1989 Buick Reatta

The Buick Reatta was produced from 1988 through 1991, with the coupe body style was joined in 1990 by the convertible - the first Buick convertible since the 1985 Riviera. These low-production volume automobiles combined sport and luxury in a two-door, two-seater configuration. They were intended as a halo car for Buick and production was projected at 20,000 units a year. Over the four-year production lifespan, over 21,000 units were built, far less than GM had predicted.

The Reatta was not alone in the high-priced arena, joined by the hand-built Cadillac Alante with styling by Pininfarina, and the similarly priced Chrysler TC by Maserati.

Instead of a conventional assembly line, the Reatta was built at the Reatta Craft Center by a specialized team of workers who worked at a series of stations. When the team completed their portion of work, the car was moved to the next station by robots.

The 1989 Buick Reatta Sports Coupe had a new hydraulic engine mount system, a new hood and steering wheel ornamentation, all leather interior trim, a standard remote keyless entry system, and an overhead valve 'Buick 3800' V6 engine displacing 3.8-liters and offering 165 horsepower. Also new for this year was the relocation of the trunk and fuel access buttons to the glove box. Pricing for the Reatta began at $26,700 and a total of 7,009 examples were built.

The Reatta had four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, front-wheel drive, and a fully independent suspension. The 1988 and 1989 models used a 440T-4 four-speed automatic transmission, the 1990 models had a 4T60 four-speed automatic, and the 1991 models had a 4T60-E four-speed auto.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2014