Buick’s Subtle Turbo Moment: 1978’s Twin Sport Coupes
In 1978 Buick was the sole American maker with a turbocharged production engine, offering the Regal Sport Coupe and LeSabre Sport Coupe powered by a boosted 231 cu in V6 (150–175 hp, 245–265 lb-ft) paired with Rallye suspension and a TH350 Turbo Hydra-Matic. Buick wasn’t the first to turbocharge in the US—Oldsmobile’s F-85 Jetfire and the Corvair Monza Spyder led the way in the early 1960s—but Buick’s cars helped popularize turbo tech in America, even as the marketing downplayed the ‘turbo’ label in favor of “Sport.” The cars delivered modest 0–60 times (~11.2 seconds) and economy around 25 mpg highway / 18 mpg city for the two-barrel setup, highlighting an early, influential chapter in turbocharged performance.