American style icon
The Buick Regal is a mid-size passenger car manufactured since 1973 by Buick (USA), a division of General Motors Corporation. It was created as a luxury version of the iconic Buick Century, but soon became an independent model, which has been on sale for 42 years. The car is positioned as a ‘royal Buick’, the luxurious nature of which is primarily felt by the driver. The Regal is a respectable and elegant fragment of history of oversized American comfortable cars.
The first generation
It was produced from 1973 to 1977. The first Buick Regal, marketed under the name ‘Century Regal Colonnade Hardtop coupe’, was an improved two-door coupe that looked similar to the Century, with a typical B-pillar hardtop. But the Regal’s interior was distinguished by luxury, wood grain dashboard and door panels, multi-place rear passenger seats, and a folding racing driver’s seat. Three years later, the Regal acquired one of its most recognizable features of that period: four rectangular headlights, two on each side, and one above the other. The car was equipped with 6 or 8-cylinder engines generating from 110 to 225 hp.
In 1975, the Regal said good-bye to the Century and started its own life. One of the founders of the era of American luxury cars, the first Buick Regal was very popular. Thus, in 1976, it was the third best-seller after the Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme models.
The second generation
It was produced from 1978 to 1987. The Buick Regal is a true symbol of the United States of those years, just like Ronald Reagan, the Iran–Contra affair, Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta, sparkling disco balls, Bruce Springsteen wearing a headband and jeans, and other unforgettable signs of the 80s. These were the Regal’s golden years, because it was then that it received real public recognition.
The Buick Regal is a true symbol of the United States of those years, just like Ronald Reagan, the Iran–Contra affair, Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta, sparkling disco balls, Bruce Springsteen wearing a headband and jeans, and other unforgettable signs of the 80s.
The 1978 Regal was pretentiously beautiful and overabundant, featuring a striking giant front hood almost half the length of the body, an adventurous bumper and grille, as well as a soft and somewhat seductive sloping rear roofline. This element, kind of discordant with the impressive front face of the car, is a hallmark of the second generation Regals.
Engines and chassis matched the great exterior. There were as many as 14 petrol and diesel engines, generating from 95 to 235 hp. Buyers could choose between four transmissions. The suspension’s design ensured sporty dynamics and travelling comfort. In the early 80s, the Regal was the first American car to offer a production turbocharged engine, while only such imported brands as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Saab could offer such a miracle.
In the golden era, GM was actively involved in Buick’s life. In 1981, the Regal’s design was revamped. The car became more aerodynamic, which, together with unique engines, suddenly allowed the model to win 1981 and 1982 races on the Daytona 500 and NASCAR. As a result, the Buick models in general and the Regal models in particular gained even more respect and popularity.
In the early 80s, the Regal was the first American car to offer a production turbocharged engine.
In honor of the victories, a series of very black and very cool Regal Grand National (GN) models was released. The model was popularly called ‘Dart’, associating black color with Darth Vader from the incredibly popular Star Wars, which first struck the public’s imagination a few years before. Continuing to develop this association, the people placed “Darts” on the “Dark Side”, opposing them to no less legendary Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro models.
In 1982, the Regal range acquired a four-door sedan and a five-door estate. A year later, the estate was discontinued, and the sedan left the market in the following year. In 1984, for the first time, the manufacturer released cars with a computer-controlled sequential fuel injection and ignition without a distributor. This model became legendary, as the performance of the advanced ignition system was well ahead of its time, and the 6-cylinder engine was as efficient as the 8-cylinder engine.
In 1986, GM introduced the Regal GNX with a turbocharged 6-cylinder intercooled engine producing 235 hp, which was faster than the Corvette and Ferrari in test races. In 1987, a modified air-to-air-cooled engine design increased the engine power to 245 hp. In the same year (and only this year), a turbocharged engine became available on all Regal modifications.
The miraculous golden age of the Buick Regal lasted a long time, but, unfortunately, it came to an end. Subsequent generations were not even close to the second generation of Buick Regal. It is sad.
The third generation
It was produced from 1988 to 1996. The third Regal matured and ‘settled down’, featuring smoother lines and contours and more fuel-efficient engines, as those were difficult crisis times and fuel was expensive. The third generation Buick Regal, built on the new GM W platform, returned to the original concept of the car for those who prefer the comfort of power. That’s why there were only 6-cylinder engines with no more than 170 hp.
The third generation Regal came in the base Custom and top-end Limited trims. In 1989, the manufacturer added the Gran Sport trim line with aluminum wheels and a console-mounted shifter attached to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Anti-lock braking system was installed on all models, except for the base ones; the radiator grille was modified in 1993. At the same time, the car featured an electronically controlled automatic transmission, improved taillights and a bumper, a driver’s side airbag, as well as standard ABS. Standard power windows and dual airbags became base options in 1995.
The fourth generation
It was produced from 1997 to 2008. The fourth Regal was produced on the same platform as the Century. It was a modified W platform also used by the Oldsmobile Intrigue, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Lumina and Chevrolet Monte Carlo models. The differences between the Regal and Century were minor. Larger engines and higher-end trims were offered for the Regal, including heated leather seats, an 8-speaker surround sound system, and dual-zone climate control.
The fourth generation Buick returned to traditional power, offering the most powerful Regal since 1987. It was the Buick Regal GS with a 240 hp engine. The car came standard with a 200 hp engine. In 2003-2004, a new Buick Regal GSX model was created in conjunction with SLP Performance, which could generate from 270-295 hp.
During the production of the fourth generation, the Chinese market was opened, which was the most important event for the Buick brand. In 1997, General Motors and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) formed the Shanghai GM joint venture and began assembling the Buick Regal in Shanghai. The Chinese Regal had a slightly different front and rear design, new engines, and was sold in the Philippines from 2005 to 2006 as the Chevrolet Lumina.
The fifth generation
It was produced from 2009 to 2017. The fifth Buick Regal, built on the GM Epsilon II platform, was almost identical to the Opel Insignia. The Chinese Regal weighed 6 kg less than its American counterpart, as the American used center pillar support to meet roll-over resistance standards.
The fifth Regal was offered in three versions:
- CXL: A 2.4-liter 182 hp engine coupled with a 6-speed gearbox.
- CXL Turbo: A 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec DOHC I4 direct fuel injection engine with 220 hp paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission. It was the first direct injection turbocharged production car capable of running on any mixture.
- GS. The American Regal, based on the Opel Insignia OPC and the Vauxhall Insignia VXR, was offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec engine with 270 hp paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The model was standardly equipped with 19-inch wheels. The Chinese Regal had a 2-liter engine with 217 hp.
- Sport Touring Edition: Overall, it was the same as the GS, but with special 18-inch aluminum wheels and a rear spoiler.
In 2014, the interior and exterior were slightly redesigned. The car acquired a 258 hp CXL Turbo engine. An all-wheel drive version appeared. Several new safety features were added, including frontal collision warning and lane departure warning system, blind spot monitoring system, rear cross traffic alert, and a following distance indicator.
The sixth generation
It has been produced from 2017 to the present (as of 2021). The sixth Regal is ‘genetically’ related to the European Opel, Vauxhall Insignia and Holden ZB Commodore sold in Australia and New Zealand, developed by Opel in Germany.
The new Buick Regal, presented in the fastback body (Regal Sportback), is a replacement for the classic sedan. The new configuration may be a little less beautiful, but it provides additional benefits. The fastback is larger and about 200 kg lighter than the sedan. It is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine producing 250 hp. The Regal TourX is a redesigned version of the previous generation estate, competing with the Volvo V60 Cross Country, Audi A4 Allroad, Subaru Outback and BMW 3 Series. It is presented in an all-wheel drive version, with a 2-liter 4-cylinder engine generating 250 hp.
The exterior of the new Regal is top-class, whereas the interior features numerous modern features and comfort and safety options. The sixth generation has been produced since 2017 to this day. It is probable the last Regal, as Buick switched to more sought-after SUVs (as of 2021).
