- The 2012 Buick Regal GS is set to compete in Nevada's Silver State Classic Challenge on Sunday.
- Buick engineers will pilot a stock Regal GS and post results on Facebook.
- Buick says the Regal GS has been clocked at 152 mph during testing at the Milford Proving Grounds — the highest top speed of any production Buick ever.
DETROIT — In a major effort to get some street cred, the 2012 Buick Regal GS is set to compete in Nevada's Silver State Classic Challenge on Sunday.
Buick engineers will pilot a stock Regal GS and post results on Facebook.
Buick says the Regal GS has been clocked at 152 mph during testing at the Milford Proving Grounds — the highest top speed of any production Buick ever.
The Silver State Classic Challenge is a bi-annual open road rally that runs on a remote, two-lane, 90-mile-long stretch of Nevada State Highway 318. Organizers say specially prepared cars often reach speeds exceeding 200 mph. The route has "long straights, twisty sections and dips which, for the faster participants, may result in an airborne experience," organizers say on their Web site.
The participating 270-horsepower Regal GS will be a stock vehicle modified to include safety equipment such as a roll hoop and five-point harness seatbelts, as well as computational equipment for data collection. Buick notes that the Regal GS's top speed is not electronically limited.
The Regal GS goes on sale this fall.
Inside Line says: You'd better believe those Buick engineers are going to be aiming at beating the 152 mph number during this event.
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gam2 says:
05:17 AM, 09/19/2011
I wonder if GM will offer a turbo upgrade like they did on the Cobalt/HHR? Trifecta already has a tune for the standard turbo that is worth 40 HP........
kevm14 says:
06:24 AM, 09/17/2011
I think the torque management severely limits off the line power as well as power shifting power (aka a quick drag race). Out in the open, I think the HP/weight ratio will look more legitimate. When doing any kind of track racing, you DON'T beat on the car like you might in a quick drag race, because you can destroy even the toughest car. By "beat on" I really just mean shifting. Obviously WOT to redline, repeatedly, is expected.
isend2c says:
02:21 PM, 09/16/2011
The part of this article that stuck out to me most was: "BUICKS FACEBOOK PAGE"... anyone else?
rayzor says:
01:31 PM, 09/16/2011
Give Buick the credit, they are trying to transform their division. Yes, its acceleration time is just average but with the right driver, even a Buick can potentially reach the podium...
watkinst says:
12:55 PM, 09/16/2011
Dill - Buick in China is big stuff - makes GM look like a has been in its own Country. LOL
In the US the Saturn Brand at least had a loyal younger customer they could build on. By the way I worked for Saturn for a while it was the most amazing example of marketing BS I've seen so far. Their products were horrid to the point that not a single person at the dealer even owned a Saturn. And the best part was we took a informal poll at one point out of the 100+ employees only two owned a GM product ha ha!
The no haggle thing was nearly comical the sales staff would nearly pass out from pure joy when people walked it writing a check for the price posted on the car. Though that did not stop us from selling cars to people who actually haggled on the price ha ha.
One thing though the customers were almost like a cult. The marketing BS Saturn Fed the customers was first rate they ate it up.
watkinst says:
12:49 PM, 09/16/2011
Whats even more laughable my 90yr old grandmother who owned Buicks bought a Nissan Altima three years ago. She shows up with the Nissan and all of us were shocked!
I asked her what the story was and she says - All the cars I looked at were for old people and really ugly. Then she looked at the Altima and bought it. It replaced a buick LOL
dillworth says:
12:49 PM, 09/16/2011
I can give you 1.3 billion reasons why Buick is around and not the US only Saturn brand.
watkinst says:
12:27 PM, 09/16/2011
Not to mention the only thing buick on these cars is the crappy grill and emblems the rest is Opel from the UK LOL.
I still have no idea why GM killed Saturn which had a very strong and much younger following and they kept an old brand associated to walkers - denture cream - golf shoes and assisted living complex parking lots.
Nice Opel GM - too bad your selling it to the walker and assisted living customers.
dillworth says:
11:20 AM, 09/16/2011
due to its 0-60 time, I dont see the Buick doing well here.
lions208487 says:
10:50 AM, 09/16/2011
I can't wait to hear some feedback on how the GS performs. Hopefully an objective review will soon follow.
I am not a fan of turbo's, but this Regal peaks my interest. Hypocritically I own a Legacy GT...Go figure.