1996 Buick Skylark Olympic Gold Edition Sedan 4-door 2.4l 29000mi Florida Car on 2040-cars

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MotorWeek remembers the nearly forgotten Buick Reatta

The Reatta was Buick's failed experiment to take on European competitors with its own two-seat luxury coupe and convertible. The model only lasted a few years, and US customers didn't see another droptop from the brand until the Cascada. The latest MotorWeek Retro Review takes a look back at the short-lived roadster and remembers it quite fondly. Host John Davis calls the 1990 Reatta droptop "one of the best looking convertibles ever." His sentiment seems a little hyperbolic, but the roadster is definitely an attractive machine by the standards of the time. The smooth front end and pop-up headlights are reminiscent of Japanese sports cars of era, and the profile with the top down is elegant. There are weaknesses, though. The manual roof mechanism appears cumbersome to operate, and the crude digital instruments, which simulate physical dials, make the cabin look too dated. Other than a complaint about over-boosted power steering, MotorWeek enjoys how the Reatta drives, too. Buick's roadster is largely forgotten today, but such glowing praise suggests it deserves to be better remembered. Check out this Retro Review to look back on this interesting experiment from the early '90s. Related Video:

Buick teases the next-gen LaCrosse

Buick continues to play coy about the next-generation LaCrosse, but the latest teaser hints at a swoopy profile for the upcoming sedan. While mostly just a silhouette, the teaser does provide a glimpse of the flowing roof and upward crease around the rear fenders – especially handsome touches. The rest of the LaCrosse remains a mystery. The only other part that we've seen is the Avenir-inspired grille, which features a more angular surround and chrome wings jutting from emblem in the center. Styling aside, the brand claims that the sedan is now more engaging behind the wheel thanks to a stronger, lighter chassis and five-link rear suspension. Powertrain rumors are rather vague but suggest the 3.6-liter V6 will be available when the model arrives at dealers in 2016. One thing we know for certain about the LaCrosse is that it debuts at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. That only leaves a few more weeks for Buick to keep this mystery going. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1973 Buick LeSabre Custom Hardtop Sedan

The steps on Alfred Sloan's "Ladder of Success," in which you'd start your career by buying a Chevrolet and then move up through the GM marques as your wealth increased, stayed rigidly fixed from the 1930s into the late 1960s. By the early 1970s, though, "prestige creep" among The General's divisions had set in, with lower-zoot marques leapfrogging their betters with ballooning price tags and snob appeal; a fully-loaded Chevy Caprice could cost more than an Olds 98, a Pontiac Bonneville could out-snoot a Buick LeSabre, and the LeSabre itself came to threaten mighty Cadillac at the top of the GM pyramid. Here's a fully depreciated '73 LeSabre Custom Hardtop Sedan, once the picture of Malaise Era opulence but now brought down to earth in a San Jose self-service car graveyard. The high-rollingest of all LeSabres in 1973 was the Custom (though shoppers for full-sized 1973 Buicks really wishing to rub the noses of their lessers in their success could opt for the even pricier Centurion or Electra 225), and that's what I found among the Achievas and Cateras of this yard's GM section. Wasps now nest in the rust holes caused by rainwater seeping beneath the padded vinyl roof, but this car once told the world, "I've made it!" It went without saying that your big, comfy Detroit luxury sedan had a big, comfy front bench seat; let those frivolous rakehells in their Rivieras have their bucket seats. Believe it or not, a three-on-the-tree column-shift manual transmission was still standard equipment on the lower-level Buick Century in 1973, but all LeSabre buyers enjoyed two-pedal luxury that year. Some junkyard shopper grabbed the massive 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8 — rated at 225 horsepower, due to Nixon's stricter emissions standards and the switch from gross to net horsepower ratings — before I got here. I'm guessing this car got driven into the ground by the early 2000s (there's a 2001 calendar inside) and then spent the next couple of decades bleaching in the harsh South Bay sun before arriving here. So good, shoppers bought them sight unseen!