The Buick brand is one that I hold close to my heart, as I grew up in the city in which this make had once called its world headquarters home for almost a century. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Flint, Michigan, at one point, probably had the highest concentration of Buicks on the road than any other place on Earth. Town pride in Buick was very palpable when I was growing up, even as evidenced by a gigantic Tri-Shield sign and billboard that greeted northbound travelers on U.S. Route 23 with an enthusiastic “Welcome To The Buick City!” This GM brand wasn’t even the only one we represented, as we also built Chevrolets and GMCs, in addition to other factories that built components used by various divisions (AC Spark Plug, Dupont, etc.).
I had toured the Buick factory, colloquially known as “Buick City” for its last couple of decades, many times up through my teenage years, the last such instance being the summer of 1991, when the J.D. Power & Associates-awarded LeSabres were being built. We kids were given a whole bunch of Buick swag upon completion of the tour, including an orange “Buick City” fanny pack which I would never use, but wish I still had. Even today, the local vintage and thrift stores in the area will have more than a few Buick mementos for sale from a time when GM’s near-luxury make was still pumping out upscale, respected Rivieras and Park Avenues at a reasonable clip.
I usually make it back to Flint about four times annually, including right around this time of year, at the invitation of a close high school friend and a group of us “Flintstones” who went to school together. She and her husband really know how to make folks feel welcome, and usually one of them is right there to pick me up from the Amtrak station within five to ten minutes of my train’s arrival back near my old neighborhood in Flint. It has traditionally been a toss-up between a bunch of us going out and meeting up at one of Flint’s still-fun night spots, or having folks over to their house. I’m always good with either, as going out would allow me to relive some fun times at old Flint institutions that are still in business, but with a house gathering, I feel there are better odds of actually having conversations with people and getting to know someone better. It’s also a good thing for me that their couch is super-comfortable.
Last year’s get-together was a great time, and I’m pretty sure I went to the couch smiling that night, once the other guests had left. I had set the alarm on my phone in preparation for my early, 7:30 AM return train home to Chicago, had my carry-on bag packed, and even had my jeans, t-shirt, and meal-replacement breakfast bar sitting on my suitcase. This was to facilitate an easy exit so all the host would have to do would be to fire up the old Silverado, and we gentlemen could be on our way to the station. This all went according to plan… mostly. My alarm went off, and it was its usual, lovely tone, sounding as it does like a Brazilian rainforest. So… very… soothing. Ahhhh.
The next thing I knew, there was light coming in through the living room curtains. Oh, snap. Glancing at my phone, I realized that my train back to Chicago had left more than an hour ago, and there were no more trains heading back that day, as it was a holiday (Presidents Day). What had happened? The only thing I could think of is that I must have turned off the alarm with the full intent of getting up, closed my still-tired eyes for “just a few minutes,” which then led to unconsciousness and likely the sawing of the proverbial logs. At my request, my host and hostess then drove me to the airport, so I could rent a car to get back to Chicago, as I had to work the next day.
Sour at myself for my temporary lapse in good judgement at letting myself fall back to sleep instead of leaping into action as planned (a plan that had been successfully carried out multiple times before), I smiled and waved goodbye to my friends and entered Bishop International Airport, thinking about the price difference between a forty dollar return train ticket to Chicago and what would likely be another hundred fifty dollars for the now necessary car rental or plane ticket. It was under these circumstances that my jaw dropped upon coming across this 1981 Buick Regal Pace Car parked on the floor, sectioned off, near the departures area of the airport. Was this to be considered redemption of some sort?
Nineteen Eighty-One was the year the popular Regal A- (later G-) Body coupe was restyled, following its successful downsizing for model year ’78. The 240,000 or so Regals (which were still all coupes that year) sold for ’81 represented close to a 12% increase over the prior year’s 215,000 figure, even if 1980 had been a recession year. A gain is a gain. The ’81 restyle was, in my opinion, a very successful one, with its rakish, sloping shovel-nosed frontal styling and attractively squared-up rear deck. It may not be as dramatic and as immediately striking to me as a concurrent Dodge Mirada coupe (which turned out to be unsuccessful in the marketplace), but it’s still a handsome machine and a great basis, aesthetically, for an Indy Pace car.
Two different sources had indicated that either 100 or 150 ’81 Regal Pace Car replicas had been built (the jury’s still out), but reading further, I realized that what I had seen and photographed at Bishop Airport was not one of the replicas that were available to the public, but rather one of the original two pace cars (one paces the race, and a backup is also required to be built). American Sunroof Company (ASC) was responsible for the official pace cars, with their modifications to a t-roof-equipped Regal including removal of the rear section of the roof, and installation of a folding, cloth top, a roll bar, and a special, custom, leather interior featuring Recaros and a maple, orange and red color scheme. Buick installed a heavily modified, naturally aspirated 4.1L V6 rated at 281 horsepower in these two cars.
The replicas, by contrast, were handled by Cars & Concepts. Unlike the official pace cars, they lacked the partial convertible roof section, roll bar and custom interior, but otherwise featured the same exterior graphics. Also, in place of the modified 4.1L V6 was a naturally-aspirated 3.8L V6 with just the normally-rated 110 hp. I still say they all look pretty cool, and much like an appropriately modernized version of the ’76 Buick Century V6 Indy Pace Car.
As I (grudgingly) drove my rental car the four-and-a-half hours or so back to Chicago, I did a lot of reflecting on both Buick’s past, present and possibilities for the future. There’s so much to emotionally unpack, with regard to my hometown of Flint and its relationship to Buick, for many of us from that area. Much like as in a dysfunctional relationship between two individuals, it’s hard to deny the mutual love that once seemed so unbreakable, yet a collective feeling of abandonment following Buick’s wholesale departure from the Flint area has left many of us questioning whether or not our love had ultimately been justified.
The recent announcement of the imminent discontinuation of Buick’s remaining passenger cars following their current model cycles has only brought many of these feelings back to the surface, even if none of those new cars are built in Flint. Still, the sight of this hot Buick pace car from my elementary school years brought joy to what would have, otherwise, been a day filled with both memories of a fun evening with friends and the regret of my temporary lapse in good judgement.
Flint, Michigan.
Monday, February 18, 2019.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
Well ;
Alls well that ends well .
Nice to hear you had a good visit and finding this rare car on display is the cherry on top .
For those harried travelers who have difficulty waking up when bushed, there’s a traveling alarm clock called “The Screamer” that no one has ever been able to sleep through .
I’d love to hear more Buicktown stories…..
-Nate
Thanks – almost forgot about this essay until I had seen it got scheduled for reruns. That’ll happen again, as I’ve been here since 2014, IIRC. More Flint posts will surely follow.
I bought a ’86 Electra which had briefly been a “company executive” car. The car was unusually quick, especially compared to the couple I’d driven during the buying process. A few months later, I received a phone call from Buick corporate to return the car to the dealer to switch some components. Failure to do so would void the warranty.
When I did so, the dealer advised me the car had the same 200+ h.p. as the previous Grand National pace cars. But since the dealer was not getting paid enough to return the engine to the factory specs, they advised Corporate they’d done so and sent me on my way.
Loved that car. Quick, fast and a real sleeper. Until the nylon timing belt broke….
Incredible! I wonder how that slip-up happened, but I’m happy for you that it did. I remember liking the newness of the ’85 Electras (and by association, your ’86).
WOOF, WOOF and WOOF! Great car and you, as always, are an excellent raconteur! Made my day.
Thanks, Thomas! I’m always pleased to re-read something I had written years ago as if for the first time, like I did this afternoon.
In a retraining for new skills position after I lost my part-time job during the COVID crisis, I spent two days in Novi and Flint, visiting a Signarama franchise. I learned a few things about making signs. Also learned some cultural things: Michigan Cherry coffee is great, the Michigan-MIchigan State rivalry is intense, and Stroh’s is fondly remembered. My family had a 1980 Buick wagon and my mother’s last car was a mid 1990s Regal sedan, which was a good car. Growing up in Northwest Ohio in the 1960s we listened to CKLW radio so never had the Michigan hate that so many Ohioans have.
Signarama! I had never heard of that before, and I’m a fan of commercial signs, especially vintage ones. I can’t remember having had Michigan Cherry coffee before, but it sounds like something I’d like. And the Michigan-Michigan State thing is very real. I remember there being a local chain at some of the regional malls called “The Great Divide” which was half Maize & Blue and half Green & White – right down the center. Thanks in advance for sending me down a few more rabbit holes on my smart phone!
That drive back to Chicago would have required a listen to Buick City Complex by the Old 97’s.
Ah, Flint, the place I grew up and have fond memories of. The Friday nights on St. John’s street watching the couple race their matching gnx’s rocket down the “dragstrip”. Oh yea the other regal awesome to say the least. My parents owned a 1983 Rivera XX indy pace car, just like the one at auto world. Can’t say enough about Buick of the past.
Jason, were you referencing The Cruise with that “dragstrip” on the north end? I used to be there with friends on some Friday / Saturday nights in the early ’90s. There were a pair of ’69 Chevelles that used to tear it up. A T-Bucket would sometimes show up. I don’t remember a GNX, but I may have been focusing on other cars. One of my favorite things was to walk along the parked cars, listen to the ambient sounds of stereos and rumbling engines, and brief conversations with people. I loved it there. I have so much love for my memories of The Cruise.
And your parents had the Rivvy XX? That’s amazing. I got to experience AutoWorld just once during its original, fully open schedule for that six months or so. I miss Flint and feel like I need to get back soon. Last August feels like too long ago.
I wonder if the soft top really folds down. I could easily see it just being a mock-up that’s held in place with some clips or fasteners, and the whole thing just lifts off with the opening covered by a boot for the race.
I mean, the car is only going to see duty at one Indy 500, so the builder (ASC) really wouldn’t need to go to all the trouble and expense of creating an actual folding top for just that one time when it’s going to see use.
That’s a great question. My guess would be that the top folds down only because ASC historically killed it with the reengineering they did in converting many vehicles to convertibles.
Having owned several Buicks over the years, worked they were my favorites. Also spent several of my 43 years as a Service Director at Buick dealerships helped me fall in love with the brand. Raised in Lima Ohio and listening to CKLW was just what we did. That the the cool radio station. Enjoyed your story.b
Thanks, Jim! I’m glad to read that you had enjoyed the few years you had spent with this brand at GM. I can certainly understand your fondness for Buick, in addition to Buick’s general excellence.
Jim, my edit to my reply didn’t “take”, so I wanted to acknowledge that you had said you sent *several years* as Service Director with Buick. That’s awesome and I’m glad you enjoyed that time. I see the Tri-Shield, even the modernized one, and I immediately think of home.
This is a great story! (I don’t remember it from the original run). Was it worth the unexpected hassle and money to see this car? I’ve had a few CC encounters that came about through a change of plans. It always makes you wonder about cosmic plans and such…
I agree that the 81 Regal restyling was a good one. I don’t think the 78 was particularly handsome, a little lacking in gracefulness, but the 81 was the opposite. It had a fleetness and grace that made it the best looking of the 81 A-bodies (or G-body I think). I’d consider the 2 door 81-87 Regal the best of the downsized midsizers. And the GN was certainly the best of the “muscle” versions!
Thanks, Jon! I think that when I wrote this, I was looking for the silver lining, but ultimately, I’m glad that whole thing happened as the only other times I’ve seen this specific car (no longer at the airport, IIRC) it was at the Courtland Center Mall behind a drop-down chain divider at the entrance of where a department store used to be.
I did like the original ’78 Regal styling, looking almost like a Riviera-lite, but the ’81 restyle was deft. Of the four A-bodies and as I think about it (early) this morning, my favorite is probably actually the GP, followed by the Monte, Regal, and Cutlass. Heck, I like them all. Too hard to rank before my coffee truly kicks in.