1950 Buick Special Sedanette Mild Custom / Hot Rod on 2040-cars

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GM trademarks 'Sport Touring' for Buick Regal, LaCrosse

Discovering trademarking or patents from automakers always fascinates us since the filings hint at the possible future of motoring. Based on two recent applications, Buick has something possibly brewing for two of its sedans, because the company now has the trademark for Sport Touring on the Regal (pictured above in GS trim) and LaCrosse. According to GM Inside News, both trademarks are dated April 27 and are simply described to the US Patent and Trademark Office as being for "motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles." That doesn't narrow things down at all. However, since the moniker is specifically for both sedans, Sport Touring might be a new trim or special edition for them. Buick had no comment when reached by Autoblog. Of course, there are a whole host of automotive trademarks that are claimed that end up with no actual vehicle in showrooms. Unfortunately, we just have to wait to find out if this is another case like the Buick Enclave Tuscan where the filing offers a preview of the future or a situation like the still long-awaited return of the Supra.

Third 1987 Buick Regal GNX will be auctioned in January

A member of the 1987 Buick press fleet is hitting the auction block next year and it's a rarified gem: a low-mileage Regal Grand National GNX, serial No. 003 and one of just 547 models built for that year, and the last of the traditional body-on-frame, rear-wheel-drive Grand Nationals. It'll be auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January. The GNX No. 003 was loaned out to publications including Autoweek, Motor Trend and Road & Track, where it racked up around 8,200 miles. "Through it all, a constant sad undertone was the understanding that 1987 was to be the final appearance of the traditional body-on-frame, rear-wheel-drive G-body (which also underpinned the best-selling Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix and Olds Cutlass)," reads a the description published on Barrett-Jackson's website. "A totally redesigned W-body Somerset Regal, with front-wheel drive and unitized body construction, was slated to replace the popular midsize Buick in 1988." So Buick opted to make "a Grand National to end all Grand Nationals" with the '87 GNX, partnering with ASC/McLaren to equip them with wheel lip flares, fender vents, 16-by-8-inch BBS rims and more aggressive tires. It left untouched the Grand National's standard Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection 3.8-liter V6 but added a larger Garrett T-3 turbocharger with a ceramic impeller, a larger intercooler, more aggressive fuel, spark and waste gate tables, and a dual exhaust system that boosted output from 235 horsepower and 330 foot-pounds of torque to 276 hp and 360 lb-ft. That was enough, Barrett-Jackson reports, to make the performance coupe quicker and faster in quarter-mile tests than the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 930 Turbo. After making the test-drive rounds in the automotive media, the car sold in 1988 as a brass hat/company official car to Fischer Buick in Troy, Mich. with approximately 8,200 miles on it. From there, it quickly sold to a local resident who drove it very little, and sold it in the spring of 1989. Since 1992, it has reportedly been kept in climate-controlled storage, totally original, unmodified and undamaged, with just 10,790 miles on the odometer today. It recently underwent a complete mechanical service and cosmetic reconditioning. You can check out the listing on Barrett-Jackson here. The first '87 GNX ever produced resides in the General Motors Heritage Collection and No. 002 is at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Mich. Interestingly, another '87 GNX, No.

It's official: GM selling Opel-Vauxhall to Peugeot-Citroen group for $2.3B

It's a Brexit for General Motors. GM is selling off its Opel and Vauxhall unit, it confirmed today, ending 90 years of automobile production in Europe, and nearly two decades of losses from that division. The deal was announced on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show. The focus for GM now becomes North America and China. "This was a difficult decision for General Motors," CEO Mary Barra said. "But we are unified in our belief that it is the right one." "For GM, this represents another major step in the ongoing work that is driving our improved performance and accelerating our momentum. We are reshaping our company and delivering consistent, record results for our owners through disciplined capital allocation to our higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are enabling us to lead the future of personal mobility." The buyer is French automaker PSA Groupe, maker of Peugeot and Citroen as well as its DS luxury sub-brand. The $2.3 billion deal will make PSA the second-biggest European manufacturer after Volkswagen, with 17 percent of the market share. "We want to create a European automotive champion," said PSA Groupe Chairman Carlos Tavares. "We will totally unleash the potential of the Opel and Vauxhall brands." Tavares gave assurances that jobs would not be lost in the deal. "We respect all that Opel/Vauxhall's talented people have achieved as well as the company's fine brands and strong heritage. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities." The two companies have agreements for PSA to continue to supply some Holden and Buick models; it's not yet clear exactly how this will work, as Opel models form the basis for several of Buick's core products, including the Encore small crossover and Regal sedan. PSA also is purchasing GM's financing operations in Europe as part of the deal. GM may invest in PSA shares in the future, and the two companies may collaborate on electric and fuel-cell vehicles as part of GM's joint venture with Honda. The sale of Opel and Vauxhall brings GM's global brand total down to eight, including three that are specific to the Chinese market. Buick GM Citroen Opel Peugeot Vauxhall 2017 Geneva Motor Show