The contrast in automotive culture was obvious. With 90 hp, the little Opel could hold its own against some of the emasculated post-emissions Buicks with V6 power. In Europe the Manta was available with even smaller engines, but only the biggest most powerful found their way to the States. In contrast to the 1.9L in the Opel, the smallest engines in the typical Buick at the time was at least 3.7 liters in V6 form. Under the 1900 name, they came as a coupe, wagon and sedan. The Manta line stood out as a family of tidy rear-wheel drive cars powered by 4 cylinder engines. It simply represented a different mindset from the large rear wheel drive V8/V6 powered chrome boats that Buick was churning out. When it’s time was up in 1972, the compact and sporty Manta took its place at the bottom end of Buick’s US lineup (for awhile at least).īeing the cheapest Buick did not mean it was the least appealing. The Kadett had been a popular captive import for Buick for years. The solution was to simply import Opel’s from Germany. Buick needed a small car sales infusion right away. An even smaller arrival, the subcompact Skyhawk would be many more years away. The planned compact called the Apollo would be the smallest Buick, but was at least three years off by the late ’60s. Not having a small car in its line up would have meant that Buick could not respond to consumers who wanted smaller more fuel-efficient products. In the ’70s Buick like all the domestic industry was hit hard by the one two whammy of the fuel crisis and emissions regulations. It’s not the first time that GM has called on its German subsidy to help out Buick. The current Regal, Lacrosse and departed Saturn Aura are based on the same chassis that underpins the German designed and engineered Opel Insignia. Interestingly enough, life support for Buick came from Chinese interest and more directly in America from of one of GM’s European divisions: Opel. Buick was one of GM’s resurgent brands with a string of hits starting with the Enclave SUV and ending with the new Regal and Lacrosse.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |