The Buick Reatta is a low-volume
transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, two-door, two-seater
grand tourer
A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either ...
manufactured and marketed by
Buick
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
as a coupe (1988–1991) and convertible (1990-1991) — both featuring a 3.8 liter V6 engine and
shortened version of the
GM E platform
The General Motors E platform or E-body was the automobile platform designation used for a number of personal luxury cars produced from 1963 to 2002. Notably, early E-bodies were produced in both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive configu ...
, shared with the seventh generation
Buick Riviera
The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car that was marketed by Buick from 1963 to 1999, with the exception of the 1994 model year.
As General Motors' first entry into the personal luxury car market segment, the Riviera was highly praised by au ...
.
As Buick's first two-seater and its first
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
since the 1985
Riviera
''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...
, the Reatta was manufactured in a highly specialized assembly program at the Reatta Craft Center (later known as the
Lansing Craft Center
The Lansing Craft Center (LCC) was a specialized General Motors automobile assembly factory in Lansing Township, Michigan located at 2801 West Saginaw Street across from GM's Lansing Metal Center.
History
The facility was originally built by ...
) in
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
—achieving production of over 21,000 units in four years.
Overview
![1988 Buick Reatta, rear left](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/1988_Buick_Reatta%2C_rear_left.jpg)
For the Reatta's manufacture at the Reatta Craft Center, specialized teams of workers assembled the car at a series of stations rather than on a conventional
assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a ''progressive assembly'') in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the parts are added in seq ...
. After a team had completed their portion of the assembly, the car would be moved by robots to the next station. Paintwork was performed on site under subcontract to
PPG Industries
PPG Industries, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries around the globe. By revenue it is ...
.
The Reatta used GM's
transverse
Transverse may refer to:
*Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle
*Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally
* Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...
"
Buick 3800"
V6 with 165–170 hp (123–127 kW) and 210–220 lb·ft (285–298 N·m) of
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
with the highest output in the last year of production. The car used a fully
independent suspension
Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in w ...
, 4 wheel
disc brake
A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...
s with ABS, and
front wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional lon ...
. Top speed was electronically limited to 125 mph (201 km/h). The Reatta was rated at 18 mpg (13.1 L/100 km) in the city and 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km) on the highway.
Intended as a
halo car
The halo effect (sometimes called the halo error) is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand, or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas. Halo effect is “the name given to t ...
for Buick, production was projected at 20,000 Reattas annually, and was available while the
Cadillac Allanté
The Cadillac Allanté is a two-door, two-seater luxury roadster marketed by Cadillac from 1987 until 1993. It used a Cadillac chassis and running gear with a body built in Italy by coachbuilder Pininfarina. It was expensive to produce with ...
and
Pontiac Fiero
The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engine sports car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac for model years 1984-1988. Designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car, it was the first two-seater Pontiac (automobile) ...
were also available. GM announced the end of production in early 1991.
Features
The Reatta featured twin bucket seats with a storage area behind the seats featuring two lockable bins
and a lockable access hatch to the rear trunk. At introduction, options included 16-way power seats in lieu of 6-way power seats, side moldings in either black or body color and pinstripe delete. A sunroof became optional in late 1988, and in 1989 keyless entry was added as a standard feature.
The 1988 listed retail price was $25,000 ($ in dollars ).
The Reatta had the distinction of being Buick's only car with
pop-up headlamps
Hidden headlamps, also commonly known as pop-up headlamps, pop-up headlights, flip-eye headlamps, or hideaway headlights, are a form of automotive lighting and an automotive styling feature that conceals an automobile's headlamps when they are not ...
with the entire headlamp assembly moving up and down. The other Buick cars with hidden headlamps, the
Riviera (1965–1969) and the
Skyhawk (1987–1989 for certain trim levels), had fixed headlamps hidden behind moveable covers.
Initially (1988–89), the Reatta featured a
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
computer interface, marketed as the ''Electronic Control Center'' (ECC), that included radio and climate control functions, date reminder,
trip computer
A trip computer is a computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform gen ...
and user-configurable overspeed alarm, as well as diagnostic access to the vehicle's electronic systems and sensors. Later models were equipped with conventional push-button stereo and climate controls. The new system eliminated the trip computer functionality and the climate control buttons could access diagnostic information, replacing the diagnostic scanner capability formerly provided by the touchscreen.
In 1990, the interior was redesigned, adding a driver's airbag and an optional
CD player. In 1991, the "L27" 3800 engine and 4T60-E transmission replaced the "LN3" and hydraulic 4T60 units and the Reatta received a new ABS system, new 16" wheels,
automatic headlamps and a cup holder built into the armrest.
Each Reatta included a leather book containing the owner's manual and a pen. In 1990 and 1991, a zippered owner's folio was included holding the owner's manual, pen, flashlight and tire gauge, as well as a "Craftsman's Log" with the signatures of the supervisors for the car's assembly.
![Buick-TouchScreen-x](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Buick-TouchScreen-x.jpg)
In 1988, approximately fifty-five examples were designated "Select Sixties" and allocated to Buick's top sixty dealers. The models, internally designated model X22, featured a black exterior, tan interior, and unique "Select Sixty" hood emblems.
In 1990, the Select Sixty program was repeated, with sixty-five white convertibles including special emblems, and a flame red interior with white bucket seats, white 16-inch wheels, and cup holder.
Convertible
After a delayed introduction due to design difficulties,
Buick introduced the
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
Reatta in 1990 with a manually-operated top designed by
ASC ASC may refer to:
Educational institutions
* Anglican Schools Commission, Australia
* Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines
* Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia
Organizations Australia
* Australian Singing ...
, available in vinyl or cloth with a glass rear window and electric defroster. When retracted, the top was protected by a rigid
tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
cover. The 1991 models featured power pull-down motors to assist in tightening the rear bow of the top to the tonneau cover.
A Buick convertible would not be offered again until the four-seat
Buick Cascada
Cascada (, Spanish for "Waterfall", stylized as CASCADA, CASC''A''DA and cascada) is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They are best known for their hit singles " Everyti ...
debuted in 2016.
Production
The first pilot car was finished at the Reatta Craft Centre in December 1986.
Series production began in January 1988 and ended on May 10, 1991. The original car was sometimes referred to as a "1988½ model year", owing to its January introduction.
References
1991 Buick Reatta sales brochure
External links
ReattaDriver.comBuick Reatta Club Enthusiast website
Reattas.comThe Reatta Farm website
{{Authority control
Reatta
Grand tourers
Convertibles
Coupés
Vehicles built in Lansing, Michigan
Cars introduced in 1988
1990s cars
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Front-wheel-drive sports cars