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Future and Concept Cars


 
2007 Buick Riviera Concept:
The gullwing Riviera concept coupe was developed with global design input by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in China, a design and engineering joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). [Read More]
 
2006 Buick Enclave Concept:
a luxury SUV concept that combines the athletic proportion of a modern crossover vehicle with the romantic forms characterized by Buick’s rich design heritage – was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit . It provides a glimpse of a vehicle Buick intends to bring to market. [Read More]
 
2004 Buick Velite Concept:
Restrained extravagance. Two seemingly incompatible words that nonetheless convey the spirit of the Buick Velite – a four-seat convertible that envelops its passengers in a rich, elegant environment while forging new ground in the exclusive territory of expressive, upscale rear-drive mid-size automobiles. The hood integrates portholes – three per side – in a romantic, yet contemporary nod to Buick’s heritage. The hood tilts forward when opened, creating a dramatic look that evokes a bygone era of touring cars. A complementing clamshell deck lid opens in the opposite direction to swallow the Velite’s folding soft top. When retracted, the top is completely covered by the rear deck for an integrated, contoured look reminiscent of Buick’s dramatic boattail designs of the 1930s.
 
2003 Buick Centieme:
The 2003 Buick Centieme concept is a distinctive, luxurious vehicle that combines the best features of a sedan and sport utility vehicle. The four-door Centieme seats six passengers in a three-row, dual seat configuration. The low, wide-stance vehicle sports Buick's graceful flowing signature lines and classic grille. Combined with a relatively long wheelbase and tight overhangs, Centieme's form also projects a nimble and energetic appearance. Centieme's sophisticated canyon mist metallic blue-red exterior tri-coat utilizes the texture of metallic flakes to drape this upscale, rugged vehicle in elegance. A 3.6-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine - good for 400 horsepower and 400 lbs.-ft. of torque - complements the spirited design. It is mated to a Hydra-Matic 4T65-E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transaxle. Centieme also features General Motors' Versatrak all-wheel-drive system, advanced traction control that transfers torque from front wheels to rear, and from side to side, to maintain control on various road surfaces. The front end uses a strut configuration, while the rear employs an SLA independent suspension with coils for car-like performance and handling. Built by famed Italian design house Bertone, the Centieme rides on 22-inch front and rear aluminum wheels with Michelin tires. The front brakes are six-piston calipers with 15-inch rotors backed up by four-piston calipers with 14.75-inch rotors in the rear.
 
2001 Buick Bengal:
This sleekly sculptured roadster (convertible) features a high-performance powertrain and hidden compartment that holds jump seats or storage space for golf clubs. It also features "wheels forward" architecture and voice-activated controls. This car was honored by AutoWeek magazine as the "best of the best" of all concepts revealed at 2001 international auto shows. The innovative drivetrain has a six-speed automatic transmission in front of 250-hp supercharged 3.4-liter V-6 (transverse mounted), rather than behind it. Among its heritage styling cues are portholes and strong vertical-bar grille. It was named with Buick spokesperson and golf superstar Tiger Woods in mind. It was painted a two-tone medium blue.
 
2000 Buick LaCrosse:
This is a graceful and stylish luxury sedan, painted a deep red wine color, that's quickly converted to a carrier of oversized cargo when panels open to reveal the pickup-type bed. Five-passenger "flagship" combines roominess and comfort with elegant exterior design featuring heritage styling cues similar to Cielo - "sweepspear" side profile, vertical-bar grille, portholes and cross-car rear lighting. On a voice command, the sunroof retracts and a single assembly that combines the back window and trunk lid slides forward to convert trunk into open cargo bay. Powertrain showcases Buick's return to V-8 with a 265-hp 4.2-liter version of GM's premium V-8, branded with the Buick name.
 
1999 Buick Cielo:
This is an elegant, stylish four-door convertible. Its name, pronounced see-A-low, stands for "sky" in Spanish. It was positioned as a mid-size family car and "no compromise convertible." Two front-to-rear roof rails provide body strength and permit using three opaque panels that slide into the trunk when the driver wants the top down. A voice-activated system opens and closes doors and operates the convertible top as well as entertainment and climate controls. The engine is a 240-hp supercharged 3800 Series II V-6 with electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission, the transmission operated by a push-button control. It was originally painted a pearlescent gold/bronze but was repainted for 2002 in a silvery gold color called Goldleaf Chromaflair. Styling draws from Buick's design heritage with strong vertical grille reminiscent of Y-Job, fully functional portholes recalling this famous Buick feature that first arrived on '49 models, and the "sweepspear" side look of the late '40s and '50s.
 
1998 Buick Signia:
This is a concept multiple-activity vehicle that offers the versatility of a van or sport utility while retaining the comfort, convenience and safety of a premium family sedan (it's based on Park Avenue architecture). Signia is taller, somewhat wider, and significantly shorter than the Park Avenue. It also has higher seats and roof as well as inset rocker panels for easier passenger access. Cargo space is enhanced by independently folding seats and a powered rear floor that extends 15 inches out the back. Large rear doors, with 90-degree opening range, also provide easy cargo access. A hinged, composite-plastic hatch functions as sunroof and outside cargo carrier and is removable for transport of bulky items. Infrared sensors detect objects in the blind spot and trigger warnings displayed in the outside rearview mirrors. In front of the driver's seat are reconfigurable head-up and head-down animated color displays. The remote keyless entry fob can be used to provide Personal Choice settings for seat positions, climate controls, entertainment sound systems and the tilt and telescoping steering wheel. The engine is a 240-horsepower supercharged 3800 Series II V-6. An innovative hybrid all-wheel-drive system controls torque based upon wheel speed sensors monitoring traction needs. The color is described as metallic-ochre.
 
1995 Buick XP2000:
This is an elegant rear-wheel-drive sedan showcasing advanced technology to enhance the convenience, comfort and safety of its passengers, and excellent packaging - the length of a mid-size Regal, wheelbase of a Roadmaster and interior space of a Park Avenue. XP2000 is a five-passenger car with a pearlescent silver-gold exterior color. It also has a full-size five-liter V-8. The heart of XP2000 is a conceptual network of advanced computers that tailors the car to the needs and desires of the individual driver and allows it to use the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems planned for the next century. These computers also link XP2000 to the rapidly growing "information superhighway," making it easier for the driver to work and relax while in the car. Among specific features is a remote keyless fob that can position the car's seats, climate controls and even driving response to a specific driver's tastes; a "Smart Card" setup in which a plastic card may be inserted into the instrument panel, allowing the driver to charge tools, fuel, food and other services; an advanced head-up display, and an instrument-panel display that can be adapted for use with a personal computer; a navigation system with arrows guiding the driver along a map display; and an array of safety features, ranging from eight air bags (including one in each door panel) to a detection system for obstacles near the path of the car.
 
1992 Buick Sceptre:
With a hint of European style, this rear-drive car was described by then Buick General Manager Edward H. Mertz as "a design statement that could attract those purchasers who have been drawn to the international brands." The white mid-size sedan concept?? includes a 3.5-liter supercharged V-6 with an exceptionally clean underhood appearance, five-speed automatic transmission and air bags front and rear.
 
1990 Buick Bolero:
This light blue mid-size car has a 3.3-liter V-6. It was considered a teaser for the 1992 Skylark. Its power is suggested by its aerodynamic shape, with a rear deck slightly higher than the hood. It has a steeply raked windshield, vertical-bar grille and smooth lines throughout. The car has a fiber optics light panel extended along the width of the rear, and other fiber optics are used in the instrument panel and doors. Designers had families in mind when they provided a built-in cooler in the rear package shelf, dual cupholders front and rear and portable radio headsets located in the rear of the front seats. Rear passengers could listen to their own music while in the car, and take the radios with them when they left.
 
1989 Buick Park Avenue Essence:
First light green and later white, this sedan was displayed at auto shows as a forerunner of one of Buick's most important cars of the era - the 1991 Park Avenue. Essence has graceful contours and instruments displayed in a wide, sweeping panel, and the Delco Navicar system navigation similar to Lucerne's. Essence features the then-new 185-hp 3800 V-6.
 

1988 Buick Lucerne:
This silver-blue concept car was introduced at GM's "Teamwork and Technology" exhibition in New York in January of 1988. It was described as a prestige/luxury front-drive coupe with exceptional comfort for four adults in stylish environment. It features a Navicar computer navigation system, developed by GM's Delco Electronics Division. Navicar used advanced "dead reckoning" - through sensors on the wheels and steering - to track the car's location continually from a starting point entered by the driver. The engine is a 165-hp V-6. Two years after its debut, Lucerne was transformed into a convertible.
 
1985 Buick Wildcat:
This spectacular red model incorporates four-wheel drive and a McLaren engine based on Buick's 3.8-liter V-6 block, mounted just behind the seats. The engine has 24 valves, dual overhead camshafts and field-programmable sequential-port fuel injection. Unlike other Buick dream cars, this one emphasized engine. The top of the powerplant is visible through an opening in the rear deck. Besides an unusual aerodynamic design, the latter-day Wildcat features technical and design breakthroughs in joining the transparent and solid portions of the body. It has no traditional doors. As the canopy is raised, the steering wheel tilts forward for ease of entry. The body structure is composite carbon fiber and glass. This car, developed in cooperation with PPG Industries, was given the coveted 1986 award for prototype projects by the International Jury of the Car Design Award Turino-Piemonte, presented at the Turin (Italy) Auto Show.
 
1983 Buick Questor:
This red fiberglass bullet-shaped model is a non-motorized test bed for innovative ideas in electronics. It was very popular with the press and for several years was on display at Flint's AutoWorld amusement center. It has 14 micro-computers and such features as laser key entry system; automatic system for level, attitude and spoiler control; a "systems sentinel" to monitor the status of vehicle systems; head-up display for speedometer and gauges; map and navigation system; automatically aimed headlamps, theft-deterrent system; road traction monitoring system; TV rearview mirror (shades of Centurion!); and a touch-command system for entertainment, comfort and convenience functions.
 
1958 Buick XP-75:
This was a two-passenger coupe with twin white leather bucket seats. It was hand-built by Pininfarina in Turin, Italy. Its wing-like rear fins became a 1959 Buick styling feature and its sculptured metal side treatment a hallmark of the 1960 Buick line. Features included power windows, air conditioning, paddle-type door releases, floor-mounted transmission lever, vertically indicating radio and specially designed steering wheel. The engine was a 348-cubic-inch V-8. This car, featured in GM's Golden Milestone Parade in 1958, no longer exists.
 
1956 Buick Centurion:
A spectacular four-passenger coupe with fiberglass body and all-glass top, this red and white model was particularly known for its "seeing-eye" television camera in the trunk. The TV camera had a receiver on the instrument panel to replace the rearview mirror. The camera was mounted in a jet plane-like tailcone. The engine is a 325-hp V-8.
 
1955 Buick Wildcat III:
This was a red two-door four-passenger fiberglass convertible with red leather interior. It had a sloping beltline and the rear wheels were completely exposed. The hood sloped toward the front of the car, increasing immediate forward vision. The fine screen grille was wide and low and the parking and directional lights were housed in the bumper "bombs." The engine was a 280-hp V-8. This car no longer exists.
 
1954 Buick Wildcat II:
This is a rakish sports convertible. Now painted and trimmed in bright blue (the original color, after being shown for years in tan), it features what Buick called "a revolutionary front-end design with flying-wing fenders that flare straight out from the body, exposing the entire front wheel and part of the front-end suspension." The body is fiberglass. The engine is a 220-hp V-8.
 
1953 Buick Wildcat I:
This is a white single-seat convertible with fiberglass body, 188-hp V-8 and Twin Turbine Dynaflow transmission. The front wheel discs are stationary - the wheels revolve around them.
 

Buick LeSabre


Buick XP-300

1951 Buick LeSabre:
Harley Earl and Charlie Chayne had so many ideas they couldn't put them all in one car. So Earl had charge of LeSabre and Chayne, by now head of GM Engineering, had XP-300 (though he was in charge of mechanics for both). Both cars were the result of a long-term cooperative venture between GM Styling and Buick Engineering. Both cars feature aluminum bodies, supercharged 335-hp V-8 engines using methanol/gasoline fuel, push-button seats and windows (including convertible rear windows) and power jacks operated from the driver's seat. Four-wheel disc brakes are cooled by forced air. While XP-300 has the clean styling of an American sports car, the more dramatically sculptured LeSabre has a nose scoop suggestive of the intake of a jet plane. No wonder - its name was derived from an F86 Sabre jet fighter. Emblems on XP-300 carry the initials C.A.C. - for Charles A. Chayne.
 
1938 Buick Y-Job:
Harley Earl was always striving to make cars lower and longer "because my sense of proportion tells me that oblongs are more attractive than squares." The Y-Job fits that description - strikingly modern and sporty in design, with front fenders swept back into the doors. Other features: a straight 8 engine, disappearing headlamps, flush door handles, convertible top concealed automatically by a steel boot, electric window regulators and small (13-inch) wheels with airplane-type air-cooled brake drums.
 
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