This Buick nameplate was introduced for the 1988 model year as a specialized two-seat personal luxury car, positioned as an upscale, low-volume statement vehicle rather than a mainstream Buick sedan. It arrived late in the 1988 calendar year, which is why enthusiasts sometimes describe early examples as an early or half-year introduction, but its model-year debut was 1988. The car was developed from GM’s front-wheel-drive E-body architecture and was built in a dedicated craft-assembly program in Lansing, Michigan, reflecting Buick’s effort to create something more exclusive and technically ambitious than its regular showroom offerings.
The concept behind the car emphasized modernity and comfort. One of its best-known features was an advanced electronic driver interface for the era, which helped give the car a futuristic identity and made it stand out among contemporary domestic luxury coupes. Buick expanded the line with a convertible version for 1990, adding open-air appeal to a model that had begun as a coupe. Even so, production remained limited, and the car never became a high-volume success.
The nameplate ran continuously through the 1991 model year and then ended without a later revival. In enthusiast circles it is remembered as one of Buick’s most unusual modern-era production cars: a two-seat grand tourer with distinctive styling, a premium mission, and a short, self-contained lifecycle. Today it is valued for its rarity, its place in Buick history, and its role as a symbol of the brand’s late-1980s experiment with innovation and niche-market appeal.