Chinese tuner takes on a Buick Regal GS, shows GM how to build cars

When General Motors announced its Buick Regal GS luxury sedan/saloon back in 2010, it did not neglect to call it “the next entry in Buick's product renaissance.” The big words turned out to be just that, though: in reality, the company tried to sell a lazy rebranded version of the Opel Insignia OPC equipped with a lackluster 2.0-liter turbo V4 producing only 258 hp (192 kW), rather than the 325 hp (242 kW) of its predecessor.

Ultimately, though, one of these Buicks ended up in the garage of the Chinese tuner Ink Design. The team had two tasks to fulfil: improve the rather unassuming exterior of the North American car and raise its performance to a more respectable level. Long story short, they succeeded pretty well.

The entire car now wears a matte-black wrap interspersed with red accents. The vaguely Star Wars-inspired design states its intentions clear with a Darth Vader graphic on the roof.

The front bumper now holds red LED-based daytime running lights, and there is an Irmscher spoiler lip underneath it. the wheels are stock, but the red brake calipers come from the Brembo shelf. Rounding off the list of changes is a set of KW Variant 3 coilovers.

The tuner has managed to chip-tune the stock four-banger of its Buick Regal GS to 290 hp (216 kW). While still falling short of the performance of the Opel Insignia OPC it was based upon, the Chinese Buick is still much stronger than the production car. The extra 32 hp (24 kW) should contribute to its overall dynamics and steering ease quite a bit.

Photos: Irmscher China