Why did the Buick Reatta Fail?

[@paulgomberg9744]

In the 1988-1989 time frame. I was looking to buy a two seater. I chose a C4 Corvette over the Reatta. The Allante was way too expensive. The Reatta should have been priced around $18K-$20K for what the buyer got. The Corvette was about $30K. It was no brainer at that time. Fast forward to 2015 - I bought my first of 8 Reatta’s. High mileage examples cost me from $700- $3000k. I have paid from $4500K- $15K for low mileage Reatta’s. I still have 6 of them. My collector car insurance for all 6 cars is about $1200 a year. I drive them all the time. Comfortable, smooth, not fast, but still fun to drive. They get between 26 to 30 mpg on road trips. Despite it being the usual GM failure of marketing and performance mistakes by the General the Reatta has a strong following today. Buying a Reatta is more bang for the buck. I’m glad that it hasn’t turned into a highly sought after collectible.

[@davidhill9386]

My dad owned a maroon one from ‘88 or ‘89 and loved loved it - he called it a “Rare-atta”

[@Tully3674]

I have owned 14 Reattas (10 were convertibles). Aside from being front heavy and FWD, it's a good boulevard cruiser. Not a fast car. Not a canyon carver. Not a sports car. Drive one as a weekend cruiser and you will not be disappointed. Very reliable engine. 1988-1990 has a Teves (ABS) system. Parts not available (including wheel speed sensors). If you can find parts for one (as they do fail), it can cost a small mortgage. IMO 1989 (coupe) or 1991 (coupe or convertible - these don't have the TEVES system) would be the preferred years.

[@brettknoss486]

What is it like as an interstate cruiser?

[@milfordcivic6755]

It was a 2 seater and the most expensive Buick in the lineup. That's why.

[@SmackDadddy]

I had a first year Reatta from 1991 to 2004. Loved the car and the rear light display was awesome. Retired the car after 250,000 miles and 2 rebuilt transmissions. By 2001 some parts were getting hard to find. Great car imo.

[@HooviesGarage]

Loved the CRT tech screen on these!

[@MH-fb5kr]

often glitchy and unreliable

[@coletrickle-km7cl]

I bet April would love a reatta with a grand national engine that was rear wheel drive.

[@TorCow1234]

@@MH-fb5kr I found it to be rock solid, with one caveat: The pressure sensitive touch interface would temporarily become less responsive if the car was parked in direct sunlight and the interior was scorching hot. A friend had a 1986 Riviera with something like 330k miles on it and the monochrome Zenith CRT was suffering from vertical collapse, so the graphics on the screen were scrunched toward the center while the places you had to poke stayed in the same place. It was a bit weird, but livable. The Toronado Trofeo of the same era used a setup with a Sony color monitor and Nippondenso capacitive touchscreen, that was nicer all the way around.

[@xXcampx]

If you read this month's Car and Driver, there's an article about the 1 (one) guy in the world who rebuilds them!

[@ricksand6477]

Great coverage on this very interesting car, Rick! It was a surprising car from Buick and of very high quality as you mentioned. In addition to the Cadillac Allante, the Chrysler TC was also introduced at the same time - so America was swimming in 2 seat luxury roadsters for a very small market segment. That market was pretty much owned by Mercedes with their SL. For the very few who would even consider another nameplate, now there were THREE competing vehicles all chasing limited potential sales. All three did reasonably well initially and then sales trailed off to where they became unsustainable as a business case. Same thing happened at Ford ten years later with the new two seat Thunderbird from 2001 to 2005. Everyone who wanted one bought early and Ford threw in the towel after a few years. Too bad. Thanks again!

[@psychotriaboy]

Completely agree! I think that people who were looking at the Porsches and Mercedes would probably buy a Porsche or Mercedes. I am sure there was also competition from Mazda with the RX-7 and of course the Miata. I know a couple of folks who bought high trim level examples of those instead of the higher priced vehicles. Nissan’s 300ZX and possibly 240SX would have drawn a few souls away from the Reatta as well. Many of these models were either making their debut around this time or were undergoing major updates and refreshments. Great video and great comment!

[@nailhed6628]

To put it in perspective, in ‘88 a Reatta base price was 25k , a Corvette was 30k and a Cadillac Allante or Mercedes Sl was 50k. A nicely equipped Trans Am could be had for 20k. So it was a tough sell, especially when competing with the memory of the Grand National that was killed off the year before. I own an ‘88 and it’s a great little car that draws a lot of attention, but is not really appreciated as a collector car.

[@caribman10]

The Grand National wasn't in the running against the Reatta, Corvette or Allante'.

[@nailhed6628]

@ I guess what I was trying to say is that the Reatta was overshadowed by the ‘87 Grand National which had been Buick’s halo car. If Reatta had been turbo charged and rear wheel drive it would have been more widely accepted. I see the Reatta as a Riviera with a sporty attitude. I also have a ‘66 Skylark Gran Sport and both are very enjoyable to drive, different as they are…

[@Geul2102]

The Buick Somerset also had a tail light that went across the whole rear of the car, I liked that style feature then.

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

I see styling cues from a .. Buick Lesabre and Century. It's a grandpa car for young affluent people!

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Who weren't especially interested in buying grandpa's car. I should know - I was one of them. I wouldn't have bought one of these ridiculous pieces of crap at a third of the price.

[@Primus54]

@@chuckschillingvideosI’m going to assume you are not a member in good standing with the Reatta Club of America?

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@Primus54 I'm in good standing only with the Curmudgeons Club.

[@RafaelFiallo-y9o]

This was a stab at making an SL for people that bought Park Avenues, they took a gamble that there was a niche for people that wanted an SL type car, but were never gonna spend 60K. The Allante was almost twice the price and pretty different so I really don't think there was much overlap. The Reatta being only a hardtop coupe the first several years while the Allante was only a convertible.

[@roi3761]

Great review 👍🏽 I am now a new subscriber !

[@thelastperfectman4139]

I always liked the Reatta styling, cool sporty look

[@ldever3]

FWD, so instantly a snoozer. Mercedes had a better engine. It was good looking, but not classy looking. It just wasn’t what people in that market were looking for. As you said, not a contender.

[@roberthoffhines5419]

They must've had some kind of regional appeal. I saw these all over the Chicago north shore suburbs when I moved here in the early 90s. Mostly the hard tops.

[@brettknoss486]

I like it, it seems like a good car for retired snowbirds (the hardtop is better).

[@jamesmisener3006]

I know a fellow with 6 Reattas. All drive with a few showing very low miles. They are a fun car. Cheers 🇨🇦

[@stephenbacks3100]

It should have been rear wheel drive. Mazda showed everyone how to build a roadster. Only Honda followed directions.

[@michaelmooney6701]

Right on with that truth dude, I've felt the same for years

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Buick wasn't trying to make a roadster. They would never have been able to do it by pulling junk out of the parts bin and would never have been allowed to go clean sheet of paper on this rubbish (not that they would have been able to in the first place). Buck was dead before the Reatta.

[@sharksport01]

It even rhymes with Miata.

[@desertrat77]

Rick, I enjoy your car reports. I think you do a good job. Keep it up!

[@Hugo_Rocker]

I always liked this car. I was finishing up at MSU and these were all over the place

[@Zapruderfilm1963]

One reason for its demise was that Buick didn’t have Kelly Bundy say “” The neeeeww Reattttttaaa!!! “”

[@radggs6961]

As much as I wanted to just like the Reatta; with the exception of the interior, it looked like a Dinky Toy. But if I ever the option to by a unmolested Reatta, I would. Thanks for the design and manufacturing details. Attorneys, Ballers, & ladies simply gawked at any Benz SL. So, as you said, Caddy took the first fruits. Every time I had my attorneys 400SL I could never find any friends to show off to.

[@TorCow1234]

These were a very solid car, that I'd venture a guess would keep on keeping on long after the German makes they were trying to emulate started racking up eye watering repair bills. The wrong wheel drive was a buzzkill in this marketplace. One thing that *never* ages well are the lamps that use polycarbonate lenses... Those parking/turn/cornering lamps on this car were perfectly clear when the it was new; and always end up a chalky, cloudy, brownish yellowish color. The full width rear lamp goes back to the 1966 Electra for Buick, so they'd have been there before Porsche. I think Porsche never got beyond the heckblende stage, so the center didn't light up.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

It sucked. Plain and simple. Buick had a well-deserved shit reputation, and one car was hardly going to change that. And certainly not this piece of rubbish. They sealed their fate by going the existing chassis/parts bin route. This car was a joke from the get go.

[@OsbornTramain]

I thought the car was built as a "Halo" car, to have something showy to get people into the dealers? I don't think anyone ever expected it to compete with the German Performance Cars? It was never expected to sell in high numbers........it was a Halo car and it served it's purpose well, Buick has extremely high quality ratings and it got people into the Showroom to buy a Park Ave, LeSabre or a Century, so it served it's purpose, it didn't fail.

[@michaelfarrell5101]

there's about six dead ones south of berryville VA , at Tripps auto sales.

[@christopherdowdey7463]

Fact: Lloyd Reuss who was r Fact, Lloyd Reuss was running Buick at the time insisted that the coupe and convertible be developed AT THE SAME TIME. Usually a new program must develop coupe first and than develop convertible in that order. Due to the extreme timing rush to introduce Reatta. The vehicle engineering And development had many production flaws. Interestingly with the coupe design you could not really tell if the design was coming or going. The proportions were just not correct. Short front And short rear with roof exactly in the middle Rear blacklist was same angle as windshield. The convertible fit and finish Reflected the unrealistic inability of the coupe to be completed first. Ergo nothing Really measured correctly on convertible for exacting component fit. Overpriced. Vehicle was never a real competitor to many other brands.

[@michaelleroi9077]

How bout Buicks new badge and round back design bmw and mb tried and called a failure. I just saw an envision?that looked new nice more expensive and sporty. I’d say they’re find their new place aside from caddy. Thanks for a great vid and voice!

[@Aztec73]

I remember those cars very well 😊

[@stampeedvalkyrie]

Honestly, these cars were all show and zero go. Very neat looking car, with some really cool features.. CRT touch climate systems in the early years. But the whole car was GM malaise through and through. One of our neighbors collected odd cars and had 2 of these.. one early with the ECC (which is still cool as heck) and a late year if not final year version (90-91). Nice cruiser, but everything else on the road that was "sporty" had more power.

[@Primus54]

The 3800 by this time was bulletproof and an industrious auto mechanic can borrow from the mid-90s Bonneville SSEi and supercharge it. But nothing one does is going to eliminate the problem of being front wheel drive. As for aesthetics, if I owned one I’d color-match the body side moldings to the paint. Around the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, the black side moldings were generally appearing on carmaker’s lowest trim levels with color-matched moldings on upper trims.

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

It failed because it was $38k when the average car was $12k.

[@Rom3_29]

Craig’s list almost always has one Reatta for sale $2000-$3000. It’s a weird model. They should have made rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive, with a stick shift. Then it might’ve been more appealing. It was car middle aged divorced fellow, who couldn’t afford a Cadillac. Corvette was too flashy.

[@MH-fb5kr]

he was a giant of a man

[@chuckschillingvideos]

They didn't have a chassis that would allow for that. Remember, they had to use a chassis that was already in production at the time of inception. The Corvette would have been off limits (and, as a fiberglass bodied car, not really in Buick's design repertoire).

[@Hawxx9194]

As much of a car enthusiast as I am, I never even looked twice at a Reatta. The blah design and front wheel drive were a turn-off.

[@jamesw1659]

One of the fundamental problems with this model is that, true to form, GM didn't consult with any actual Mercedes-Benz SL customers to find out what was important to them. The touchscreen being such a big miss is obvious evidence.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I love the "GAGES" label on it. Do you really think MB or BMW would have made such a stupid, easily observed misspelling? Of course not. But then again, they knew that their customers demanded performance - apparently Buick assumed otherwise.

[@KirkSwanum]

I always thought it was way cool. The only thing that sucked was the NAME. Reatta, that just sounds so Douchie. 😅

[@marklittle8805]

The styling looked like a suppository. The Allante was what GM was aiming for and Buick tried to follow with this thing and the lines are just all wrong

[@sharksport01]

I have a blue 90' that is my daily driver. Its great in snow. It has 65k miles and i paid 4000. for it. Once in a while I get a 👍 from other drivers.

[@gvxclassics]

If it didn't take so long to bring out the convertible, it might have done better. The coupe just didn't cut it. Imagine GM taking so long to design a convertible top!

[@Greatdome99]

It has an odd stance; both front and rear wheels were too far back for the body. GM went thru a phase where they pushed the rear axle rearward in their FWD models to improve interior space. That they did, but the look was awkward.

[@Robert-kb8rl]

Answer: Style over substance.

[@Vampirebear13]

Buick above Oldsmobile ????? Come on Rick, you KNOW the GM pecking order, Chevy-Pontiac-Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac. And for those who don't know, GM was going to kill off Buick but the Chinese market kept Buick alive because they think Buick is the "ultimate" American car. I grew up on GM vehicles & that's what made me a FORD person.

[@markst.germain9286]

I love the the Buick Reatta especially the hardtop.

[@sharksport01]

The bubble back window makes it.

[@jmcd3970]

Number one it should have the turbo charge 3.8 engine in it like the 86 and 87 Regals grand nationals instant Buick had something to do with the scar it had to be screwed up because Buick was always screwed up GJM

[@ksquine]

It shows how clueless GM was back then. In the late 1980's, Buick had an image of an old man's car.....Same body as every other GM, but with poofy velour, casket handle door pulls, and acres of fake wood. Not a good starting point for a stylish luxury halo car. Also, nobody wants a discount luxury car. A Mercedes SL was ~ $60k. If you're paying only $25-30k, you're not really in the same league , are you? The Reatta was a nice car as a stylish 2 seat boulevard cruiser....but that wasn't a market segment that many wanted. Ford had the same problem with the 2002 T-Birds.

[@gregfielder4763]

A turbo and better looking wheels may have made more potential buyers pay attention.

[@KtothG]

forget the exotic sports car, Buick couldn't build anything worth a crap in that era. our family found out the hard way.... 👎

[@stevevlahos1]

I used to own a Buick Rivera. 87. Great car till the electronics started to go.

[@kc0lif]

kinda similar to Chrysler tc.

[@spokes28]

One mistake GM always makes is they under power their cars upon their introduction.

[@Primus54]

Can you say “Fiero”? And in addition to underpowering new “sports” vehicles, GM kills them off once they’ve corrected the defects and given them some true performance… like the Fiero. 😉

[@stevenleek1254]

And, after an unbelievable delay, lets say a tiny amount about something other than its looks. It's called "content."

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Front wheel drive and measly 150hp out of the V6 did not make a statement of being high end car. If they had put on a shortened F body platform and dropped a V8 in it, it might have had a better margin of success.

[@BruceMcEachern]

The Mercedes sl and Porsche 944 and 911 were rear wheel drive. This fact is huge for competing with the Germans. Same problem with the Alanti.

[@loveisall5520]

Being in my 60s, I remember this well. To me it looks cheap, it looks low dollar. It looks basic GM. Now, I don’t think the Cadillac Allante Looks any better. I had a friend with the Cadillac and he had nothing but trouble with it, especially the electronics. Spending this kind of money on cars will ensure that there will be no repeat customers.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

GM was just flailing at this point. They existed solely on inertia and the misplaced goodwill of loyal customers who had been drinking the Kool Aid and buying GM iron for decades because their dads before them did. Then again, the same was true with Ford and Chrysler. What the idiots running these companies were doing was chasing the marketplace - they wanted to steal back the buyers of Japanese and German cars without really spending any money or offering ANY of the kinds of cars that would attract them in the first place. They thought these buyers were so stupid as to fall for a clumsily designed and engineered car just because an expensive marketing campaign accompanied it. Absolutely absurd.

[@markj9544]

Now if you want a Buick it better be for an SUV!

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

The wheels ruined it.....just not a great match. A more open spoke design would have helped a LOT! The engine was one of the greatest of all time!!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

The Reatta, and the Riviera are the only cars with a touch screen that I would consider owning

[@TonyBasuro]

Don't forget the Olds with the CRT Touch! Honorable Mention?

[@mikehenson819]

I owned that years Riviera, and loved it, but not the touch screen. I ended up trading it because my wife absolutely hated that screen.

[@N2YTA]

@mikehenson819 that screen was an issue for a lot of people. It was too ahead of its time. There was no satellite navigation and although cell phones existed they weren't in common use. It was tech for the sake of tech. The Rivera sold better when they restyled it.

[@TonyBasuro]

@N2YTA that was then but we're looking at it now

[@N2YTA]

@@TonyBasuro but the vehicles were sold “then”

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

It didn't sell well because while people when asked, want a sporty two seater car, but reality is they buy a two or four door sedan. As far as competing with Mercedes, people that want a Mercedes will buy one, no amount of advertising will get them to buy the Buick unless they can't afford the Merc. In that case they usually went for a BMW. It's the same with motorcycles for a long time. The Japanese tried so hard to take a chunk of Harley's market, but people who want a Harley will only settle for a Harley, and people who can't afford one might buy the Honda, and though in most ways they're better bikes, they'll never be the Harley. The auto market is very fickle!

[@GS-zc4sk]

I'll take that era Mercedes SL any day over anything Buick has ever made. And I'm not even a Mercedes fan.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Unfortunately, the Federal Exhaust Gas Emissions Ban Ordinance BABVVO and the Federal Transport Tourism Emission Restriction Ordinance TEBBVO will soon ban exhaust emissions and transport tourism emissions nationwide!!!!

[@greggcollins4215]

That was one of GMs better engines. Certainly better than Cadillac was using.

[@PaulMyers-q1m]

GM maid high end luctery convertible an a looow end convertible in the 90-94 GEO ,Metro an that dident sell in big numbers 😮

[@jackwilliamson1929]

It failed because it wasn't the Gran National everyone wanted and that's the reason Buick is still failing

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

One of the main reasons Buick line is still alive is the Chinese car market. Buick is a car name that held a strong memory in China from before WW2, and it's still held in high regard to the people.

[@judgedread-q4t]

The styling just did not shout class or money, I think that was it.

[@madmike2624]

Great content Rick!!!!~

[@Iowa599]

full width tailights don't make me think of Porsche! 😂 Think more Japanese, because full width was legally required. IE: 180sx, Civic/CRX, Tercel

[@chuckschillingvideos]

No, but the two stupid rubber nubbins on the bumper do! Porsche was required to put those on its bumpers at a certain point in time (I'm guessing mid-80's ish) in the US but Buick was not. Buick just copied the thing that Porsche owners LOATHE on those car because Buick was, well...Buick. They didn't think too hard about anything.

[@Iowa599]

@chuckschillingvideos full width was legally required in Japan, so models that were carried over usually had them, or provisions for them. (ie: 1991 Civic base model vs 1991 Civic Dx model)

[@lewisrovak7696]

Dude, it didn't have a motor that was respectable. The end

[@dj33036]

My boss had one that I drove a few times. I was not impressed. It seemed sluggish and heavy. Too bad it wasn't rear wheel drive.

[@danbunge9787]

I loved my Reatta but, it wasn't practicle with a child on the way.

[@--pbrstreetgang--]

My father had one and it was a good car. But that's all it was. Just good. Although it had nice surfaces and materials and a touch screen it was just - average - nothing stood out about it. I expected it to be somewhat exciting or at least memorable, but it wasn't. Relatively comfortable and well appointed but utterly bland and forgettable.

[@1aikane]

It was pretty, but it was really small.

[@imp81]

proportions look off to me. too much length in front of the front wheels, too short in the rear

[@sharksport01]

Yes, same with a corvette.

[@jonbutzfiscina1307]

A front wheel drive eco-box. Up against a Mercedes? It was doomed from the start.

[@johnandersonjjr]

Yes it’s funny that those who’d normally buy a Mercedes SL would not jump at buying Buick’s idea of a halo car.A short chopped off parts bin creation based on a transverse mounted front wheel drive low power SIX CYLINDER (read econocar)chassis.Throw in a windshield that’s as big as the hood but worse it’s complete with 1965 (faux )vent windows and bland styling for the rest of the car.One has to ask is this the same GM /Buick that gave us the 63 /66 (eras)Rivieras?!

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Yeah, it was stupendously arrogant on Buick's part to offer this as anything like a MB or BMW or Lexus competitor.

[@caribman10]

Buick was NOT "above" Oldsmobile....

[@N2YTA]

Yes it was. The hierarchy was Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick & Cadillac. If you look at the VIN of GM cars of that era you’ll see that the third digit was 1 for Chevy, 2 for Pontiac, 3 for Olds and 4 for Buick. I was the sales manager of a Buick dealership during that time.

[@Dwayne-mb2uj]

Jett Rink had a Little Reatta .

[@47Jimbeau]

I loved mine!!!!

[@mikeisaacs2314]

FWD was their first mistake

[@saywhat2014]

With a small V8 and rear wheel drive with that styling it might have been a better sales success but dull performance just made it a so-so.

[@michaelcoonce6694]

Looks had a lot to do with it

[@boyfrmnewyork]

Should have been built on the Corvette platform... FWD says low rent IMHO...

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

Cadillac eventually did just that. GM, especially at the time would have never allowed another branch to have a car close to the corvette though. Pontiac could have done much more with the Fiero, but that was yet another two seater with good possibilities, but of course GM management crippled.

[@boyfrmnewyork]

@@Oldbmwr100rs GM actually built two RWD prototypes with a V6, one turbo and one supercharged for testing...

[@Vermizidus]

Wonder whatever happened to them. A few people have tried RWD conversions using Corvette rear ends but never completed. Would be interesting to know if anyone's succeeded or is in the process. The farthest people completed were Northstar and supercharged 3800 swaps. F40 6 speed transmission swaps have been done as well

[@z512345]

It should of had the Grand National Turbo 3800 motor.

[@WayneB27]

My employer back in 1979 bought his wife one (to replace a Mercedes SL ) . Despite the hype , I thought it drove and looked quite unremarkable despite its high sticker , the interior looked pretty good at first (I remember the seat leather was so fragile the side bolster on the drivers seat was in tatters a few years later) I think the main problem that it was not a very masculine design and looked too much of a chicks shopping car to gain acceptance with most potential male buyers . I remember him telling many people it was ''hand built' in the GM craft centre as a justification for its purchase over another SL.

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

Funny you mention the "chick's shopper car" as that market was clearly taken by the "bitch cart" AKA the VW cabriolet!

[@bobbaker1998]

I always loved the looks and would have bought one in a second if it had the supercharged 3800. I had a Regal GS in the 90’s and it was the fastest car 0-60 under 40k

[@jackjohnson7396]

Mostly older women drove it, the ones I saw when they came out.

[@calvincrews3885]

The Buick Reatta could have been a RWD model like the Mercedes Benz and a fake fastback if they would have been able to do that it’s not to go against the Corvette only the Benz

[@kaysguy]

That screen was extremely clunky in use.

[@VintageCarsFan]

This as a Mercedes SL competitor? No contest. Maybe the 380SL, but that was gone a few years before the Reatta debuted. The Chrysler TC was a more reasonable competitor, but another failed car.

[@RafaelFiallo-y9o]

If it had lived at little longer it was supposed to get the supercharged 3800.

[@michaelscott7706]

Well I guess the Reatta is more reliable than the Allante since it has a 3800.

[@waynewisecarver]

You gotta Reatta?

[@robertahrens9481]

Try to find brake parts for it !

[@harrybaulz666]

Obviously he's never seen one

[@57WillysCJ]

Maybe if the used the riata spelling it would have been more understandable.

[@mickeymichaels1298]

Not even one sentence saying that there was also a Reatta coupé??? Not all were made as convertibles.

[@coletrickle-km7cl]

They should of made the reatta rear wheel drive with the turbo grand national engine under the hood. If they did that then i would want one to this day and it would be a more desirable car. They might have sold more of them. The allante should of also been RWD. Somebody needs to get ahold of a reatta and LS swap it and make it rear wheel drive. Theres a guy on you tube that did that to a FWD pontiac grand prix.

[@coletrickle-km7cl]

Well after L👀King around on you tube, it looks like the buick engineers back in the late 1980's were tinkering with making the reatta rear wheel drive after all. In prototype form. Type RWD REATTA on you tube. There's a motor week video of one and a rear wheel drive 2 door buick regal. So this has been done b/4.

[@derrinpickett9948]

Check out KZbin video of putting a supercharged 3.8 out of 90s car in a Fireo

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@coletrickle-km7cl What you can bang out in a prototype is not necessarily something you can make in a production car. For one, that prototype is certainly not an unmolested existing chassis, which was one of the design criteria. And there are numerous safety regs that must be complied with that aren't really dealt with in a prototype. I mean....they probably could have put a 500 ci Cadillac engine in a prototype if they wanted. And it would never have gotten anywhere.

[@pcInCA]

I'm listening with headphones, your audio is only in the left channel. 👂🏻

[@mikemiller659]

It didnt fail ? I drove a 1988 for a few years I found it was Under powered .

[@jumpsuite]

The renetta was never built to compete with Mercedes BMW or anything like that it was a unique car built on the idea of the tornado concept come on please it's front wheel drive

[@abelincoln6785]

One - it was made by Buick, two it was built with lazy union workers, three is was poorly engineered, four it is American made which mean its crap. Easy to figure out.

[@mikedavid7168]

GM will never be a world class car maker. Don’t get me wrong GM makes good cars but GM always screws the product at the end

[@desertmodern7638]

Front-drive proportions are difficult to pull off, but the Allante amazingly did. The Reatta did not. The Cadillac is a striking car that has aged surprisingly well, but the Buick was frumpy from day one. It's hard to sell a frumpy car.

[@richceglinski7543]

Yes your description nailed it exactly

[@openliquor]

I always liked elements of the styling, but knew it was odd, in some fashion…your description nailed it….the short wheelbase is odd looking. The rear chrome bumper also looks out of place, as these were on their way out by 1990.

[@mikeholland1031]

The caddy's had crappy engines though

[@mrluckyuncle]

Frumpy? I don’t see anything frumpy here. I do like the Allante as well.

[@annenelson5656]

@@richceglinski7543 Indeed!

[@MyWillypilly]

It failed before people knew it existed........ jump ship too fast... just like Allante