This 1987 Buick Regal is one the rarest turbocharged Buicks ever made, and a stealthy alternative to the in-your-face Grand National. Some experts even say it’s the better performance option, too, thanks to its lower curb weight and use of aluminum components that the GN didn’t benefit from. This example has under 60,000 original miles and some modifications under the hood that likely enhance the already respectable performance, but looks to remain largely original with the subtle clues identifying it as a genuine Turbo-T still in place. Find the sleeper Regal here on eBay with bidding approaching $20K and the reserve unmet.
The Turbo-T benefits from healthy power numbers, including 245 b.h.p. and 355 lb-ft of torque. Throw in the aluminum wheels and bumper braces and you have a car with the same power but less weight than a GN. And if you want to really dial up the sleeper factor, give it chrome bumpers and grille, just like the one grandma drove. You could get blacked-out trim for a short period, including the taillight and headlight housings, but Buick killed that when it realized it basically built a competitor for the GN right within its own lineup. This example presents well with excellent paint and those original details still in place, along with a T-top roof.
Inside, there wasn’t much in the way to distinguish this model from any other Regal, other than the “T” on the horn button and iconic logo on the floormats. For all the ways American car companies have relied on stickers, stripes, and spoilers to drum up interest, the Turbo-T was a blissfully staid model with all the surprises kept under the hood. The seller notes that the interior looks like new, and I see little in the gallery photos to challenge that notion. The listing notes that the seller bought this example from the mechanic who serviced it for years, who was helping to sell the Regal on behalf of an owner who could no longer drive the car.
Modifications are all within reason, including a performance exhaust, cold air intake, and aftermarket chip and complete tune. I can live with enhancements like those, as they are discreet and certainly help boost the performance of a turbocharged car like this quite significantly. Plus, with no other outward signs that this sleepy Regal is anything other than the car your granddad drove to church on Sundays, I like knowing you’ll be able to blow the skirts up on the Corvette or Camaro staged next to you at the stoplight. Turbocharged Buicks have been collector’s items for years, and this limited-production Turbo-T looks like a smart buy.
Always loved these cars, and preferred the T’s to the GN’s. In a T, you could get any configuration, options, color scheme you could think of. In the GN’s you got black, grey and those godawful chrome wheels. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still love a GN but I saw some really neat T’s back in the day, especially Limiteds.
Could This be had with 3 pedals? In any version? Just curious.
As far as I know they were not available with a manual trans.
In a word…..no. No manual transmission in these.
There was a white Limited T that used to run around my neighborhood. Chrome trim, beefy tires on aluminum wheels, and those all-important 3.8 SFI TURBO badges, all topped off with a padded landau half-roof. It was awesome!
Back in 1984, I bought a new GN, and was surprised to see a white T type, hood and all, with a red interior running around town, a sweet color combo. He drove it year around and it rusted away.
Sleeper factor? Come on guys! A modern (10yo or less) minivan would drive circles around this, pushing close to 300hp with a crisp 6 speed auto.
Autotrader and cars.com are more your style, Mr Pork.
Right. A 4300 lb Chrysler Pacifica with 287 HP and 262 ft-lb of torque in a front-wheel-drive chassis is going to outrun a 3300 lb Regal T with 245 HP and 355 ft-lb of torque in a rear-wheel-drive chassis. Keep smokin whatever that is you’re smokin!
Yep
Revoke Mr. Poppapork’s car-guy card please. Not only is he wrong (insert your own research here) but why would any true car guy even suggest that?
Rhett: Poppapork is right. I had this car. Not impressed and I sold it quick. My mini-van would in-fact beat it in a race. Not sure how suggesting a van-turbo car race violates man-code.
then:
#1 – Either you are comparing the car to todays technology, or your car didn’t run right
#2 – Data- scoured the internet, cant find a 2020 Minivan 1/4 mile test faster than 15.1, cant find a period Buick road test slower than 14’s.
#3 – Minivans are the right car for both of you.
This is absolutely NOT a Turbo-T. It is a T-Type. The Turbo-T was code WE4 on the RPO sticker. It was the ONLY turbo Regal that had the aluminum bumper reinforcements. It was, in fact, the quickest of the turbo Regals sans the GNX.
And aluminum brake drums!
Wrong, Bob. In ’87 they were referred to as “Turbo T” with the “T-Type” name dropped.
Actually, Joey V, that is not correct. Buick brass sent out guidance for a mid-year “special model” that was to be designated the “Turbo-T.” It was differentiated from the T-Type. The specific changes would be the Turbo-T would be black, black out trim, the T-Type aluminum wheels as they were lighter than the GN steelies, aluminum bumper reinforcements, aluminum rear brake drums, and a monotone gray interior. The Turbo-T had the RPO WE4 on the RPO sticker. Buick dropped the package due to the confusion between it and the GN. Further confusion was created due to Buick used the red T fender tag and the red T horn button. Buick built 1547 Turbo-Ts. Finally, just to muddy the water a bit more, salesmen (notorious for not knowing crap about the product they sell) by referring to all blown Regals other than the GN as Turbo-Ts. I performed extensive research on the WE4 as I owned one for over twenty years and currently have a GN. The only reason I have the GN is I got tired of explaining that the Turbo-T was not a GN at car shows.
BW: Thanks for all the info. Probably not the gretest decision Buick ever made – too close to a GN.
What I really liked about the T-Type was the chrome bumpers and that you could get it in different colors. I said earlier that I seriously considered a Gold one, but it was just too much money. Instead, my “sleeper” car became a new ’86 GLH-T. The plastic cladding and low profile tires gave away some of it’s potential, but it was still a car that a lot of people underestimated.
No. Auto only.
If it were 1987 right now, a Turbo-T is what I’d be buying, and shamelessly putting commuter miles on. It would perfectly compliment the 20-ish-year-old truck and muscle car that wait in the garage for sunny days :-)
But seriously – this brings up a question I’ve pondered over the past several years. A brand-new GN was $15,136 brand new. That equates to $34,471 in today’s money. What can you buy brand-new today for $35K that’s even half as cool?
Or, how about another thing I’d be seriously pondering if in a GM dealership around that time – a K5 Blazer. $13,066 in 1987, or roughly $29,756 in present-day dollars. I’m not sure I can get a base (2WD, V6, 1WT) Silverado for $30K today.
Where have all the fun cars gone? Yes, I know you could buy this one for similar money… but if it were me, I’d feel bad using up the last nice one left on daily driving.
“Cool” is a highly subjective concept, but consider the following: A new Mustang GT starts at a bit over $35K. So does a BMW 2-series. A Challenger R/T might be a bit closer to the Grand National in concept, and it starts a bit under $35K. None of these are as raw as a Grand National, but some might see that as a plus. Sometimes, we remember things better than they actually were.
There are plenty of brand new, 2020 Camaro LT1’s with an MSRP of $35,990 for under $30K on cars.com. Want a V8? Lots of brand new 1SS’s advertised for under $35K, too.
Without any options these cars have more creature comforts, are safer, and faster than that Regal. The cars of the good ole’ days were good…but we all hoped the cars of the future would be great, and they are!
Jeff I would never liken these cars or it’s cousins, the Gran Prix, Monte Carlo, et Al as an old person’s car. These bodies were the coolest personal luxury vehicles of their time. Hell, In my neighborhood growing up, it was always the hottest Italian girls cruising down the boulevard in these cars.
It was the Buick Park Avenues, and the Buick LeSabres that were the granny grocery getters, Sunday church cruisers.
Actually…my grandad was the head mechanic at a small town Buick dealership and for his retirement in 1987 he bought himself a brand new GNX. For years he drove it to church every Sunday…lighting up the rear tires at every stop light down Main St. on his way to 7 am mass.
(The hell-raising apple didn’t fall far from the tree either…)
A Grand National or T Type is one thing, a full blown GNX is a completely different animal. Those engines were prepped by McLaren and they were a full second quicker in the quarter mile. Bet he enjoyed the hell out of that!
video ? ! ! ! !
I owned a T Type in the 80s and they were certainly sleepers. Changed the Eprom and a few other unmentionable things and this was a low 13 second car. Love to have mine back…
Buying a black T-Type turbo almost defeats the purpose of buying one over a GN.
I was seriously considering a gold one as my sleeper mobile, back when they were new.
It got to be that every Buick regal with that “scoop” on the hood was a potential screamer. Not really a sleeper at all amongst the crowd.
The 5.0 Mustang versus turbocharged Buick Regal was real, played out on the street, the strip, and every gear head magazine, well after the g body vanished from production.
Seems to me the Grand National was closer to twenty grand brand new, not sure about the t-type. Whatever it was it was fun to be a part of that rivalry for me, seeing I missed the golden era of street muscle when brand loyalty was very real and racing was rampant,,,everywhere.
I don’t see a lot of these on the road anymore but the cult still exists!
Bought my Deep Cherry T Type off the showroom floor for $17, 990.00 in 1986.