1982 Buick Regal
The Buick Regal was the top-of-the-line Buick Century when it was introduced in 1973. The Regal became its own line when the Century name was dropped in 1975. In 1978 the Regal was downsized as it shared the A-body platform with other intermediate GM products, available as both a two-door coupe and four-door sedan. Turbocharged V6s were always an option for the Regal, which included firmer suspensions with larger tires and sport wheels. Buick was eyeing NASCAR as a means to “win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” So in 1981 the Regal received a major facelift that sloped the front end down for better aerodynamics, helping Richard Petty win the 1981 Daytona 500. With Buick winning the NASCAR manufacturer’s title in both 1981 and 1982, to commemorate they produced the limited production Grand National Regal, which brought back performance to the marketing of Buick. To this point Buicks were considered grandma cars—not anymore. In 1983 Regal got their own “T-Type”- a Buick performance variant found on other lines. Grand National was back in 1984 running through to the end of this body in 1987. In 1987 both a lightweight “WE4” turbocharged Regal, and a modified Grand National called “GNX” were added to Buick’s performance lineup. 1987 was the last year for the A-body Regal, replaced in 1988 by the new W-body front wheel drive platform.
1982 Buick Regal
The first “Grand National” commemorative Regal debuted. 215 Regals were Grand Nationalized at Cars and Concepts in Brighton, Michigan. 35 got the turbocharged 3.8 L V6 with 200hp. The rest go the 4.1 L naturally aspirated V6. The Century rear-wheel drive sedan and wagon were now badged as Regal, expanding the Regal line. Two diesel V8 options were available.
Available Models:
1982 Regal
- Engine Options
- 231ci 3.8-L V6, 110hp
- 231ci 3.8-L V6, 175hp
- 252ci 4.1-L V6, 125hp
- 262ci 4.3-L V6 Diesel, 85hp
- 350ci 5.7-L V8 Diesel, 105hp
1982 Regal VIN Decoder:
First Character: Country
Second Character: Manufacturer
Third Character: Make
Fourth Character: Restraint System
Fifth Character: Option Level
- J ~ Regal
- K ~ Regal T-Type
- M ~ Regal Limited
Sixth and Seventh Characters: Body Code
Eighth Character: Engine
- A ~ 231ci 2bbl-V6
- B ~ 231ci-V6
- 3 ~ 231ci 2bbl-V6 SFI
- 7 ~ 231ci Turbo-V6
Ninth Character: Check Digit
Tenth Character: Model Year
Eleventh Character: Plant Code
Twelfth-Seventeenth Characters: Serial Number