
| Engine: | 231 in³ V6 265 in³ V8 4.1 L V6 5.0 L V8 |
| Related: | Buick Century Chevrolet El Camino Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Monte Carlo Oldsmobile Cutlass Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Pontiac Bonneville Pontiac Grand Am Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Third generation | |
 |
|
| Production: | 1988–1996 |
|---|---|
| Body style: | 2-door coupe 4-door sedan |
| Platform: | FF W-body |
| Engine: | 2.8 L V6 3.1 L V6 3.8 L V6 |
| Transmission: | 4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase: | 107.5 in |
| Length: | 193.9 in (coupe) 194.1 in (sedan) |
| Width: | 72.9 in |
| Height: | 54.6 in (coupe) 56.3 in (sedan) |
| Fuel capacity: | 17.1 US gal |
| Related: | Chevrolet Lumina Chevrolet Monte Carlo Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Fourth generation | |
 |
|
| Production: | 1997–2004 |
|---|---|
| Body style: | 4-door sedan |
| Platform: | FF W-body |
| Engine: | 3.8 L V6 |
| Transmission: | 4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase: | 109.0 in |
| Length: | 196.2 in |
| Width: | 72.7 in |
| Height: | 56.6 in |
| Fuel capacity: | 17.5 US gal |
| Related: | Buick Century Chevrolet Impala Chevrolet Lumina Chevrolet Monte Carlo Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Oldsmobile Intrigue Pontiac Grand Prix |
The Buick Regal was a mid-size car produced by General Motors' Buick division from 1973 through 2004, during which Buick also used the Century name on mid-size models; the two frequently shared bodies and powertrains.
Contents |
[edit] 1973
Buick had been the first GM division to bring a personal luxury car to market with its full-size 1963 Riviera but was otherwise slow to react to the developing lower-priced mid-size personal luxury market, which Pontiac created with the 1969 Grand Prix and Chevrolet with the Monte Carlo the following year, 1970. At the same time Oldsmobile added a formal notchback coupe to its intermediate line, the Cutlass Supreme, in 1970 and that model soon became Olds' best selling intermediate. Wanting a model that could be marketed to compete against the Olds Cutlass Supreme as well as the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo, Buick introduced the Regal for 1973, as a top line coupe in that division's intermediate A-body line, the Century. The year 1973 also marked the introduction of the first major restyling of GM's intermediate A-body design since 1968, as well as the first major restyling for the intermediate-based G-body used for the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix.
A highly-trimmed, notchback coupe, the first Regal shared its front and rear styling with its Century parent with distinctions amounting to differing grilles and taillight lenses. The Regal shared the same "Colonnade" pillared hardtop roofline (a hardtop with center pillar but frameless doors unlike a sedan body) and greenhouse (window area) with the Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme as well as the lower-priced Buick Century Luxus coupe. Like its corporate cousins, the Regal (and Luxus) featured the newly fashionable opera windows, which were small fixed rear-side windows surrounded by sheetmetal, instead of the traditional roll-down windows. Only the Colonnade hardtop coupe was offered in the Regal line in 1973, but a new four-door Colonnade sedan (with six-window-greenhouse and frameless door windows) debuted in 1974 and continued through the 1977 model year.
Regal interiors were generally more luxurious than lesser Century models with woodgrain trim on dashboard and door panels, along with door-pull straps and notchback bench seats with center armrests with either cloth, velour or vinyl upholstery. Optionally available throughout the run was a 60/40 split bench seat with armrest. For 1976 and 1977, the Regal coupe was available with the S/R option that included reclining bucket seats with cordoroy upholstery. The model lasted five years with minimal changes, although there was a fairly substantial facelift in 1976 (for the coupe only - sedans stayed with original 1973 sheetmetal through 1977), which incorporated the recently legalized square headlights (horizontally-mounted on coupes, and vertically on sedans - much like the mid-1960s Pontiacs).
The Regal most commonly powered by Buick's 350 in³ V8, which was standard equipment in 1973 and 1974 and optional from 1975 to 1977, and the larger 455 in³ V8 was optional in 1973 and 1974 only. Starting in 1975, most Regals came standard with Buick's resurrected 231 in³ V6 engine previously offered on the Skylark from 1964 to 1967; the engine's tooling was sold to American Motors for use in Jeep models. In 1975 and 1976, the Century and Regal were the only mid-sized cars in America to offer V6 engines.
The Century designation was quietly dropped from the Regal in 1975.
[edit] 1978-1987
A downsized Regal appeared for 1978 with a new version of Buick's venerable 231 in³ V6, a combination that lasted 9 years and helped give the Regal an unexpected reputation for performance. Nevertheless, it was still hampered (from a performance perspective) by a soft suspension, small wheels and tires and the unavailability of a manual transmission, largely because the intermediate personal luxury market was the Regal's intended target, not the sports car segment.
A facelift in 1981 gave the Regal a much more aerodynamic profile, helping make it possible for the car to compete on the NASCAR racing circuit, where it enjoyed several decent seasons. V8s for street use were still available, but had shrunk to 265 in³, and the V6 was rapidly gaining popularity. In 1982, a new Century appeared on the front-wheel drive A-body, but the former rear-wheel drive Century sedan and wagon were not discontinued. These models were simply rebadged as Regals, and for the first time the name appeared on a full model lineup. From 1986 to 1987, a 5.0 L Oldsmobile V8 was available as an option.
[edit] Grand National and GNX
T-Type Regal coupes, aimed at the performance market, appeared at this time, but the real news came in 1982, when the Regal Grand National appeared. Named for the NASCAR Grand National racing series, this car incorporated a 4.1 L V6 with 125 hp or an optional 180 hp turbocharged 3.8 L V6. There was no Grand National in 1983, but it returned in 1984 wrapped in its familiar all black paint. The turbocharged 3.8 became standard and would continue to be refined with fuel injection and intercooling. In 1987 it reached 245 hp (182 kW).
1987 also offered a lightweight WE4 (Turbo T) option which is extremely rare today. Only 1,547 of this variant were produced. They were painted black and treated to the same blackout package as the Grand National, including bumpers, grille, headlight and taillight trim. The differences between a WE4 and the base Grand National were the interior trim package, wheels, exterior badging, aluminum bumper supports, and aluminum rear brake drums as opposed to the Grand National's cast iron. The rear spoiler was only available as a dealer installed option.
By 1985, the Grand National was acquiring a reputation as a modern muscle car, but the days of the G-body were numbered. For the final year, 1987, Buick introduced the GNX at a US$11,000 premium. Produced by McLaren/ASC, Buick underrated the GNX at 275 hp and a very substantial 360 lb-ft (488 N·m) of torque. This was created so as to be "Grand National to end all Grand Nationals," as the next model year converted the chassis to front-wheel drive, which, Buick engineers admitted, simply wouldn't be able to put down that much power. Changes made included a special Garrett ceramic-impeller turbocharger connected by a ceramic-coated pipe to a better intercooler. A special computer chip, low-restriction exhaust, and reprogrammed Turbo Hydramatic 200-4R transmission with a custom torque converter and transmission fluid cooler completed the drivetrain modifications. Exterior styling changes include vents located on each front fender, 16 inch black mesh style wheels with VR-speed rated tires, and deletion of the hood and fender emblems. The interior changes of the GNX included a serial number on the dash plaque and a revised instrument cluster providing analog Stewart-Warner gauges, including an analog turbo boost gauge.
The acceleration performance of the GNX outpaced the factory's power claims: 0-60 mph (97 km/h) took just 4.7 s with a 13.4 s/104 mph (167 km/h) quarter-mile. According to contemporary sources, these numbers made the GNX the fastest production sedan ever built. This claim is somewhat controversial—the car had two doors but its interior volume and structure made it a sedan rather than a coupe, and just 547 examples were built. GNX #001 is currently owned by Buick and sometimes makes appearances at car shows around the US. Although many quicker cars have been built, including a number of quicker modern sedans, its performance was truly impressive for the time. A contemporary Porsche 930 hit 60 mph in 5.0 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds, roughly equivalent to the GNX, which cost much less and could out-accelerate the naturally-aspirated 911 of the day. Ironically, many believe that these performance numbers were the reason the GNX was axed. GM didn't want one of its own cars outperforming its flagship, the Corvette, and pulled the plug on the Buick program. The muscle cars of the 1960s had the power to beat the GNX, but the tires of the time could not transform this into speed, not to mention the numerous techniques employed in the GNX allowed the car to transfer all the power to the ground, such as a ladder bar that ran from the mid-section of the car to the rear axle, so as to increase traction. This is also the reason why a GNX will actually lift the rear end up when the car is about to launch heavily. The GNX never made much of a road-track competitor to cars like the 911, but it could certainly hold its own on a drag strip.
Another amazing aspect of the Buick Grand National and GNX is the ease of upgrading performance. As electronic technology increased in automobiles over the years, with the implementation of air force-feeders (such as turbochargers and superchargers) and chips controlling the many aspects of the car, increasing performance became that much easier. Simply by spending a couple hundred dollars on a racing chip could drop the Grand National’s quarter-mile time from its stock thirteen second range into the mid twelve-second range. This alone makes the Grand National a very formidable opponent on the drag strip. Other easy upgrades include installing a larger turbocharger or purchasing heavier fuel-injectors. The affordability and effectiveness of these upgrades made the Grand National a very popular car for drag-racing. In recent times with stock Corvettes producing quarter-mile times in the eleven second range, Grand Nationals provide an easy way to overcome the current “bad-boy” muscle cars. One can purchase a Grand National and upgrade it for far less money than buying a modern high-performance car and easily produce much quicker quarter-mile times.
The 1986, and 1987 Buick Grand Nationals and GNX's are now being sought by collectors throughout the United States and abroad. For those enthusiasts who care to maintain these cars as stock, nos4gn parts (nos parts 4 gn=grand national) are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, as they are drying up quickly. There are a number of vendors still out there with parts for these cars, but some of them are aftermarket. Only a handful of vendors actually stock the authentic nos4gn parts. Those collectors who wish to maintain mint condition cars will generally only use genuine nos4gn GM or ACDelco parts from one of the few reputable vendors.
Famously painted in all black, the Grand National and GNX were ferocious drag strip competitors and are highly collectible today. The stealthy appearance coupled with the fact that the Grand National was initially released during the height of Star Wars fever earned it the title Darth Vader Car (Car and Driver covered the model's introduction with the headline "Darth Vader, your car is ready"). The Grand National returned briefly to the headlines in 2003, when actor Sean Penn's car was stolen with several guns inside. Also, actress Carmen Electra bought her then rock star husband Dave Navarro a 1987 Grand National as a present.[1]
[edit] 1988-1996
A new Regal appeared in 1988 on the GM W platform. This version both departed from and returned to Regal tradition. It was a departure in being the first front-wheel drive model, and in having no serious performance option or edition; there was no V8 engine and the V6 no longer offered a turbocharger. It did return to the original concept, however, in being offered as a coupe only, aimed once again squarely at the personal luxury buyer. The decline in that market, though, was becoming noticeable to all the manufacturers, and in 1990 the Regal again had a four-door sedan version (as did the Grand Prix the same year). This generation ran with few changes for nine years.
The Regal was offered in base Custom and upscale Limited trim lines, with a Gran Sport appearance package added in 1991. The 3.8 L V6 was unique to the Regal, giving the car some performance to differentiate it from the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix, with which it shared many of its components. Anti-lock brakes were made standard on all but the base Custom cars in 1992, and the grille was redesigned again for 1993. Along with the new look came an electronically-controlled automatic transmission and LeSabre-like rear lights and bumper.
A driver's side airbag was added for 1994, though the motorized seatbelts remained. Other changes that year included the deletion of the Limited coupe, standard ABS on all models, standard power windows, and 20 hp (14.9 kW) more in the base engine. Dual airbags were new for 1995 along with a new interior. The large engine gained 35 hp (26 kW) for 1996, and only the Custom coupe remained. Although 1996 was the last year of this model, production continued into 1997 as the replacement model was late.
[edit] Engines
[edit] 1997-2004
In 1997, the Century and the Regal once again became versions of the same car, sitting on a revised W platform that was shared with the Oldsmobile Intrigue, the Pontiac Grand Prix, and the Chevrolet Impala. The Regal's length was longer than the Century. A four-door sedan was the only model offered, and differences were mostly cosmetic. As the upmarket version, the Regal offered larger engines and fancier trim, and once again boasted a newer version of the 3.8 L V6. While the Century was mainly a reliable, economy-minded car based upon the W-body, the Regal was fitted with many amenities, including heated leather seats, a Monsoon 8-speaker surround sound system, dual climate control, and expansive interior space. Few changes occurred during this version's seven-year run.
This period held the fastest Buick since the days of the Grand National, the Buick Regal GS. This car was now supercharged instead of turbocharged and produced a very respectable 240 hp (179 kW) and 280 ft·lbf (380 N·m) of torque. It has gained a reputation amongst those who know automobiles as a 'sleeper', or a car that performs better than one would expect from its looks. When introduced in 1997, Buick advertised the Regal as the "car for the supercharged family".
[edit] Engines
[edit] Regal LS and GS performance
The Regal LS from the factory had a 1/4 mile ET of 15.8 seconds and the Regal GS had a 1/4 mile ET of 14.7 seconds. Those times, especially with the Regal GS are impressively quick. The Regal GS, equipped with the supercharged 3.8 liter V6 engine (L67) also produced 280 lbs/ft of torque, giving the car the launch feel of a small block V8. The aftermarket for the L67 is massive and many Regal GS owners have their cars running in the low 13s to high 12s in the quarter-mile with relatively few and inexpensive mods.
[edit] In China
All Buick Regals were assembled at the Oshawa Car Assembly in Ontario, Canada. The Regal was the fourth model chosen to be assembled in China by GM Shanghai, beginning on December 26, 2002, after the Century, GL8 minivan, and the Sail. It has generated considerable sales in that market as a large, relatively luxurious model, despite being more expensive than the American version. It replaced the Century in Buick's Chinese lineup and has slightly different frontal sheetmetal from the American models. Engine choices are also very different: a 2.0 L four-cylinder and a 2.5 L V6 power the Chinese Regal.
The domestic car was less fortunate and was replaced in 2005 by the Buick LaCrosse, although the LaCrosse still uses the W platform. The final 2004 Buick Regal rolled off the assembly line on June 1, 2004.
[edit] Reference
- ^ Ride With Funkmaster Flex (televsion show).
[edit] External links
- [http://www.nos4gn.com How collectors maintain their Stock Buick Grand National or GNX with NOS parts
*http://www.theimportkiller.com Third generation Buick Regal & W-Body Information - Article on a first generation Regal
- Turbo Regal Website gnttype.org -Original Turbo Regal Resource
- The NASCAR Regals
- History of the performance Regals
- Muscle Car Club Grand National page
- Recent GNX article
- Grand National scale model
- Consumer Guide on the last Regals
- Buick Grand National at Muscle Car Facts — A year by year account of the Grand National
- High-resolution 1987 Buick Grand National pictures
- Buick Regal owner manuals archive
- Regalgs.org Supercharged Buick Regal fansite. Very informative forums.
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