1993 Buick Regal Gran Sport

The third generation of the Buick Regal was the first front-wheel drive iteration of the nameplate. Having debuted for 1988, the '93 model year saw a light styling refresh.

The sedan version was available in Custom, Limited, and Gran Sport trims. The base motor in the Custom and Limited was the 3.1L MFI V-6 making 140 horsepower, with the GM corporate 3800 3.8L V-6 optional. The Gran Sport package came with the larger engine as standard, with its tuned port injection setup putting out 170hp at 4200 RPM.

Backed by a new-for-'93 electronically controlled four speed auto, the Regal GS managed zero-to-sixty times of 9.0 seconds in period testing. Interestingly, the Gran Sport package came with 16" alloy wheels standard, but this Black example's had them replaced by steelies with Chevy center caps, perhaps off a police-spec Lumina.

Pardon the slightly potato-quality photo. It was a terrifically humid late July day in 2026 and when I stuck the Canon EOS RP out the window of the air-conditioned car, the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 zoom lens kept fogging almost instantly. 

2009 Buick Lucerne CXL

With Oldsmobile getting shuttered in 2004, Buick's portfolio had a bit of room to expand into sportier territory, but this happened at a time when the US auto market was careening SUV-ward at an increasing pace.

In response, Buick shrank their sedan selection by half. The midsize Century and Regal were replaced with the W-body LaCrosse, while the full-size LeSabre and Park Avenue nameplates were binned in favor of the new Lucerne.

The Lucerne shared the G-body front wheel drive platform with the Cadillac DTS. For the 2009 model year, the base version was known as the CX, and there were optional CXL (like the Crystal Red example in the future) and Super packages, with the former being luxury-oriented and the latter more sporting.

Riding on a 115.6" wheelbase, the engine in the CX and CXL was the 3.9L corporate pushrod V-6 rated at 227 horsepower. The Super buyer got the 4.6L DOHC Northstar V-8, making 292 ponies. 

Buick was on one of its heritage styling kicks again, and so "Ventiports" were back on the front fenders, three per side in six cylinder cars and four each on ones with the Northstar. MSRP for the Lucerne CXL was $32,520 which is about $50,600 in current dollars.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D4 and 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens in July of 2026.

1965 Buick Electra 225 Convertible

Buick was the second-tier brand in the General Motors "Ladder of Success" hierarchy, just behind Cadillac, and the Electra 225 was at the top of the Buick heap.

The Electra had been introduced in 1959 and was named after Texas socialite Electra Waggoner Biggs, sister-in-law of GM President Harlowe Curtice, replacing the Roadmaster nameplate as the flagship offering from Buick.

1965 marked the debut of the third generation of the Electra, available as a pillared sedan, two- or four-door hardtop, or a convertible, like the Bamboo Cream one in the photos here.

Several versions of the "Nailhead" Buick V-8 could be had, with the 401 cubic inch 325 horsepower motor as standard equipment. For more money, the buyer could opt for the 340 horsepower 425 cubic inch V-8 with a single four-barrel or a dual-quad 425 rated at 360 horses.

Buick advertised these engines by their torque output, calling them the Wildcat 445, Wildcat 465, and the Super Wildcat. All three were backed by the Super Turbine 400 three-speed automatic (Buick's house name for the TH400 Turbo Hydramatic.)

This example was photographed with a Sony a77 and a Sony Zeiss 16-8mm f/3.4-4.5 zoom lens in May of 2026.

1972 Buick Skylark Custom

1972 would be the final model year for the third generation of Buick's midsize Skylark. In fact, it would be the last model year before the Skylark nameplate itself took a couple year hiatus, with its midsize job taken by the Buick Regal. When the Skylark moniker returned to the Buick catalog for the '75 model year it would be hung on a Chevy Nova-derived compact.

The Muscle Car Era was singing its swan song and the Malaise Era was in the on-deck circle, if I may mix my metaphors. Horsepower was now advertised in net rather than gross terms, and compression ratios were slashed across the board to prepare for unleaded gas. You could still get a 455 in a Gran Sport, but for regular Skylarks the biggest mill on offer was a 350.

The Skylark for '72 came in three trim levels: The base Skylark, the Skylark 350, and the Skylark Custom.

The Skylark Custom could be had as a convertible, a pillared sedan, a hardtop sedan, or a hardtop Sport Coupe, like the Fire Red example in the photos.

The base motor would have been Buick's 350 small-block with a two-barrel carburetor rated at 145 SAE net horsepower, with an optional four-barrel 350 making 180 ponies.

This one was photographed in May of 2026 using a Canon EOS R with an RF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1963 Buick Riviera

The Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird, both of which began life as sporty two seaters, quickly diverged in their evolutionary paths. The Corvette got more serious about being a sports car, while the Thunderbird acquired a back seat and became an entirely new thing: a "personal luxury coupe".

It retained a sporty vibe, but put an emphasis on plush, high-tech accommodations for two... plus maybe a couple of friends. The new category was a winner, with the 1958 and 1959 T-birds selling 37,892 and 67,456 units, respectively, vastly outperforming its two-seat predecessor in the marketplace and completely crushing Corvette sales numbers.

General Motors could not let this situation stand and launched a personal luxury coupe of its own. The task was handed to GM's second most prestigious brand, Buick, who launched the 1963 Riviera with unique sheet metal and on the all-new E-platform chassis. Even as far back as the early Sixties, that was a rarity for GM. (Prior to this car, Buick had used the "Riviera" badge as a trim level on other models.)

The standard engine was Buick's "Wildcat 445", which was what Buick called the 401 cubic inch version of its Nailhead V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor and 10.25:1 compression. The "445" was its output in ft/lbs of torque and it was rated at 325 SAE gross horsepower. Optional was the "Wildcat 465", which was a 425-cube Nailhead making 345 horses. Both engines were backed by a Turbine Drive automatic, which is what Buick was calling the old Dynaflow in the early '60s.

The license plate says this one has the 401, as did the car tested by Motor Trend when it was new. The crew at MT managed an 8.1 second zero-to-sixty dash and a 16.01 second trip through the quarter, hitting the traps at 85.71 miles per hour. Observed top speed was 115 and the finned aluminum drums brought the car to a standstill from sixty in 151 feet.

Price as tested was $5,159 in 1963 dollars, or about $55,100 in current bucks.

This example was photographed in May of 2026 using a Canon EOS R and an RF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1957 Buick Special Riviera

Back in 1957 there were still really only two Buicks, the longer 127" wheelbase Roadmaster and Super built on the General Motors C-body chassis, and the shorter 122" wheelbase Century and Special, on the B-body platform.

They all had the traditional Buick "Sweepspear" styling line on the side, and the top two models had four chrome "Ventiports" on the fenders while the two more plebeian models made do with three. Not that any Buick was really downmarket; the brand was positioned only slightly below Cadillac in the GM brand hierarchy. It was the car of the upper middle class, and buying even a Buick Series 40 Special announced that you were on the way up in the world.

Enough people wanted to make that announcement in 1957 to move Buick into third place in sales in the US, passing Mopar's budget Plymouth for the slot.

The Special was powered by the new-for-'57 Buick Fireball V-8, an OHV pushrod motor that displaced 364 cubic inches (6.0L). While the Roadmaster, Super, and Century got a version of the Fireball with a four-barrel carburetor and 10.0:1 compression, rated at 300 gross horsepower, the Special made do with a 250hp version of the same engine, using a two-barrel carb and 9.5:1 compression. There was an even weaker optional 8.0:1 version for people who didn't want to pay for premium fuel. It could only be had with a manual transmission and is rather scarce, since most Buick customers wanted that smooth Dynaflow ride.

A lot of things were optional on the Special, like power brakes, which would be a thing you'd want because those four drums had their work cut out for them hauling two-plus tons of Buick down from speed.

In the center of the dash on this lovely Dresden Blue and Dover White example is a Sonomatic radio, which was the cheaper alternative to the famous "Wonder Bar" unit, which had automatic channel seeking; pretty space age stuff for the Fifties.

The Special could be had as a hardtop coupe like this one, called the "Riviera", or as a pillared two- or four-door sedan.

This one was photographed using a Nikon Coolpix S6500 in Concord, Tennessee back in August of 2014.

1992 Buick Regal Gran Sport

The Regal nameplate got its start with Buick as the upmarket personal luxury coupe version of the Century, back in 1973. The second generation debuted in 1978, sharing a platform with the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, and Cutlass Supreme.

The Regal was a popular coupe and although sedan and wagon variants were occasionally offered in the first and second generations, the coupes outsold them ten-to-one. The second generation Regal was best known for sending out the RWD era at Buick out with a bang in the form of fire-breathing turbocharged T-Types, Grand Nationals, and the ultimate GNX.

With the 1988 model year, the Regal became a front-wheel drive car on the new W-body, shared with the Grand Prix, Lumina, and Cutlass Supreme. The Regal version was initially available only as a coupe with the funky "beer tap" door handles in the B-pillars.

The only powertrain available in the debut year was the GM LB6, a 2.8L multiport fuel injected pushrod V-6 making 125 SAE net horsepower. Performance was a faint shadow of the Regal Grand National. For 1989 the Gran Sport package became an option and the 140hp 3.1L version of the corporate V-6 supplanted the 2.8L later in the model year.

1990 saw the Regal become the only one of the W-body coupes to offer the 3800 Tuned Port Injection 3.8L OHV V-6. The "Series I" 3800 made 170 SAE net ponies and managed to restore something approaching reasonable acceleration again.

When Car and Driver tested a 1992 Regal GS coupe not unlike the Arctic White one in the photos, they clocked a 9.2 second zero-to-sixty time and a 16.9 second quarter.

The one in the photo was snapped in October of 2025 using a Sony a77 and a Sony Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens.

1962 Buick Invicta

Buick used the Invicta nameplate on its middle tier of full-size cars from '59 through '63. Less expensive and slightly sportier than the full-luxe Electra 225, and better appointed than the LeSabre, the Invicta was distinguishable at a glance from the Electra by having only three Ventiports on each front fender rather than the more expensive car's four.

Under the hood, the Invicta had the same Wildcat 445 Nailhead OHV V-8. The engine displaced 401 cubic inches, actually; the "445" in the designation referred to the torque output in pound-feet. With a four-barrel  carburetor and a 10.25:1 compression ratio, the 401 was rated at 325 SAE gross horsepower.

Standard transmission was Buick's Turbine Drive, a dual-stator automatic that delivered a driving experience very similar in feel and soundtrack to a modern CVT. It could even be push-started, which was seen as a plus in those days. The whole engine and transmission sat relatively far forward in the chassis and, combined with the positioning of the driveshaft, resulted in a negligible transmission and driveline "hump" in the floor, which Buick hyped in its ad materials.

Buick referred to this forward engine placement as "Advance Thrust" design and explained it thusly in brochures:

Where and how a car's engine is mounted has a great deal to do with how that car handles, so the engineers tell us. Buick engineers thought that Buick's already superb handling could be improved upon by a change in engine location. And they were right! (They usually are.) It had been the custom to mount the engine aft of the front-wheel suspension. This year, Buick's engine is mounted slightly over the front-wheel suspension. We've called it "Advanced Thrust." The way the Buick engineers explain it, this movement of the engine toward the front is like putting more weight in the head of an arrow. It makes the arrow (and the Buick) travel truer and straighter with far less susceptibility to veer, drift or sway in strong crosswinds-the kind you encounter in most all high- way driving. Other important benefits of "Advanced Thrust" design include a dramatic reduction in road shock a n d vibration transmitted t o t h e steering wheel as well as a snappier come-back of the wheel after turns. Front-end traction is better, too. It stands t o reason, the more weight on the front wheels, the better they grip. "Advanced Thrust"-only Buick has it!

Sounds kinda understeer-y to me, but I'm not writing the ad copy.

Car Life tested a 1962 Invicta convertible, with the same drivetrain as the Cadet Blue hardtop sedan in these photos, but weighing fifty pounds more (4,390 vs. 4,340) due to the top mechanism and structural stiffening. It managed an 8.5 second run to sixty and put away the quarter mile in 16.7 seconds, hitting the traps at 82.5 mph. Over the course of the test the car returned fuel milage in the 12-15mpg rang, as the Twin Turbine gearbox was not known for its parsimony with the petrol.

This one was photographed with a Pentax K20D and an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens in June of 2025.

1969 Buick Electra 225 Limited

1969 was the second-to-last model year of the third generation of Buick Electra. The C-body Electra was the more upscale full-size Buick, above the B-body LeSabre.

The Electra 225 came in three trim levels: regular, Custom, and Limited. We've seen a 1969 Buick Electra 225 Limited here before, in the shape of a Twilight Blue hardtop sedan. The one in this post, on the other hand, is an Antique Gold sport coupe with a Buckskin vinyl roof.

The '69 models have the side marker lights as required by the FMVSS regs of 1968, but in a slightly different location to the ones on a '68 model. It's got the classic Buick styling cues: the chrome "sweepspear" running down the flank and the row of four chrome Ventiports on the front fenders, allowing you to lord it over LeSabre drivers with their mere three.

Under the hood was Buick's 430-cube big block V-8, making 360 SAE gross horsepower and backed by a TH-400 three-speed automatic. Standard final drive was 2.78:1, with a 2.56:1 Economy rear end, as well as 3.08:1 and 3.23:1 options available. There was also a 3.90:1 optional final drive with a mandatory A/C delete. That must have made some noise at freeway speeds.

The bottom photo was taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in August of 2022, while the upper one was taken in June of 2025 using a Canon EOS R and an RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS zoom lens . 

1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate Limited

For the 1991 model year, General Motors heavily redesigned the full-size body-on-frame rear wheel drive B-platform that underpinned the Chevrolet Caprice and (in a longer wheelbase form) the Cadillac Brougham. The previous version had been around since the 1977 model year and was getting long in the tooth, stylistically.

While Buick and Oldsmobile had shifted their full-size sedans over to FWD platforms in the mid-Eighties, they retained full-size RWD B-body wagons, the Electra Estate and the Custom Cruiser, respectively. Oldsmobile continued with the FWD luxury sedan and only offered the new car as a wagon, but Buick revived the Roadmaster nameplate, dormant since 1958, and offered it as a sedan as well as a wagon.

The 1991 Roadmaster Estate wagon came with a 305 cubic inch Chevy small block with throttle-body fuel injection, rated at 170 SAE net horsepower, while the sedan was powered by a 180hp TBI 350 V-8. These 1991 B-bodies saw the end of the division-specific V-8s, with everyone getting Chevrolet small blocks.

The faired-in side mirrors came along in 1995, as seen on this Bright White Roadmaster Estate Limited. Unlike the Roadmaster sedans, the 15" alloy wheels were standard on the Estate wagon.

By 1995 the sole powerplant in the Roadmaster was the 5.7L LT1 V-8 with Tuned Port Injection, derived from the motor in the C4 Corvette, and making 260 SAE net horsepower.

1996 would be the last year for the big RWD B-body GM cars, freeing up factory space for the increasingly popular SUVs.

This one was photographed in June of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens. 

1961 Buick LeSabre

For the 1961 model year, the full-size Buicks came in three different flavors. There was the top-of-the-line Electra, the middlin' Invicta, and the lower-spec LeSabre. The pecking order was signaled by the number of Ventiports on the fenders: The Electra got four, while Invicta and LeSabre owners could only flash three, which was the same number as on the new compact-size Special/Skylark models.

The LeSabre could be had as a hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, two-door sedan, or as a four-door sedan like this Rio Red '61 parked on College Avenue of an autumn morning a couple years ago.

Behind the chrome grille with its floating Tri-Shield badge was Buick's trusty 364 cubic inch "Nailhead" V-8, so-called because of the appearance of its valves, which had long stems and small heads.

The standard '61 LeSabre motor had a 2-barrel carburetor and a 10.25:1 compression ratio, necessitating premium fuel, and was rated at 250 SAE gross horsepower. A no-cost optional engine had a 9:1 compression ratio, allowing the use of regular fuel but dropping output to 235hp.

Alternatively, a LeSabre buyer could spend an extra $22 bucks to kick it up a notch with the Power Pack version of the 364, which had a 4-barrel Carter carb, dual exhausts, 11.25:1 compression, and 300 horses.

All three motors were backed by the 2-speed Turbine Drive (neé DynaFlow) automatic transmission. Well, we call it an automatic, but it didn't work the way we think of when we talk about modern slushboxes. If you drove it normally in "D", it stayed in the one gear all the time. The "L" ratio could only be selected manually, and if selected, it did not upshift by itself. The driving experience had more akin to a current CVT, at least aurally, than a typical modern automatic, as engine RPM & thus motor noise was governed as much by throttle position as road speed.

I wish I'd thought to get a picture of the dashboard, because this was one of the last years for the Mirromagic dash in full-size Buicks. The instrument panel lay flat in a cove atop the dash and was reflected into a mirror above it, the angle of which could be adjusted for best visibility to any driver's sightline.

These photos were taken with a Nikon D800 and a 24-120mm f/4G VR zoom lens in November of 2023.

1978 Buick Electra Limited

For 1978 the General Motors full-size C-body cars were in their second year of downsizing. Buick's version of the platform was the Electra, and it was available in three different levels of trim: Electra 225, Electra Limited, and Electra Park Avenue.

We've seen a 1978 Electra Limited on these pages before, but it was a coupe with the dual exhausts that indicated it likely originally had the Olds-sourced 185 horsepower 403 cubic inch V-8. This sedan, which has been repainted and fitted with a new matching vinyl top, has the single exhaust of a 170hp Buick 350 V-8.

The 1978 Electras had not even a vestige of the classic Buick "sweepspear" styling line, but they still had the four Ventiports on each fender, distinguishing them from the lesser LeSabre, which had but three.

All Electras came with standard power windows in '78, and the Limited added niceties like a standard power driver's seat and remote-controlled outside mirror...at least on the driver's side. All this for a base price of $7,817, which comes to about $38,500 in current dollars.

This one was snapped in June of 2025 using a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens.

1969 Buick Electra 225 Limited

The third generation Buick Electras got a pretty serious refresh for the 1969 model year, receiving crisper body lines along the flanks and a more prominent "Sweepspear" styling line.

The Electra 225 was available in the regular, Custom, and Limited trim levels, in increasing levels of opulence.

The 430 cubic inch V-8 that had debuted in the '67 model continued as the sole powerplant option for the Electra. For 1969 it sported a premium-fuel-only 10.25:1 compression ratio, 4-barrel carburetor, single or optional dual exhausts, and an output of 360 SAE gross horsepower. The only transmission available was the TH-400 three-speed automatic.

This Twilight Blue hardtop coupe would have come with a bench front seat with fold-down armrest in either vinyl or cloth, power steering, and finned brake drums at each corner.

This one was photographed in September of 2023, using a Nikon D300S and 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

1939 Buick Special Model 41

All-new styling with a graceful waterfall grille distinguished the 1939 Buicks, of which the Special was the smallest and lowest-priced model.

The Special was available in a range of configurations, both two- and four-door and with fixed or folding tops, and rode on a 120" wheelbase with "Bui-Coil" spring rear suspension. It was powered by Buick's Dynaflash straight-eight engine, an overhead valve design in an era when most manufacturers were still using flathead mills.

While the bigger, more expensive Buicks that year used a 320 cubic inch version, the Dynaflash Eight in the Special displaced 248 cubes and its Turbulator pistons squeezed the air-fuel mixture with a 6.0:1 compression ratio to make 107 SAE gross horsepower.

Among the more interesting options available was a sliding sunroof, called the "Sunshine Turret Top" in the ad copy of the day.

The Permanent Red Special Model 41 five passenger sedan in the photos would have been the sort of car a white-collar worker or professional would have driven if they weren't of sufficient means to roll around in a LaSalle or Cadillac. The base starting price in 1939  was $996, or about $22,760 in constant dollars.

The one in the photos was snapped in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1978 Buick Electra Limited

The second year of the downsized Electra, 1978 saw the car available in three tiers of luxury: the basic Electra 225, the top-of-the-line Electra Park Avenue, and in the middle was the Electra Limited, like this Medium Blue coupe.

The base motor in the limited was the Buick 350 V-8 with a four-barrel carb making 170 SAE net horsepower, or an optional 185 horse Oldsmobile 403 V-8.

These photos were taken with a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in September of 2021.

2016 Buick Cascada

When Buick introduced the Opel Cascada to the U.S. market as the Buick Cascada for 2016, it was the first two-door offering from the brand since the Riviera had been discontinued at the end of the previous millennium and the first Buick ragtop since the Reatta got axed near the end of the Bush Sr. administration.

I really like the looks of this Carbon Black Metallic one, with its two-tone five-spoke 20" wheels. Alas, the chonkily aggressive wedge-like styling is writing checks its underpinnings can't quite cash. 

Designed from the ground up as a ragtop (there's no Cascada coupe) the platform was derived from other GM European compacts and, once the bracing had been added for adequate rigidity for the topless life, the little four-seater weighed in at only about a trunk full of groceries shy of two tons.

The only available powerplant in the Cascada was a 1.6L turbo four putting 200hp to the front wheels through a 6-speed Hydra-Matic slushbox.

Car and Driver recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 8.3 seconds and a 16.5 quarter at 85 mph, and got it to circle a skidpad at 0.84g. These numbers would have been reasonably competitive as recently as the early Nineties, but for a sporty car in the late 2010s, especially with a $34k price tag ($44k in constant dollars), they were decidedly lackluster.

With convertible sales sluggish, Opel/Buick Cascada production did not long survive the sale of Opel to Peugeot, and the car was discontinued after the 2019 model year.

This one was photographed in January of 2025 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.

1967 Buick Electra 225

1967 was the third model year of the third generation Buick Electra, and it saw the car receive only a light styling update. The Electra's snout now sported a grille with a central dividing bar, echoing a theme more usually associated with Pontiac and Oldsmobile.

The big news for '67 was under the hood, where the previous year's increasingly archaic 425 cubic inch "Nailhead" V-8 (a nickname acquired due to the motor's valves having long stems relative to the size of the valve itself) replaced by an entirely new motor.

The new "Big Block" V-8 from Buick came in two sizes: a 400 cid version for the division's midsize Special and Skylark to comply with the corporate-imposed displacement limit on midsize cars, and a larger 430 cube version, with the same 3.9" stroke but a 0.15" larger bore, for the full-size Le Sabre, Wildcat, and Electra.

The 430 in the Arctic White '67 Electra 225 in the photo would have been rated at 360 SAE gross horsepower, with a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor, dual exhausts, and a 10.25:1 compression ratio demanding premium fuel. This was as much horsepower from the standard 430 as was produced by the exotic dual-quad variants of the old 425 Nailhead. The standard, and only, transmission was a column-shifted 3-speed Super Turbine automatic, which was Buick's house name for the GM corporate TH-400.

The one in the photos was captured in July of 2023 using an Olympus E-5 and a Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm F3.5-5.6 Asph Mega OIS superzoom lens.

1995 Buick Century

At first I thought I'd seen this particular '94-'96 Buick Century running around the 'hood before, but no. That one, seen below, was Dark Cherry Metallic with faux wire wheel hubcaps and this one's Ruby Red Metallic with what look to be steel sport wheels. Looking at both cars, the front passenger door rub strip appears to be a known failure point for this model.

The Century, platform mate to snoozers like the Chevy Celebrity and Pontiac 6000, was supposed to have been discontinued in 1990, replaced by the rebooted Regal, which rode on the same new aerodynamic front wheel drive GM W-platform as the Lumina, Cutlass, and Grand Prix.

The Century still sold like gangbusters though, especially to rental fleets, and the tooling on the old A-body cars was long amortized, so they and their Olds Cutlass Ciera cousins soldiered on with only a minor facelift.

In my headcanon, some young designer got tapped to design the snout of a "potential future Buick sedan with retro cues" and so he penned a shape with a bit of an aggressive undercut reminiscent of 5- and 6-series BMWs combined with flush aero headlamps and a graceful grille that showed a trace of that classic Buick waterfall look...

And then, to his horror, management took that attractive snout and slapped it on the front end of the '91 Centuries, to "freshen them up".

From the leading edge of the hood on back, the rest of the car is the same dull, boxy, angular Century it had been since 1982. Powerplant choices for '95 consisted of the LN2 2.2L multiport injected four cylinder rated at 130hp or the optional 160hp L82 3.1L SFI V-6. Both motors were backed with either a three-speed automatic or a four-speed automatic with electronically controlled overdrive.

This other Century had what looked like a two-letter badge on the rear fender back by the taillight. I couldn't exactly make it out, but it looked like a round letter and a squiggly letter. Did that dude put "GS" badges on his boxmobile? I opened it in Photoshop and blew it up before I realized that he'd just lost the "NTURY" off the right rear fender nameplate.

The top photo was shot with a Nikon D7100 and 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR zoom lens in October of 2023, while the bottom one was taken in August of 2021, using a Hasselblad Lunar and Sony Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 OSS zoom lens.

1998 Buick Park Avenue

The Park Avenue name originated as a trim level on the Buick Electra 225 toward the end of that car's days. When the "Deuce and a Quarter" was discontinued after the 1990 model year, Buick slapped the moniker on their full-size front wheel drive sedan for 1991, which shared the GM C-body platform with the large offerings from Caddy, Olds, and Pontiac.

The Regal Blue Metallic example in the photo is from the longer, heavier second generation of Park Avenues, which ran from the 1997 to 2005 model years before being discontinued and replaced with the Lucerne. They were powered by the ubiquitous GM corporate 3800 Series II V-6, which could be had in 240hp supercharged form if you sprung for the Park Avenue Ultra. The Ultra also got you some snazzy Ventiports on the front fenders, "Ultra" badges on the rear fenders, and a flush tri-shield logo badge on the snout instead of the stand-up hood ornament. By way of trivial knownledge, the base Park Avenues were the last Buicks sold in the US with stand-up hood ornaments.

Also by way of trivia, there was a third generation of Park Avenues, based on the Aussie Holden RWD platform that underpinned the Pontiac G8 and Chevy Caprice PPV, which were sold only in China.

It's interesting to me that they sold them under the "Park Avenue" name in China, although that name probably sounds as exotic in Shanghai or Beijing as naming a car "The Road", but in Spanish, does in Dubuque or Scranton.

This one was photographed in November of 2023 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1976 Buick Century Custom Coupe

For 1973, Buick brought the Century nameplate out of retirement, where it had been since last being used in the '58 model year, and applied it to their A-body midsize cars, which had formerly been known as Skylarks.

Available as coupes, sedans, and wagons, these were Buick's meat and potatoes models, filling the same market niche as Olds's Cutlass and Chevy's Chevelle.

For the 1976 model year, the Century received a light styling upgrade, with more sharply creased lines that matched the newly-legal rectangular headlamps. Sedans had their lamps stacked vertically flanking an upright formal chrome grille while the Century coupes had side-by-side headlamps in a more rakish and aero-looking prow.

To commemorate the Bicentennial year, Buick used special color names on '76 models, like Potomac Blue and Constitution Green. The Century Custom Coupe in the picture above is Judicial Black.

Standard equipment for the Century Custom Coupe was the 3.8L Buick OHV V-6 with a 2-barrel carb and a 3-speed manual transmission. Option motors included either a 2- or 4-barrel equipped Buick 350 V-8, and any engine could be paired with a TurboHydramatic 3-speed automatic transmission.

This photo was snapped in April of 2017 with a Leica D-Lux 3.