So, not only is the Buick Regal nameplate returning to the American market after a long absence, but there are growing rumors that Buick will be bringing back a 325 Horsepower GS version of the Regal. Great news to me. The Grand Sports of old were serious cars, not to be trifled with at stop light drags, or real quarter mile strips for that matter.
Now, whether the supposed new GS will be that fearsome remains to be seen, but what is known is that “plain” Regal probably won’t be anything to be underestimated either. The inbound and new for 2011 Buick Regal will be a rebadged version of corporate sibling Opel’s Insignia. The Insignia won the celebrated 2009 European Car Of The Year award the when it debuted.
It seems that one element that is fueling these rumors is what options are available for the original Opel Insignia. One of the Insignia variants that’s roaming around The Continent is a 325 horsepower turbocharged V-6, sporting a manual transmission and a very advanced all-wheel drive system.
Hmmmm … now, who in America would be interested in a car like that?
That takes us to the second element in the rumored Regal Grand Sport. The OPC model, which stands for Opel Performance Center, is the one with the aforementioned goodies, and according to Bob Lutz it\’s under consideration for the U.S. market.
Oh really Bob?
Lutz enlighten Car and Driver that both all-wheel drive and manual-transmission versions of the Opel Insignia are being mulled over for the American market, and you’ll note how the OPC version of the Insignia has both of those nifty little attributes.
And it’s not like this would be a big stretch for Buick to make, either. Regals have been associated with hot rod Buicks in the past. Think of models such as the Grand National, GNX, GS and GSX for some examples.
Maximum Bob also let out that a Regal Sport Wagon is also under consideration. That seems like an easy fit too, since there’s already an Insignia Sports Tourer, i.e. a wagon, rolling around Europe. Not only is there an Insignia Sports Tourer hanging on the racks, but there’s even a high-performance OPC version of that ride too.
Source: Motor Authority
