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Buick sold some special-edition Centuries as part of their sponsorship deal with the 1984 US Olympic athletes, and we saw one of these cars in this series last year. The later Olympic Edition Buicks are harder to find; there are still some ’88s around, but this is the first ’96 I can recall seeing anywhere. Let us admire its athletic grace.
A perfectly competent front-drive Detroit sedan, but it didn’t sell to many buyers born after 1920.
The advertising for this generation of Regal talked big about “European styling” and “Camry beating.”
The subsequent generation of Olympic Regals got a bit of star power in its ads.
The textured-velour Olympic-logo headrests didn’t change much between 1984 and 1996.
The good old Buick V6, which soldiered on (in the Lucerne) until the 2009 model year. By 1996, this engine was much smoother than its ancestors.
66 Comments on “Junkyard Find: 1996 Buick Regal Olympic Edition...”
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I do recall seeing a few of these around when the Olympics were here in 1996, I get the impression GM provided quite a few of them to the Olympic organizers and sold them as program cars once the games were over.
If I had one of these still on the road I would do an “Olympic conversion” to it just for S&G.
Yes they did, GM provided thousands of cars for Olympic workers I managed 5 parking lots for ACOG, our group had 6 employees 2 Olds Bravadas and a CNG powered Aerostar cargo van. The fun part was since the vehicles were only driven in the city and spent lots of time idling the MPG computers in Bravadas constantly read around 4 MPG.
Or, as Bill Campbell once famously said, “Ford Aerosmith van.”
I almost typed that to see if anyone remembered that.
Of course that was only one of the things ol’ Crooked Bill was famous for.
I would very much like a 96 Bravada Olympian Edition.
I have a thing for the first W bodies…all of them except the Lumina are classy, well-designed mid-size cars. Then around 1997 things took a turn for the jellybean…
I always liked the 2-door W-bodies. I don’t know why, but I do.
The 2 door Cutlass Supreme, Regal (particularly in GS trim) and Grand Prix are all nice looking automobiles.
I had a friend in high school that had a white Grand Prix special edition coupe. I always thought they had cool wheels options. He had the gold ones. So 90s.
Especially the Cutlass. Loved the door handles – nice touch.
Particularly the ASC/McLaren and GTP models of 1989-93 with their body kits and wide tires. After that GM started dumbing down the W body to the point where it felt plastic and generic. Like a Fisher Price toy of a car.
The updated for 1997 W cars just weren’t the same, not at all. The Olds Intrigue was probably the best looking of the bunch, but I still think the Cutlass Supreme looked better…
There’s one of the 2 door Cutlass models here at work (before the many square headlamps design). Red with the blacked out roof pillars, and an FE3 badge on the back. It’s in pretty good shape.
I’m going to guess a Dexcool victim – 18 years old ain’t no spring chicken.
Now that I think about it – horrified to realize a ’96 is 18 feckin’ years old.
I too am horrified.
I don’t believe the Orange Death came out until 1998 or 1999 so this may not have been a victim.
Orange Death showed up by at least 1997. My dad had a 97 Bonneville and bought into that 100k coolant change interval thing. It survived, but only after most of the engine seals had to be replaced.
Oddly, my MY98 Saturn SL did not come with the Orange Death from the factory, but my new MY02 one did because I recently changed it.
My 1996 Cavalier had Dex-Cool.
Interesting was not aware it came out so early. Thx for sharing.
Dex-Cool: Bringing Orange Death to America since 1996
Dex-Cool is people!!!!!
Fortunately my Skylark had been spared from Dexcool, though I think (right before I got rid of it) it was starting to drink or burn off its coolant anyway…
@NoGoYo
What did you end up getting?
1995 Ford Thunderbird LX V8, customized with some Mark VIII bits, shorter springs, sway bars, and Bullitt exhaust system.
It’s a lot of fun! I love taking the thing on smooth twisty roads, it just blasts through corners like a sports car.
I feel so old…
I look at the pix and can almost still smell the new, I agree.
Is it wrong I want to date girls as old as or slightly older than this car?
Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I’m always flirtin’ with disaster, then.
Ha. My sister-in-law is 21 and a cheerleader at a Big Ten school. Having a conversation with her is painful. I don’t know if she is the exception or the rule, but I can’t imagine talking to someone like her for more than a few minutes.
I’ve found some but not all of the sub 25 group to be painful from a speaking standpoint.
Definitely disastrous if you can’t spot a fake ID. Seventeen will get you 20.
I don’t really get too many opportunities, but if I do I’ll have my brother (LEO) verify the driver’s license as being legit.
Seventeen depends on what state, anyway.
Sounds like a good time for this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QcgCSkExEI
15 may get you 20
So what is the deal with that stuff? My ’01 Range Rover is the first and only vehicle I have ever had that specifies it. And that is what is in it. Going strong at 136K, but has had all the usual cooling system parts replaced in the past few years, it is just at that age.
Here was a good comment about it from a few years ago.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/08/piston-slap-dex-cool-or-just-too-cool/#comment-1923610
Generally the biggest issues are that it turns into a sludge if it is exposed to air or any non Dex coolant. It also doesn’t work particularly well with aluminum parts or GM’s plastic gasket materials. The 5 year/100K service interval is overstated and it should probably be changed more like every 2 years/40K.
Even if you keep your cooling system in top shape I don’t think there are any downsides to getting rid of it.
Two random questions: Will a 3800 Series engine fit in to a Fiero;and has there ever been a Fiero Junkyard find?
Yes I’ve seen it. This and the Caddy 4.9 were/are popular conversions.
If you remove the rear boot at the very back of the car, Fiero’s can swallow large V8 engines, with some creative fab.
WANT!!!
Like an Audi 4.2.
This looks like Costanza’s car from one of the middle seasons.
It definitely was.
Jerk store!
The old lady that runs the leather repair shop next to my regular barber shop has a dark green Olympic ’96 Regal. The only one I’ve seen in the flesh. It’s actually kind of blingy with the gold trim and tan interior.
Needs a matching Grand Cherokee Limited.
@ Corey D: Playing catch up?
The site has stopped sending me new article notifications since 4/20. I get comment notices, and will be auto subscribed if I comment, but nothing new comes through.
This happened once before, lasted about 5 weeks, then fixed itself. Some issue with the site.
Sure, sure, blame it on the site…
We know why you’ve been slowly getting back into the swing of things since “4/20”, and it has nothing to do with Easter :)
Pfft you wish I was liberal enough to agree with any pot usage.
Well, it turns out the Lib who owned this Buick thought the Olympic Rings were the Audi Emblem.
Then he put down his joint and learned the hard truth. He did not own an Audi after all.
Hence, this ’96 Olympic Regal…
Thank You, Thank You. I’ll be here all week.
Looks like its had the Offical Olympic Discus thrown at it many, many times.
+1 made me lol. I could hear the Olympic theme as I pictured it.
I was thinking the Hammer Throw…
;)
I understand some special-edition cars, like the 1999 Buick Riviera “Silver Arrow” units (the last 200 Rivieras ever made). Those will probably be valuable in the future. But I don’t understand how a branding tie-in on a relatively-mundane car translates to a hefty price-premium at the dealership, and I certainly don’t see it ending up an auction-darling fifty years later. So I hope people didn’t pay too much for these when new…
Or how they think the Silver Arrow means Gold Dabloons today. LOL
So how many strippers did Tiger have in preparing for the commercial?
I remember working at a country club where Tiger filmed a Buick Rendezvous commercial. It was the week before the Buick Open. I do not remember strippers, but I’m sure he had all the waitress or trophy wife he wanted.
No crabspirits?
Saab!!!
“… which soldiered on (in the Lucerne) until the 2009 model year.”
The Lucerne actually went with the 3900 for the 2009MY. The W-body Lacrosse was the last car to use the 3800 in 2009.
I hope someone gets fired for this blunder.
Is the 3900 really any better than the 3800? Or more efficient?
I’d imagine that not many ’96 Regals were sold in Denver area, since it’s been an import friendly market since the 80’s? So, that may be why not seen as many there?
If in Florida Pick n Pull yard … well more likely in a Florida retirement village, would see some still running.
GM did this with the Vectra and Astra here in OZ for the 2000 Olymipics. Not as snobbish as the American’s, just a couple of badges; one on the boot and a couple on the front wings. They’re still relatively common
The shifter and surround are terrible, and from a Cavalier.
The shifter (the knob for sure, maybe the whole assembly underneath is too) is from a contemporary Cavalier, but the surround is not.