Built for only three years using a unique mixture of hand and robotic assembly, the Buick Reatta is already an unusual car, designed as a Tri-Shield halo vehicle. This 1988 Buick Reatta dials up the rarity to an even higher level by being a pace car used at the PPG Indy Car World Series.
Now, this rare and special car is up for auction with only 12,000 miles on its odometer, making it a potential prize for any fan of Indy Car history.
The nearly pristine exterior of the 1988 Buick Reatta coupe wears a custom pearlescent beige paint job with the Indy Car logo and pace car designation stenciled on the doors in black, along with body color mirror caps. It rides on 16-inch alloys plated in brilliantly reflective chrome, currently wrapped in 215/60R16 Continental ContiProContact all-season tires.
The Reatta comes with a spare set of Goodyear tires included in the auction. Its headlamps are a unique piece of Buick technology, with a pop-up configuration blending smoothly into the exterior contours when not in use.
The vehicle’s pace car past is highlighted by an amber light bar on the roof with Dzus fasteners holding it in place. It also still features a fully functional pace car siren.
Drivers of this 1988 Buick Reatta pace car coupe can sink into clean, luxurious leather bucket seats featuring a beige color with thin black piping that matches the exterior paint. The bucket seats are power-adjustable, and though the auction doesn’t specify if, they seem to be the standard six-way adjustable seats, not the Reatta’s optional 16-way adjustable chairs.
The driver controls the vehicle with a beige leather-wrapped steering wheel with three spokes while monitoring speed, fuel level, and other useful information with a digital display.
The pace car is motivated by the naturally aspirated 3.8L V6 3800 LN3 gasoline engine developing 165 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. The standard gas tank has been removed and an ATL “fuel cell” bladder tank added to the trunk. Power is transmitted to the road by a four-speed automatic transaxle.
As a pace car, this 1988 Buick Reatta has been stored indoors for most of its life, only emerging into the outdoors for racing. The car was last used at a race event in 2007 and has been warehoused from 2008 to the current day. It still includes pace car features such as its light bar, siren, a brake water-cooling system, and a fire suppression system. Nevertheless, it is titled as a regular vehicle and is 50-state street legal.
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Comments
That’s a great rare car.
Pontiac killed the affordable Fiero 2 seater after five years, so Buick could try and sell a more expensive Reatta 2 seater. That didn’t make sense. Unfortunately it didn’t have the Grand National 3800 V6 turbo, missed a great opportunity Buick! That turbo V6 engine went in the 20th anniversary 1989 Pontiac TA Indy pace car. It certainly was fast for that day and time and faster than a 1989 Corvette V8!