A new era was upon us in 1977 when General Motors downsized its full-size cars. However, the mid-size vehicles within the corporation continued to stretch their legs for one more year. Our Pick of the Day is one of the best of those swan songs, a 1977 Buick Regal Coupe. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Collierville, Tennessee.
This 1977 Regal has its origins in the 1973 “Colonnade” coupes and sedans (plus wagons) produced by Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick. The Skylark name was discontinued (later to resume as a successor to the Apollo compact) and Century was the name of the new mid-size series. Models were the Century, Century 350, Century Gran Sport (really, a performance package for the base Century), Century Luxus, and Century Regal, the latter more of a personal luxury car with the emphasis on luxury. Only available as a formal hardtop, the Regal also featured unique parking lights and grille that separated it from the rest of the Century series. A sedan joined the Regal lineup for 1974, while the base Century was discontinued. More model shuffling and a V6 arrived for 1975-76.
In the Colonnade’s final year, the Regal Coupe was characterized as “. . . about as close to a personal luxury car as you’re likely to get in a car of this size … It is distinguished from the regular Century by its more formal styling. Its squared-off front end. And its squared-off roofline.” Speaking of that front end, Buick had three different styles: Century Special, Century, and Century Custom Coupes featured a slanted front end with horizontal quad halogens; the Century, Century Custom, and Regal Sedans featured vertical halogens, with the Regal losing its unique grille and parking lamps; and the Regal Coupe featured an upright front end and elegant grille. Three distinctive designs? Bean counters today would have to DOGE that!
At the end of the model year, 192,506 Regals were built, including 174,560 Coupes. A sizable percentage of them were powered by a V8. Regal production also was 25 percent higher than lesser Century models. For 1978, with corporate-wide downsizing, Regal production shot up by almost 45,000, while Century production—with its controversial slant-back rear—fell to under 88,000 units. For the following decade, the Regal and Century would become more distinct from each other.
This Medium Green Metallic 1977 Buick Regal Coupe features a white Landau vinyl top, but don’t get distracted by how fancy it is because it’s the odometer that tells the tale: 22,000 original miles. “Never wrecked, always garaged, showroom condition,” says the seller. “This beauty boasts its original paint and interior, both in immaculate, showroom condition.” Power comes from a Buick 350 V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, as evidenced by the “H” in the fifth character of the VIN. Other features include white pinstripes, a matching green vinyl bench-seat interior, power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning.
Low-mileage cars are always neat, but we can never go back and choose which ones would lead such easy lives. Though a “Malaise Era” car such as this Buick may not be anyone’s first choice, I am certainly glad this car exists because it needs to represent. For $27,900, wouldn’t you agree?
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
