Celebrating the ‘six’
When considering famous American engines, it’s easy to be enticed by enormously popular and successful V8s such as the Chevrolet small-block and the Chrysler Hemi.
But let’s not forget the rather less dramatic Buick V6, which was developed so effectively over the years that it was still in production nearly half a century after its debut.
In telling its story, we’re referring at all times to the model years of the many cars it was fitted to, which are rarely the same as the calendar years.
1. Buick Special
Originally known as the Fireball, and with a capacity of 3.2 litres, the engine made its debut in the 1962 Buick Special, which accordingly became the first US passenger car available with a V6.
It was derived from Buick’s problematic all-alloy V8, used only briefly in its original form but later taken over and reworked, to spectacular effect, by Rover.
Designing V8s and V6s are – or should be – two different processes, but in this case Buick did little more than remove two of the cylinders, leave the angle between the two banks at a suboptimal 90 degrees and, in the interests of reducing costs, make the block and cylinder heads out of iron rather than aluminium.
What it didn’t do, at least to begin with, was rearrange the crankshaft throw, and the resulting uneven firing meant that the V6 quickly developed a reputation for sounding charmingly burbly or unpleasantly rough, according to the taste of whoever was describing it.
2. 3.7 litres
For 1964, the bore and stroke of the V6 were both increased, raising the capacity from 3.2 to 3.7 litres.
In this form, it became the standard engine (two V8s were available at extra cost) both in the Special and in the Skylark, which had previously been the best-equipped version of the Special, but was now a model in its own right.
Having quoted a power output for the 3.2 of 135 horsepower, Buick claimed 155 for the 3.7, though it’s worth remembering that, following US practice of the time, these were gross rather than net figures, somewhat higher than the ones we would use today.
3. Oldsmobile
The 3.7 was the first Buick V6 used by another General Motors brand.
Oldsmobile took it on in 1964 as a replacement for its own Rockette V8, which was actually the Olds version of the Buick alloy engine.
This produced the same 155 horsepower despite having a slightly lower capacity of 3.5 litres, but was both difficult and expensive to build.
Renamed Econ-O-Way by Oldsmobile, the 3.7 was standard on the entry-level Sports Coupe in the F-85 range, and optional on all other F-85s except the Cutlass.
4. Jeep
In view of how long the Buick V6 would remain in production, it now seems odd that General Motors tired of it after only a few years and passed it on to Kaiser-Jeep, which renamed it Dauntless and quoted a slightly higher output of 160 horsepower.
In the CJ model (then marketed as the Universal), the Jeepster and the Jeepster Commando (pictured), it became available in 1966 as a dramatic upgrade from the standard 2.2-litre four-cylinder Hurricane engine, which produced a maximum of just 75 horsepower.
It didn’t appear in the larger Wagoneer and Gladiator, which retained the less powerful 3.8-litre AMC straight-six (branded in these cases as the Hi-Torque), perhaps because customers who wanted more power in either of those vehicles could specify a 230 horsepower 5.7-litre V8.
Using the Hi-Torque, or indeed the V8, in the Universal or the Jeepsters wasn’t an option because neither would fit in their much shorter engine bays.
5. Back to GM
After Kaiser-Jeep was taken over by American Motors, the vehicles fitted with the Buick V6 were adapted for 1972 so that they could be fitted with the AMC straight-six.
The V6 was therefore retired, and might never have been used again if the 1973 oil crisis hadn’t pointed out the fact that General Motors didn’t have a decently powerful engine that wasn’t a large and thirsty V8.
GM therefore decided to buy back the V6 and raise its capacity to 3.8 litres, in which form it became the standard engine in the 1975 Skylark (pictured) and Century, and the only one available in the Skyhawk.
In its promotional literature, Buick daringly described the V6 as ‘new’, which was accurate in the sense that it wasn’t quite the same as it had been 13 years earlier.
6. Oldsmobile 3.8
Quicker off the mark than it had been with the earlier V6, Oldsmobile adopted the 3.8 as soon as it became available.
It appeared first in the 1975 Starfire, which wasn’t a technical problem since that car was based on the same platform as the Buick Skyhawk.
The Starfire was the only Oldsmobile to use the engine for two years, after which it appeared in the Cutlass, Omega (pictured) and Delta 88.
7. Pontiac
After Buick itself, Oldsmobile and Jeep, Pontiac became the fourth brand to use this V6 engine.
The first Pontiac fitted with it was the Sunbird, a sportier version of the Astre which was itself a rebadged Chevrolet Vega.
Neither of those cars ever had anything other than a four-cylinder engine, and indeed the standard unit in the Sunbird was Chevrolet’s 2.3-litre ‘four’.
However, Buick’s 3.8-litre V6 was an option from the moment the Sunbird was introduced in 1976, and it would later appear in other Pontiacs, too.
8. Pontiac Firebird
In each of its four generations, the Firebird was available with at least one powerful V8 engine.
This didn’t necessarily suit everyone, since there were people who wanted to enjoy the car without having to pour vast quantities of fuel into it.
Less dramatic engines were therefore always available, and in 1977 the 3.8-litre Buick V6 replaced the previous 4.1-litre Chevrolet straight-six as the only non-V8 in the range.
Fitted only to that year’s regular Firebird and the Esprit (pictured), but not offered in the Formula or Trans Am, its capacity was more than a litre under that of the smallest V8.
9. Even firing
During the 1977 model year, Buick substantially revised its V6.
The most significant change was a new crankshaft, which allowed firing events to take place at regular 120-degree intervals while the engine was turning, rather than a mixture of 90 and 150 degrees as before.
This immediately made it run more smoothly, but it was far from being the only development.
Buick also reduced the engine’s weight, redesigned its cylinder heads, made it warm up more quickly and fitted an electric choke and an exhaust-gas recirculator.
(1980 Buick Century pictured.)
10. Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The third-generation Monte Carlo, introduced in 1978, was smaller than the previous two, and the first with a standard engine which wasn’t a V8.
Since we’re mentioning it here, that engine was clearly the Buick V6, though there was still a 5-litre V8 option for customers prepared to pay for it.
It was still in the range in 1979, but in all states except California the standard engine was now Chevrolet’s own V6 (adapted, like the Buick, from an existing V8) which, though nominally still 3.8 litres, in fact had a very slightly lower capacity.
In 1980, the Buick in its normal form was offered only in Monte Carlos sold in California, but another version, which we’ll be meeting shortly, was available everywhere.
11. Forced induction
As we’ll see, some of the most dramatic cars powered by the Buick V6 were turbocharged.
The process began in 1978, when a 3.8-litre turbo became available in the Sport Coupe versions of the Buick LeSabre (pictured) and Regal.
Buick quoted 150bhp net for the turbo engine and a far more modest 105bhp for the naturally aspirated one, a power advantage of nearly 43% in the former’s favour.
Two years later, the turbocharged unit was added to the Chevrolet Monte Carlo range, in which its forced induction distinguished it from the similarly sized Chevy V6.
12. The second 3.2
In complete contrast to the turbo engine, Buick also introduced a new naturally aspirated derivative of the V6 in 1978.
The stroke was left as it was at 3.4in, but the bore was reduced from 3.8 to 3.5in, bringing the capacity down to approximately that of the 3.2-litre original (although at a higher level of accuracy it was in fact slightly smaller).
The new 3.2 became the standard engine for the Regal (except the Sport Coupe) and the Century (except the Wagon), though not in California or in high-altitude areas elsewhere in the US.
13. Chevrolet Monza
Manufactured from 1975 to 1980, the Monza always had a four-cylinder engine (first 2.3 litres, later 2.5) as standard and, until the final year, at least one V8.
In 1978, the Buick V6 was added as an intermediate engine – or, in fact, as two, since it was offered in both the usual 3.8-litre and the new 3.2-litre forms, though as with Buick’s own models the latter wasn’t available in California.
The 3.2 remained in the range for only two years before being dropped at the end of 1979.
At that point, the 3.8 became the more powerful of the two remaining Monza engines, following Chevrolet’s decision to withdraw the V8.
14. Front-wheel drive
For the first 16 years after its launch, the Buick V6 only ever drove the rear wheels of the cars it was fitted to – or, in the case of the Jeeps, all four.
This changed in 1979, when Buick adopted the front-wheel-drive layout for its sixth-generation Riviera, though with the engine mounted longitudinally rather than, as it would be today, transversely.
On the regular version, a 5.7-litre V8 was the standard motor, while the turbocharged V6 was offered as an option.
It was the other way round on the sportier Riviera S Type, which had firmer suspension and higher-ratio steering, along with slightly different interior trim and exterior details.
15. 4.1 litres
In 1980, Buick enlarged the bore of the V6, raising its capacity to 4.1 litres.
At a time when the world was going through its second oil crisis within a decade, this might seem strange at first, but the 4.1 was in fact offered not as a more powerful alternative to the 3.8, but as a more economical one to the still popular V8s.
Unavailable in California in its debut year, though not later, it was standard in the Electra (pictured) and optional in the LeSabre, and was introduced to the Riviera in 1981 and the Regal in 1982.
There matters stood for a further two model years before Buick withdrew the engine in 1985.
16. Cadillac V6 models
The Buick 4.1 was the first V6 ever fitted to any Cadillac, nearly 80 years after the luxury brand was founded.
It was first used in 1981 for the Seville pictured here (marketed as ‘the ultimate American motor car’) and Eldorado (‘one of the world’s finest engineered cars’) as a welcome alternative to Cadillac’s own cylinder-deactivation V8-6-4 and the Oldsmobile diesel V8, which for different reasons were causing alarm and dismay across the North American continent.
Use of the 4.1 spread in the following year to the DeVille and Fleetwood Brougham, making it the standard engine on every Cadillac sold in 1982.
A year after that it was gone from the range, rendered unnecessary by the new Cadillac HT-4100 V8.
17. Oldsmobile 4.1
The 4.1 survived slightly longer in Oldsmobile’s line-up than it did in Cadillac’s.
In 1981, it became the standard engine in the Toronado (pictured) and Ninety-Eight, for which the less powerful 3.8 had apparently been considered inappropriate.
After the oil crisis ended, it was removed from the Ninety-Eight for 1984 (the final year of that generation), but remained in the Toronado for one more year.
18. Pontiac 4.1
It would be fair to say that Pontiac used the 4.1-litre V6 more extensively than, for example, Fiat or Toyota, but there wasn’t much in it.
In 1982, the engine was offered in the Bonneville (pictured) and Grand Prix, the other choices being the standard-fitment 3.8 and the 5.7-litre Oldsmobile V8 diesel.
Just one year later, it had disappeared from the Pontiac line-up, never to return.
19. The 3-litre
A new short-stroke, 3-litre version of the Buick V6 was the smallest ever devised, and the first designed to be fitted transversely into front-wheel-drive cars.
Buick used it from 1982 to 1984 in the Skylark which, as commentators pointed out and Lincoln satirised in a TV ad, was so similar to the Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and Pontiac 6000 that it was difficult to tell one of them from any of the other three.
They were almost indistinguishable mechanically, too, but although Oldsmobile also used Buick’s 3-litre V6 in its version, Chevrolet and Pontiac did not.
20. Oldsmobile and the 3-litre
As mentioned previously, Oldsmobile fitted the 3-litre V6 to the 1982 Cutlass Ciera, the first front-wheel-drive model to bear the Cutlass name since it was introduced 21 years earlier.
Despite the views of Chevrolet and Pontiac on the same subject, the 3-litre unit was a reasonable fit for this car, but not for the much larger Ninety-Eight, which at the time was in its 10th generation.
The 11th Ninety-Eight launched in 1985 (pictured), however, was much smaller and, like the Cutlass Ciera and its close relatives, had front-wheel drive.
Oldsmobile decided to fit the 3-litre to the Regency version – though not the more expensive Regency Brougham – in the car’s debut year, but soon had second thoughts and withdrew it in 1986.
21. The transverse 3.8
As Buick models increasingly switched to the transverse-engined front-wheel-drive layout in the 1980s, it became clear that having the 3-litre as the only V6 which would fit them was less than optimal.
The 3.8 was therefore adapted to suit, and in this new iteration it was first used in 1984 in the Century, which would not have been able to accept it in the first two years of the current generation.
This latest variant was also introduced to the Electra and LeSabre when they switched to the new layout in 1985, and to the Riviera in 1986 for the same reason.
22. Oldsmobile’s transverse 3.8
Oldsmobile’s need for the 3.8 to be fitted transversely was just as great as Buick’s.
The new V6 was added to the Cutlass Ciera in 1984, and, as one generation moved to another, the Ninety-Eight in 1985, and the Delta 88 (pictured) and Toronado in 1986.
The transverse 3.8 was in fact the only engine available in this final generation of the Toronado, which had previously always been offered with a V8 of one sort or another.
23. The curious case of the Buick Electra
In addition to the Skylark, Buick used the 3-litre V6 very briefly in the Electra.
As with the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, this would have been inappropriate in 1982, but three years later Buick downsized the Electra considerably for its sixth and final generation, and adopted front-wheel drive.
The 3-litre unit was initially the base engine for the car, which was otherwise available with either the 3.8 or a 4.3-litre V6 diesel.
Like Oldsmobile, Buick quickly reconsidered, and from 1986 on the Electra was offered only with the 3.8.
24. Buick GNX
Power outputs of the turbocharged 3.8 had risen steadily since its first appearance in 1978, especially after the introduction of the Regal Grand National four years later.
The series came to an end in 1987, the last year of rear-wheel-drive Regals, when Buick launched the GNX.
Modifications to the by now intercooled engine raised its maximum power, so various other changes, including redesigned rear suspension, were made to suit.
The GNX was soon lauded as one of America’s finest muscle cars, and showed that a big V8 wasn’t necessarily required for a vehicle of this type.
25. The 3800
Buick made substantial revisions to the naturally aspirated 3.8 for 1988.
The many changes included a slight increase in power and the addition of a balancer shaft, which made it run more smoothly than before.
Known as the 3800, and intended only for front-wheel-drive models, the updated unit was in production for only a few years before another round of development took place.
However, that was enough time for it to appear in the Electra, the Riviera, the LeSabre and the sleek but short-lived Reatta coupe (pictured).
26. The 3800 in other US brands
Like Buick, Oldsmobile began using the 3800 in 1988, fitting it to the Delta 88, Ninety-Eight and Toronado.
The Cutlass Ciera, in the last year of its first generation, was not updated, and retained the previous 3.8.
The 3800 arrived slightly too late for the introduction of the eighth-generation, and first front-wheel-drive, Pontiac Bonneville (pictured), which started out in 1987 with the old 3.8, but it was added as soon as it became available.
27. Down Under
Over in Australia, GM’s Holden brand used the 3800 for its VN-generation Commodore, a relative of the cars sold in Europe by Opel and Vauxhall as the Senator and Omega/Carlton.
There was a significant complication here, since as stated earlier the 3800 was designed for front-wheel-drive cars, and had to be adapted to fit the rear-wheel-drive Commodore.
An uprated version of the 3800 was the spec engine for the Formula Holden single-seater race series, won in its debut year of 1989 by Rohan Onslow in a Ralt RT20.
28. The 3300
As its name suggests, the 3300 was a reduced-capacity version of the 3800.
The 3300 was the most powerful unit available in Buick’s 1989 Century (pictured) and Skylark, whose standard motor was a 2.5-litre ‘four’.
In production until 1993, it also found a home in the Oldsmobile Calais, Cutlass Ciera and Achieva, and the Pontiac Grand Am.
29. Pontiac Trans Am Turbo
In 1989, Pontiac celebrated two decades of Firebird Trans Am production by producing a 20th Anniversary edition.
Like the GNX of two years previously, it was powered by a turbocharged version of the Buick V6, though of course this was based on the considerably updated 3800, rather than the prior 3.8.
According to Pontiac’s brochure, the car had a maximum output of 249bhp and a 0-60mph time of 5.5 secs, but it wasn’t long before claims were being made that both figures underestimated the true situation on a grand scale.
30. The Series I
The 3800 was updated further in 1991, and in its new form it became known, rather oddly, as the Series I.
It featured in the all-new Park Avenue (Buick’s first model of that name, though there had previously been Park Avenue derivatives of the Electra), along with other Buicks, Holdens, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.
The only Chevrolet powered by the Series I was the Lumina APV (pictured), an MPV closely related to the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport.
31. Series I supercharged
From its debut year, the Series I was also the first Buick V6 available with a mechanical supercharger (the turbos used previously were also, strictly speaking, superchargers, but driven by exhaust gases).
This version was never fitted to an explicitly high-performance model like the Buick GNX or the 20th-anniversary Pontiac Trans Am.
Its power output was therefore modest by comparison, but on both sides of a mid-life update it still produced more than 200bhp, giving, say, the Park Avenue Ultra (pictured) an extra sense of urgency compared with its naturally aspirated equivalent.
32. The Series II
For 1995, 33 years after it was first offered to the public, the V6 was modernised yet again.
The Series II retained the increasingly old-fashioned, cast-iron construction and pushrod-operated valves, but it was now lighter and had revised cylinder heads and a higher compression ratio.
In addition to Holdens, it was fitted to several Buicks, Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs, nearly 1.5 million of which were recalled in 2009 because drops of oil could find their way into unfortunate places and combust, with potentially disastrous effects.
This difficulty aside, the Series II was so effective that it remained in production with no major updates for nearly a decade.
33. The supercharged Series II
The forced-induction variant of the Series II arrived in 1996, a year after its naturally aspirated relative.
While the standard engine produced around 200bhp, this one developed 240bhp, and was used by every GM brand which had ever taken on Buick’s V6 in previous years.
As late as 2005, when its successor was already up and running, it was still being offered as an option for the Buick Park Avenue and the SS versions of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo (pictured) and Impala.
34. The Series III
The last in the very long line of Buick V6 engines, introduced in 2004, is known as the Series III, but it was really just a mild upgrade of the Series II.
Power output in the naturally aspirated version remained much as before, but in supercharged form it was up to 261bhp, as fitted to the Pontiac Grand Prix (pictured).
The final unit was manufactured in Plant 36 at GM Powertrain Flint North in August 2008, ending the run of what wasn’t GM’s most famous engine, or its most exciting, but was certainly one of its most significant.
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