1989 Trans Am 20th Anniversary: Stock V6 Buick Motor

1989 Trans Am 20th Anniversary

To honor Pontiac's 20 great years of Trans Am success, this rare 1989 Pontiac Trans Am turbo was rewarded by being named the official pace car of the 73rd 1989 Indianapolis 500. 

The Back Bone To This Badass Trans Am

Back in the 1980s, production sports cars were considerably slower compared to the fast, technology potent sports cars that are being produced today. Thanks to the shortage of fuel and the bad economy, the '80s were a breeding ground for poorly performing Mustangs, Camaros, Trans Ams, and Corvettes. 

But in the late '80s, Buick brought some relief to the unimpressed gear heads with their 1986-'87 Grand National and Regal T-Types. The two very similar models were technically two-door sedans that came with a 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine and used a turbocharger and an intercooler to produce 235-hp and some very impressive quarter-mile time slips. In fact, for those two years, the sluggish-looking grocery-getters were the fastest, most efficient American-made production vehicles that ever rolled off the assembly.

Fastest Trans Am Ever Put Into Production Is Born 

In 1989, Pontiac would prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the beloved Trans Am. For the anniversary edition, Pontiac would go in a different direction and for the first time would produce a Trans Am with a V6 motor, the same V6 motor that Buick used for the dominating Grand National and Regal T-Types. For this special anniversary edition, there would be 1,550 Turbo Trans Ams produced in different combinations of hard-tops and t-tops along with a leather or cloth interior option.

Pontiac did not offer a factory convertible Turbo Trans Am, but one was created for Jeff Beitzel the President of PAS, a custom car production company. The car is unique in that its origins were shared with other custom-made vehicles that PAS were involved with building such as the Syclone, the Typhoon, and the ASC-built GNX. The world's only rag-top Turbo Trans Am has changed hands several times and is presently owned by a wealthy Mexican oil baron who loves Pontiacs.

Performance And States

So just what kind of performance stats can this Turbo Trans Am produce? Since Pontiac used the higher-performing drivetrain from the Grand National GNX, they managed to pull 300-hp out of the 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine. You can expect 0-60 times of 4.6 seconds while stopping the clocks in the quarter-mile at an average of 13.4 seconds. And if you keep going with your foot on the gas past the traps, you will reach a top speed of about 158 mph. But just like the Buicks, the possibilities of much faster times and better performance are completely feasible with affordable upgrades and the correct tuning.

Completing The 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am Package

To complete the package, the Turbo Trans Am would come with a 200-4R 4-speed transmission with a lock-up converter. Four-wheel disc brakes and aluminum calipers with dual-piston and vented rotors were also installed. The Trans Am suspension includes front MacPherson struts and a limited-slip rear live axle with front and rear torque sway bars – meaning not only does it go fast in a straight line, but it also hugs the corners as well as any other American or European sports car. 

The sticker price for this Turbo Trans Am was around $32,000. Nowadays, depending on condition and how many miles are racked up on one, you can find them for sale anywhere from $16,000-$45,000 give or take. Finding one that is cheap and needs some work is extremely hard if not impossible. Most people keep these T/As garage-kept and in great shape. 

With only 1,500 produced, the 1989 Pontiac Trans Am turbo is definitely a rare American classic, and if you're lucky enough to own one, it would be in your best interest to take care of it.

Long Awaited 2018 BUICK REGAL GS

We’ve seen many different renderings and prototypes of what the 2018 Buick Regal GS could look like, and we’ve heard many different rumors about how this current Regal will create a power takeover like the turbo Regals of the late ‘80s. But we all kind of knew that Buick wouldn’t and couldn’t put something out that would take away from the current extremely successful Camaros and Corvettes like it did over 25 years ago. 

Although still a stunningly good-looking car, the four-door sedan hardly looks as aggressive and mean as some Buick fans may have been waiting for. Regardless of what you were hoping for, this 2018 Buick Regal GS still has a lot to offer. Upgrading from the 2.0 turbocharged engine that the base Regal comes standard with, the Regal GS will come equipped with a 3.6-liter Direct Injection 310 horsepower V6. The 282-lb-ft of torque is distributed smoothly at all RPMs by use of GM’s nine-speed automatic transmission. With standard cylinder-deactivation and start/stop technology, the Regal GS is very capable of being a well-rounded economical car while at the same time providing you with plenty of power for plenty of fun.  

Helping you handle all that power and fun is a standard all-wheel-drive system with an active twin-clutch, but maybe the most overlooked features on the Regal GS is the Second Generation Continuous Damping Control suspension and Interactive Drive Control. Together these two features combined use a Driving Control Module to monitor your acceleration, braking, and cornering to adjust in just milliseconds all four dampers to better accommodate to your driving style. The Driving Control Module can also monitor behaviors like lateral and longitudinal acceleration, steering wheel motion, throttle response, and vehicle speeds.

You can also choose between three different driving modes: Standard, GS, and Sport. Each mode will offer you a different set of driving parameters by affecting your throttle response, steering sensitivity, and shift patterns of your automatic transmission. All and all, no matter the situation or the driving condition you plan on encountering, the 2018 Buick Regal GS can help you handle them all.

The exterior of this four-door sedan uses a set of bold upgraded front and rear fascias, side skirts, and a rear spoiler to match the aggressive power the Regal GS manages to offer. An optional set of full LED headlights will go great with the standard Buick waterfall grille. Brembo Brakes, a sport tuned exhaust, and 19-inch rims also come standard for the Regal GS. One other thing that a lot of people might not notice right away is the sporty sedan is actually a hatchback.  

On the inside, you will find an 8-inch touch screen infotainment setup with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and an easy to read 8-inch reconfigurable instrument cluster. Heated and cooled massaging performance seats fit right in with the heated flat bottom steering wheel and metal pedals. These amenities won’t only make you feel right at home, but they will also help remind you that you're driving the high-performance Buick Regal. Safety won’t ever be an issue either. The optional Driver Confidence II package offers you Front Pedestrian Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Automatic Braking, Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Departure Warning.

Production will come to an end for the Regal in Oshawa, Canada and resume in Rüsselsheim, Germany. The 2018 Buick Regal GS that is based off an Opel Insignia chassis will go on sale in late 2017 with a starting price of $39,990.00.