Buick Reatta

Buick Reatta
Overview
Manufacturer	Buick
Production	1988–1991
Assembly	Lansing, Michigan, United States
Body and chassis
Class	Sport compact
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Layout	FF layout
Platform	E-body
Related	Cadillac Allanté Buick Riviera Oldsmobile Toronado Cadillac Seville Cadillac Eldorado
Powertrain
Engine	3.8 L Buick V6
Transmission	4-sp 4T60 automatic 4-sp 4T60-E automatic 4-sp 440T-4 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	98.5 in (2502 mm)
Length	189.7 in (4920 mm)
Width	71.1 in (1854 mm)
Height	1988-89: 51.2 in (1300 mm) 1990-91: Template:Auto in
Curb weight	3593 lb (1630 kg) 3392 lb (1539 kg)

The Buick Reatta was the first car Buick advertised as a two-seater since the 1940 Buick model 46. It was a hand-made luxurious sports coupe produced at the Lansing Craft Centre in Lansing, Michigan and sold by the Buick division of American automaker General Motors from early 1988 to 1991. Like the Cadillac Allanté, it was based on a shortened version of the GM E platform used by the Cadillac Eldorado, Oldsmobile Toronado and particularly the Buick Riviera, with which it shared its advanced electronics and interior furnishings. While a sport compact car, it had only automatic transmission. It was also Buick's only sports car at the time.

The Reatta sported its own unique body style and was crafted with an attention to hand finishing uncommon for a mass-produced automobile. Initially offered for 1988 as a hardtop coupe, a convertible version was added for 1990. The Reatta used GM's ubiquitous "3800" V6 with 165–170 hp (123–127 kW) and 210–220 ft·lbf (285–298 N·m) of torque with the highest output in the last year of production. The car sported a fully independent suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS, and front wheel drive. 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.

Every Reatta included a leather book containing the owner's manual, a flashlight, tire gauge, among other items. Each unit came with a "Craftman Log" with the signatures of the supervisors for the assembly of the car's various systems; these slightly unusual items were an attempt to sell the mass-produced car as one built with individual care.

During the first two years of production, the Reatta, like its Riviera stablemate, featured as standard equipment a touchscreen computer interface called the "Electronic Control Center", or ECC. The touchscreen controlled the radio and climate control functions and provided diagnostic access to the vehicle's various electronic systems and sensors, mostly eliminating the need for a diagnostic scanner. It also featured a date reminder, a trip computer, and a user-configurable overspeed alarm. This elaborate level of electronic equipment was off-putting for the more traditional "mature" buyers the Buick division was courting. Later model Reattas were equipped with simpler electronic push button radio and climate controls.

The Reatta was conceived during a period in the early to mid-1980s when Buick was marketing higher performance editions of its vehicles (such as the turbocharged Buick GNX). However, midway through the development of the Reatta, GM decided to refocus the brand on a more traditional and mature image that was thought to be more in keeping with its core older buyer demographics. The resulting vehicle had a shape that carried performance car styling cues but provided little in the way of actual high performance. The lack of Buick's turbocharging is often blamed on the fact that Hydra-Matic, at the time, didn't have a suitable transaxle that could withstand the extra power.

Buick Reatta convertible

The coupe was joined by a convertible for 1990 and 1991. These model years sold surprisingly poorly, and are extremely rare today. Keyless entry was added after the first year. A driver's side airbag appeared with the more conventional interior and the convertible for 1990, and the engine and transmission were reworked for 1991 (with the "L27" 3800 and 4T60-E replacing the "LN3" and hydraulic 4T60).

The Reatta was intended as a halo car for Buick, but sales, originally planned to be around 20,000 units a year, were extremely disappointing and GM announced the end of Reatta production in early 1991.

Production

Buick Reatta emblem

Production is said to have begun in January 1988 and ended on May 14, 1991. However, various accounts of much earlier and later cars exist, and the handbuilt nature of the car and long development cycle makes accurately dating production difficult.

Year	4EC97 Coupe	4EC67 Convertible	Total	Notes
1988	4,708	0	4,708	First year
1989	7,009	0	7,009	New hood ornament, keyless entry, sunroof option
1990	6,383	2,132	8,515	First year of the convertible, new instrument panel and console, steering wheel-mounted airbag, Select 60 model gets 16 in wheels
1991	1,214	305	1,519	16 in wheels, tuned-port "L-code" engine and electronically-controlled transmission, and a new ABS system join a revised interior with a cup holder
Total:			21,751

External links

• Reatta.net Reatta enthusiast website and message board
• Reatta Division, BCA
• Legends of the Fall: The Cadillac Allanté, the Buick Reatta, and How GM Lost Its Styling Mojo