LS-Powered Buick Regal T-Type Uses 1,000-Plus HP to Go 200 MPH: Track Time Tuesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
After the original V6 in this Buick Regal T-Type blew up, its owner did the next best thing and went with LS power.
The Buick Regal T-Type is a legendary car in the automotive world, one that helped restore the brand’s reputation for performance in an untraditional manner – with a turbocharged V6. For a few years in the late 1980s, the Buick Regal T-Type was the quickest American car one could buy, and even better, it can be modified to produce some serious power. However, the owner of this 1986 Regal T-Type – recently featured in a video from YouTuber AutotopiaLA – wound up replacing the car’s blown V6 with a supercharged LS.
The subject of this week’s Track Time Tuesday presented by Nitto, this LS-powered T-Type might seem a bit unnecessary, given the fact that the car’s original engine is legendary among enthusiasts. But the T-Type, which belongs to Frankie of P2 Fabrication, actually gets driven in various types of competition including autocross and the Texas 2K (he’s already exceeded 200 mph), which led to the original engine blowing up after living a hard life. At that time, Frankie decided to get serious, and things just snowballed from there.
Since he also competes in Optima’s Ultimate Street Car Challenge, Frankie had to retain the T-Type’s amenities like a radio and air conditioning, and he also needed to achieve proper weight distribution with the new motor, so he mounted the LS 10 inches back from the stock engine’s location. Regardless, it’s still fairly heavy at 3,800 pounds, partly thanks to the full roll cage inside.
The Buick rolls on a set of 315 series tires all around and has huge six-piston Baer brakes at all four corners to slow it down. It needs all of that, thanks to the fact that on full boost, the supercharged LS cranks out 1,176 horsepower, which it sends to the rear wheels via a sequential transmission and a Currie 9-inch rear end with 3.70 gears. With nine different tunes preloaded and changed via the flip of a switch, Frankie can quickly dial up whatever power level is appropriate for every kind of activity imaginable.
Even on a milder 700-800 horsepower tune, our host is blown away by how brutal this Buick accelerates. “Wow dude, this thing’s gnarly,” he says. “It is just otherworldly. This just doesn’t feel like it should be allowed on the street. Your car is freaking epic.” And if that isn’t an endorsement for LS-swapping one of these GM G-Body cars, well, nothing is.
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