The T-Type name was used in a series of
Buick
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
automobiles that were popular during the 1980s. This marketing approach for Buick products was a revival of a similar approach used in the 1960s (and later revived in the 1990s) with the
Buick GS
The Gran Sport name has been used on several high-performance cars built by General Motors for its Buick brand since 1965. In the GM brands hierarchy, Buick was surpassed in luxury and comfort appointments only by Cadillac, which did not produce ...
designation.
History
These T-Type cars were built as performance-oriented models, the most famous of which was the
Buick GNX
The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. For nearly its entire production, the Regal has served as the premium mid-size/intermediate offering of the Buick product range. Introduced as a submodel of the Buick Centu ...
(based on the
Regal platform). During the time that the T-Type cars were in production,
turbochargers were becoming very popular in the aftermarket performance industry, and in
Detroit, they were adopted for use on production vehicles, the most notable of which was the Regal.

The first model to receive the T-Type badge was the 1981
Buick Riviera. Within a few years, other models from the Buick lineup would follow suit. The Grand National (also referred to as "GN"), an adaptation of the Regal T-Type and introduced in 1982, became an instant success; it inspired the company to extend its T-Type line to its other mid-size offering, the
Century
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
(though without the turbocharged engine). The compact
Skyhawk and
Skylark also received the T-Type treatment in 1983, and in 1986 the
Somerset did as well.
The T-Type series reached its peak in 1987. By that time, even the full-size
LeSabre and
Electra
Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...
were available as T-Type models, but without the turbocharger. The Lesabre T-Type coupe design was a different approach, pieced together from design highlights of the rare 1986 Lesabre Grand National (116 built), and although odd-looking, was a more cohesive touring car package. Also that year, the GNX made automotive history as "the fastest American car in 1987" (a distinction it held through 1989, which was the Regal's second year as a front-wheel drive car). The GNX recorded a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds, and its "fast car" reputation led many people to dub it "Corvette killer." In addition, its turbocharged V6 made it an attractive alternative to its similar-bodied V8-powered siblings, such as the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Che ...
and
Oldsmobile 442 (neither of which had the turbocharger available to them).
T-Type Models
Legacy
The T-Type line met its demise in 1990, as an option on the Buick Electra, and the following year, a new, upsized
Park Avenue Ultra was introduced with a
supercharged engine. The Riviera and Regal also had supercharged engines as an option when they were redesigned in 1995 and 1997, respectively; the current Regal also has a turbocharger as an option, starting with its return to the lineup in 2011, as do the 2012
Buick Verano and 2014
Buick Encore
The Buick Encore is a subcompact crossover SUV built by General Motors since 2012. It is subcompact crossover SUV marketed by Buick and its fourth SUV overall after the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Enclave.
The "Encore" designation was previous ...
.
The turbocharged engines were usually
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
' famous 3.8 L V6 engine, but in the case of the Skyhawk, a turbocharged four-cylinder was available (1.8 sourced from Brazil in the Skyhawk, 2.5 in the Skylark/Somerset). Transmission choices were a five-speed manual (Skyhawk only) and, depending on the year and model, a three- or four-speed automatic. The interiors of T-Type cars differed from most other Buicks in that the front seats were almost always bucket seats, and the shifter was mounted in the center console, except the 1981-85 Rivieras which had the buckets and a consolette but a column shifter. Some T-Type Electras and Centurys kept the front bench seats and column shifter intact and even in bucket seat models, the T-Type Electra and Century still had a column-mounted shifter. By comparison, the turbocharged editions of the 2011 Regal and 2012 Verano use a 2.0 L four-cylinder engine that can be mated to either a manual or automatic transmission (both six-speeds), and the Encore uses a 1.4 L four-cylinder engine that is mated to a six-speed automatic only.
The T-Type logo consisted of a large red letter "T", and the word "Type" in small black or white letters. The emblems were only placed on the fenders and on some later models (1986) a grille emblem was used. The single T was only used on the turbo Regals and only in 1987. Originally the T-type name was to be an appearance package and used across the line (which it did) but was confused by the turbo Regal when the 3.8 turbo motor could be ordered with the T-type package. In 1987 Buick dropped the T-Type package on the Regal. All turbo Regals in 1987 came with the Y56 T package and have a T badge on the fenders and on the horn button (a similar T badge also appears on the current Regal Turbo and Verano Turbo). This T package is often erroneously thought to designate the Turbo T package, which is solely the WE4 Regal.
As a drag racer, the GN's main opponent is the
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
, a prime example of GM's long-standing rivalry with
Ford . In 1984, the GN's legend grew when it defeated a
Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
in a quarter-mile run featuring GM vehicles, thus creating a rare instance of "the fastest American car" that was not made by Chevrolet (despite the fact that it had two less cylinders than the normally-aspirated sports car).
Possible Return
It has been rumored that the T-Type, Grand National and GNX nameplates could return to the Buick lineup, to be sold as 4-door sedans. These new incarnations would share a rear-wheel drive platform with the
Cadillac ATS and be powered by a choice of two engines that would be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission or 6-speed manual. The T-Type and Grand National would use a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder (272 HP) or a naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 (321 HP) while the GNX would most likely get a 3.6L Twin-Turbo V6 (400 HP). This would be the first use of rear-wheel drive since the
Buick Roadmaster was discontinued in 1996.
References
{{Buick
Buick
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Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Mid-size cars
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
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Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States