Buick Regal IV (W-body) gallery (1997–2004)
The fourth-generation Buick Regal was produced exclusively as a four-door sedan and became famous for its supercharged GS performance trim.
Arriving in 1997 for the 1998 model year, the fourth-generation Buick Regal was built on the significantly revised second-generation GM W-body platform, which offered improved torsional rigidity, structural crashworthiness, and a longer wheelbase. Buick streamlined the portfolio by eliminating the coupe body style, offering the Regal exclusively as an upscale mid-size four-door sedan sharing its body shell with the more entry-level Buick Century. The standard Regal LS was powered by the naturally aspirated 3.8L 3800 Series II V6 generating 195 to 200 hp, while the revered Regal GS featured an Eaton M90 supercharged version of the 3800 V6 pushing output to 240 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Power was routed through GM 4T65-E and heavy-duty 4T65E-HD 4-speed automatic transaxles. In late 1999, production began at Shanghai GM in China, marking a crucial strategic milestone that established Buick as a premier luxury badge in Asia. North American production at the Oshawa plant concluded in 2004.
