The 1963 Buick Riviera was the first personal luxury car within the General Motor's division. Pontiac created a lower-priced, mid-sized version in 1969 called the Grand Prix, and Chevrolet followed a year later with the Monte Carlo. Oldsmobile added the Cutlass Supreme in 1970, a formal notchback coupe that would become the company's best-selling intermediate body line. It took Buick many years, but in 1973 they added its own intermediate-sized personal luxury coupe - the 'Colonnade' cars. Buick dropped its beloved Skylark name from its intermediate line and bestowed those duties on the Century nameplate, last used in the 1950s.

The first 'Regal' was the 'Century Regal Colonnade Hardtop coupe' that shared much of its styling its Century sibling. A sedan body style was added a year later. Distinguishing features were confined to the taillight lenses and grilles. Instead of the traditional roll-down windows, the Regal had small fixed rear-side opera windows surrounded by sheet metal.

The Regal nameplate added more interior accouterments including bench seats with center armrests with cloth, velour, or vinyl upholstery, and woodgrain trim on the dashboard and door panels.

The first generation of styling continued through 1977, with the Regal becoming its own separate Buick line in 1978. The wheelbase now measured 108-inches and its length was shortened by fourteen inches. The new styling was more formal than its predecessors, devoid of the opera windows and replaced by upright rear windows separate from the front windows by a vertical pillar. In the front, large, recessed, single rectangular headlamps sat next to wraparound parking and signal lamps, and in between the slightly sloped grille comprised of many vertical bars.

The coupe was the only body style, offered in base, Sport, and Limited trim levels. The Regal proved to be very popular with 236,652 examples were built for 1978.

Among the many changes made to the interior, the dashboard was moved closer to the windshield resulting in increased leg and knee room. Like many of the exterior design elements, the gauges and warning lights were housed in rectangular clusters, with radio, air conditioner, and heater controls in a separate module. Standard equipment included door pull straps, Freedom battery, deluxe wheel covers, cigarette lighter, ashtrays, wide-view day/night mirror, bin-type glove box with coin holder, and bumper protective stripes.

Both the Regal and Century shared a 90-degree, overhead-valve V-6 engine with a 196 cubic-inch displacement, four main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a two-barrel Rochester carburetor, and delivered 90 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. A 231 CID V-6 with 105 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque was optional, along with a turbocharged V-6 with a 231 CID and 150 horsepower at 245 lb-ft of torque. A four-barrel version of the turbocharged engine increased horsepower to 165 hp. A 305 CID V8 with 145 hp or 160 hp (depending on configuration) was also optional.

Buick's turbocharged engines were among the few offered in the United States market in 1978, along with Saab, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz.

A three-speed manual was initially standard equipment but this was later replaced by a three-speed TM200 automatic gearbox.

1979 Buick Regal

The 1979 Buick Regal continued to be offered solely as a coupe in base, Sport Coupe, and Limited trim levels with V6, turbocharged V6, and V8 engine options. Styling changes were made to the front, with subdued horizontal bars in the vertical-patterned grille with the Buick name inset in the top bar of the grille and the 'Regal' (in script) name near the lower corner. The full-cut wheel openings, formal roofline, single rectangular headlamps, and clear vertical parking and signal lamps were unchanged. The taillamps and instrument panel had new designs.

The standard engine was the 1964 cubic-inch V6 (except in California) with a cast-iron alloy block and head, an 8.0:1 compression, four main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a two-barrel Rochester carburetor, and delivering 105 horsepower at 4,000 RPM and 160 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 RPM. The optional 231 CID V6 was rated at 115 hp, and the turbocharged version had 170 horsepower. The 301 CID V8 had 140 hp and 150 hp with a four-barrel carburetor. California and high altitude locations came standard 305 CID V8 with 115 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque. Emissions were controlled by a new C-4 Computer Controlled Catalytic Converter system, which added an electronically-controlled carburetor and three-way catalytic converter.

The base Regal was priced at just above $5,000. The Sport Coupe was priced at $6,220 and the Limited at $5,475. 157,228 examples of the base Regal, 21,389 of the Sport Coupe, and 94,738 of the Limited were produced in 1979.

The Regal Sport Coupe came equipped with the turbocharger 231 V6, Rallye ride and handling suspension with stabilizer bars, firmer shocks and springs, a fast-ratio power steering, turbo boost gauge on the dash, and upgraded P205/70R15 tires. The Sport Coupes had the Sport Coupe insignia on its fender, blackout trim around the windshield, on the rocker moldings, around the taillamps and license plate molding, and on the door pillars. There were twin sport mirrors, a blacked-out grille, and Designers' Accent paint treatment on the top, hood, and deck lid. Turbine wheels were located on all four wheels.

The Regal Limited had wide chrome rocker paneling moldings, 'Regal' and 'Limited' insignia on the roof pillar. The upgraded interiors added velour 55/45 notchback seats, rear-seat side trim, and crushed velour door inserts.

New options this year included turbine-styled wheels, visor vanity mirrors, and cornering lamps. A silver-tinted Astroroof, three vinyl top styles, and a metal sunroof or Hatch roof were also optional. The Regals list of optional equipment was rather extensive and included instrument gauges, electric door locks, electric trunk release, remote tailgate lock, automatic air conditioning, six-way power driver's seat, rear defogger, dome reading lamp, dual remote sport mirrors, rear speaker, belt reveal molding, and more.

The Regal's second generation of styling would continue through 1987. A major facelift occurred in 1981, and the Regal Grand National introduced in February of 1982. In the final year, 1987, Buick introduced the limited production GNX, for 'Grand National Experimental,' and produced in partnership with McLaren Performance Technologies/ASC. The third generation of styling followed in 1988 built atop the GM W platform. The fourth-generation was introduced in 1997, the fifth in 2008, and the sixth in 2018.

by Dan Vaughan

Frequently sharing the same body and power-train as the Century, the Buick Regal was a mid-size vehicle that was produced by General Motors' Buick division from 1973 through 2004. Slow to react to develop in the lower priced mid-size personal luxury market, Buick wanted to market to compete against the Olds Cutlass Supreme, the Grand Prix and the Monte Carlo.

The Regal was introduced in 1973 as a top line coupe located in the GM intermediate A-body line, the Century. This same year also marked the unveiling of the first major restyling of the GMs intermediate A-body design since 1968. This was also the first major restyling for the intermediate based G-body that was used in both the Monte Carlo and the Grand Prix.

The original Regal shared the front and rear styling of the Century, though subtle distinctions separated them and included differing grilles and taillight lenses. The same 'Colonnade' pillared hardtop roofline and greenhouse were shared with the Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Cutlass Supreme, and the lower-priced Buick Century Luxus coupe. The newly fashionable opera windows were also featured in the Buick Regal rather than the traditional roll-down windows. A new four-door Colonnade sedan was debuted in 1974 until 1977, while the Colonnade hardtop coupe was featured in the Regal line in 1973.

More often, Regal interiors were found to be much more luxurious than lesser Century models and featured wood-grain trim on both dashboard and door panels, and notchback bench seats with center armrests with velour, cloth or vinyl upholstery, and door-pull straps. A 60-40 split bench seat with armrest was featured as an available option, and for 1976 and 1977 the coupe showcased the S/R option with included reclining bucket seats with corduroy upholstery.

Very minimal changes were made for the first five years. A substantial facelift was given to the coupe only in 1976, the sedan kept the original sheetmetal from 1973 through 1977. These changed included square headlights that were recently legalized and were horizontally-mounted on coupes, and vertically on sedans.

Standard equipment in 1973 and 1974, the Buick's 350 in³ (5.7L) V8 was made optional from 1975 through 1977 while the larger 455 cubic-inch V8 was optional in 73 and 74 only. Previously offered on the Skylark from 1964 through 1967, the 231 cubic V6 engine from Buick became standard for both Regal and Century models beginning in 1975. Buick Regal's and Century's became the only mid-sized vehicles to offer V6 engines from 1975 to 1976. In 1975, the Century designation was dropped from the Regal line.

Showcasing a newer version of Buick's venerable 231 in³ (3.8L) V6, a downsized Regal appeared in 1978 and lasted for the next nine years. Giving an unexpected reputation for performance, the Regal was still unfortunately held back with a soft suspension, the unavailability of a manual transmission and small wheels and tires. This was mainly due to the fact that the Regal was targeting the intermediate personal luxury market rather than the sports car segment.

A new, aerodynamic profile was given to the Buick Regal in 1981 along with a much needed facelift. This facelift prepared the Regal for competition on the NASCAR racing circuit. As the V6 was growing in popularity, V8s for street use were still available, but they had shrunk to 265 in³ (4.3L). A new Century appeared on the market in 1982 and was featured on the front-wheel drive A-body, but the Century sedan and wagon, former rear wheel drive were not discontinued. Re-badged as Buick Regals, these new models were featured for the first time with the name on a full model lineup. A 307ci (5.0L) V8 was offered as an option in 86 and 87.

Aiming at the performance market, T-Type Regal coupes were showcased in 81. This was minor in comparison to the introduction of the Regal Grand National, named for the NASCAR Grand National racing series that was featured in 1982. With a 4.1 liter V6 with 125 hp or an optional 180 hp turbocharged 3.8 V6 engine, the Grand National didn't appear again until 1984. Remaining standard, the turbocharged 3.8 continued to be refined with fuel injection and inter-cooling, and in 1987, it reached 245 hp (182 kW).

A lightweight WE4 (Turbo T) option, an extremely rare option today, was available in 1987 with only a total of 1,547 units of this variant produced. Featuring the same blackout package as the Grand National, these units were painted black, including the bumpers, head light, grill and tail light trim. The interior trim package, exterior badging, aluminum bumper supports, aluminum rear brake drums and the wheels were the main differences that set apart the base Grand National and a WE4.

Gaining a reputation as a modern muscle vehicle, the Grand National was acquiring quite a popular status by 1985. Unfortunately the days of the G-body was drawing to a close. The GNX was featured for its final year in 1987 at a US$11,000 premium. Advertised as the 'Grand National to end all Grand Nationals,' the GNX was under-rated by Buick at 275 hp with a substantial 360 lbf-ft of torque. The following years model converted the chassis to front wheel drive which wouldn't be able to put down that much power.

The plug was eventually pulled on the GNX as Buick didn't want one if its own vehicles outperforming their flagship, the Corvette. Though the muscle cars of the 1960s had the power to beat the GNX, the tires of the time couldn't transform this into speed.

Appearing on the GM W platform, a new Regal appeared in 1988 in a version which both departed and returned to the traditional Regal style. Returning to the original concept, being offered as a coupe only, and aimed specifically to the personal luxury buyer, the new Regal became the first front wheel model and had no serious performance option or edition. This new model also did not have a V8 engine, and the V6 no longer offered a turbocharger.

In 1990, the Regal once again had a four-door sedan version that ran with few changes for the next nine years. A Grand Sport appearance package was added in 1991, and the Regal was offered in both base Customer and upscale Limited trim lines. Giving the vehicle some performance that would differentiate it from the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and the Pontiac Grand Prix, the 3.8 L V6 was unique to the Buick W-body. In 1992, anti-lock brakes were made a standard option on all but the base Custom cars and the following year the grille was redesigned. At the same time, an electronically-controlled automatic transmission and LeSabre-like rear lights and bumper was added.

In 1994, the motorized seatbelts remained a standard, and a driver's-side airbag was the new addition. The Limited coupe was taken off the lineup, standard ABS was deleted on all models, along with power windows. The following year, the Buick Regal featured a brand new interior along with dual airbags. Gaining an additional 35 hp in this large engine, though 1996 was the final year of this model, production remained the same into 1997. Only the Custom coupe remained in 96.

Simply morphing into versions of the same vehicle by 1997, both the Regal and the Century were built on the same revised W platform as the Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Impala and the Oldsmobile Intrigue. Mostly cosmetic difference separated the Regal and the Century, though the Regal kept a longer length, and a four-door sedan was the only model available. The Regal was considered to be the up-market version, and featured larger engines along with fancier trim, and a newer version of the 231 (3.8 L) V6. The Regal showcased a variety of amenities that included expansive interior space, a Monsoon 8-speaker surround system, dual climate control, and heated leather seats, while the Century became mainly a reliable, economy-based vehicle based upon the W-body. Throughout this version's seven-year run, very few changes or updates were made.

by Jessican Donaldson

BUICK CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF REGAL

DETROIT – The addition of the Regal nameplate to the Buick family goes back 40 years, but even today, the Regal's heritage as a sporty, mid-size luxury vehicle is strong as ever.

Introduced in 1973, the Century Regal, as it was originally called, served as an upmarket model in the Century line and one of GM's first 'personal luxury' cars. Designed with sporty suspension characteristics and luxuries aimed primarily at the driver, the '73 Regal coupe sold 91,557 units helping Buick surpass its 1955 all-time sales record.

Launched with a standard 350 cu. in. V-8 engine, the Regal would soon carve a niche as a powertrain innovator. Among one of the first to react to the initial Arab oil embargo, the 1975 Buick Regal was the only mid-size vehicle in the United States to forego a standard V-8 engine in favor of a V-6.

'The Buick team was on the leading edge and reacted to the need of more fuel-efficient engines,' said General Motors Heritage Center manager Greg Wallace. 'Engineers worked around the clock to get the V-6 program up and running in a fraction of the time it typically took, while making sure to retain Buick's reputation for reliability.'

Just a few years later, beginning with the 1978 Regal, Buick would lead a vanguard on turbocharging for better fuel economy. This expertise would later be used in creating Regals that would be recognized as some of the most powerful and significant cars of the 1980s.

Throughout four decades, and now in its fifth generation, the Regal carries on its sweeping design, dynamic driving experience and powertrain leadership. Today's Regal is equipped with its most-powerful standard engine, a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder producing 259 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of toque. To help make the most of traction in all driving conditions, it is also available with advanced all-wheel-drive system that incorporates an electronic limited-slip differential and HiPer Strut front suspension.

A 2.4L engine with eAssist light electrification technology is also available, delivering EPA-estimated ratings of 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.

With today's focus on all-passenger comfort, safety and technology, the latest Regal comes standard with an eight-inch color touch display featuring IntelliLink in-vehicle connectivity. Leather-appointed seating surfaces, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control are all standard. A host of new radar- and camera-based safety features are available, including Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Collision Mitigation Braking.

Generation 1 – 1973-1977

Large swooping body lines and opera windows were among Regal's fashion cues at the start of the personal luxury era. The 1975 Regal was the only mid-size car in the United States to come standard with an efficient V-6 engine while maintaining comparable V-8 performance.

Generation 2 – 1978-1987

Downsized from the previous generation, the 1978 Regal offered a 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6, making Buick the first mainstream brand to offer a turbocharged engine. This ingenuity would pave the way for iconic Buick's of the 80s including the highly desired Grand National and legendary GNX.

Generation 3 – 1988-1996

Continuing the trend of scaled down cars in the U.S., the Regal's third generation was again smaller and would usher in front wheel drive. Power would come from an all six-cylinder engine lineup including the award-winning 3800 V-6 engine.

Generation 4 – 1997-2004

Back to its roots, the 1997 Regal again became an upmarket version of the Buick Century. The '97 Buick Regal GS debuted with the brand's first supercharged V-6, rated at 240 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque.

Generation 5 – 2009-2014

After a brief hiatus, the Regal would first return to the Chinese market for 2009, following a year later in the U.S. A high-output, dynamically optimized GS model would return for 2012. Introduced in 2013, the 2014 model is the first Regal to offer all-wheel-drive. Combining sport sedan handling with some of the most power-dense and technically advanced engines in the brand's history, the Regal is helping to attract younger, new buyers to Buick.

About Buick

Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan, Buick Verano sedan and the all-new Encore crossover. Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com, on Twitter @buick, on Pinterest or at www.facebook.com/buick

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