The Swan Song of Buick's Boutique Era - Hand-Built in Lansing

Picture this: it's 1990, and tucked away in Buick's Reatta Craft Centre, craftsmen are still hand-assembling these two-seater luxury coupes one at a time. The Reatta wasn't just another Buick - it was their moonshot at European-style grand touring, wrapped in distinctly American luxury. That year marked the sweet spot for the Reatta. Gone was the problematic touchscreen Electronic Control Center from earlier models, replaced by good old-fashioned analog gauges. The 3.8L Series I V6 - the same bulletproof powerplant from the Grand National minus the turbo - was finally paired with a properly sorted 4T60-E transmission. No, it wasn't fast by today's standards, but that wasn't the point.

The real magic was in the details. Those unique 16-inch aluminum wheels, the clean lines penned by GM's design studio, and trunk space that could actually hold a set of golf clubs. Inside, you got hand-stitched leather that still feels premium three decades later, and just enough wood trim to remind you this wasn't your grandfather's LeSabre.

These cars featured some surprisingly modern tech: a computer-controlled suspension system that actually worked, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and an optional CD player when most cars still rocked cassette decks. The removable hardtop? Pure '90s cool. Looking for one? Check those electronic modules - they're getting scarce. The suspension's go-fast juice (hydraulic fluid) needs regular changes, and finding body panels can be tricky. But find a clean example, and you've got one of GM's most interesting experiments from an era when they dared to be different.

Pro tip: The convertibles are rarer, but the coupes are more rigid and typically better preserved. '90-'91 models with conventional gauges are the ones to hunt for.