IIHS awards 2011 Buick Regal Top Safety Pick

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Buick, Luxury

2011 Buick Regal at IIHS

2011 Buick Regal at IIHS – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just wrapped up its battery of batterings on the 2011 Buick Regal, and the results have netted “Good” ratings for front, side, rear and rollover impact protection.

Additionally, the Regal is the seventh vehicle from General Motors to earn a Top Safety Pick award, which includes the aforementioned rollover test where the Regal excelled. Buick’s Euro-born sedan was able to withstand almost five-times its weight – up from the federally-mandated standard of 1.5 times.

The Regal joins its Buick sibling, the LaCrosse, along with the 2011 BMW 5 Series, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Avalon and Volvo S80 as a Top Safety Pick in the large car segment. Full press release after the break.

Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal crashed at IIHS

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IIHS awards 2011 Buick Regal Top Safety Pick originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1979 Lotus Esprit Turbo w/Buick Regal GNX power is inky hotness

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Buick, Lotus, Luxury

1979 Lotus Esprit with Buick GNX turbo V6 – Click above for high-res image gallery

What happens when you’re head over heels for the lethal wedge styling and superb handling of the 1979 Lotus Esprit, but find yourself smitten with the all-out grunt of the turbo 3.8-liter V6 in the Buick GNX? If you’re the intrepid creator of the particular car you see above, you mate the two, forging your very own take on the Esprit Turbo. On paper, the mashup seems like a match made in the lofty spires of the Lotus engineering department. Whereas General Motors’ conservatively rated 276-horsepower six pot tended to suffer by being bolted into the heavy GNX platform, the lithe Esprit could have always used a bump in power over its smaller four-cylinder. At least one creative soul has opted for a sexier looking Yamaha SHO swap to solve the Esprit’s power woes, but we’re big fans of this particular recipe.

If your mouth is already watering at the thought of a mid-engine turbo V6 terror, we’re about to sweeten the deal. The car is currently for sale, and looks about as mint as mint can be. The engine bay is clean, the paint spotless and the attention to detail unmatched for a Frankenstein creation of this caliber. Perfection? Thy name just might be GNEsprit. The running bid is a shave over $16,000 at the time of writing with the reserve not met, so get to bidding. You just might take this sucker home. Thanks for the tip, Al!

Gallery: 1979 Lotus Esprit with Buick GNX turbo V6

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 1979 Lotus Esprit Turbo w/Buick Regal GNX power is inky hotness originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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