1988 Buick LeSabre T-Type Coupe 🇺🇸

This particular car  holds a special place in the NB Center collection. Purchased new by Alfred Paul of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania the car was Alfred’s pride and joy. In 2016 Alfred attended the Buick Club of America 50th Anniversary Meet hosted by the NB Center in Allentown. Alfred didn’t bring his car to the show but was so taken by the collection, the facilities and the mission to save American Automotive history that he decided he wanted his LeSabre T-Type to be part of the NB Center collection. Without telling a soul, Alfred amended his will and bequeathed the car to the NB Center upon his passing. 

In May of 2022, Alfred’s family reached out to arrange for the car to be delivered to the NB Center. While not the only car given to the Center it is at this time the only one given through someone's final wishes. The car will stand as a memorial to Alfred and the others like him that want to see their prized automobiles live on.  

Company
General Motors

Make
Buick

Model
LeSabre T-Type

Body Style
Coupe,  2-door,  4-pass.

Body Manufacture
General Motors Assembly Division

Model year
1988

Wheelbase
110.8 inches

Length
196.5 inches

Engine
V6, OHV, 231 cid (3.8 L)

Horsepower
150 @ 4400 rpm

Transmission
4-speed automatic

Original Base Price
$16,520

Brand Production
484,764  model  year

This Car Production
4,123 (model year); 15,938 (1987-1989)

Debuting for 1987 and little changed for 1988, the Buick LeSabre T-Type Coupe was built to qualify the LeSabre for NASCAR, replacing the 1986 Buick Grand National. It was built for two years, at a time when Buick had lost its way in the market.

By 1988, high-performance T-Type models had spread throughout the Buick lineup, although such doubtful candidates as the Skyhawk, Somerset, and Century T-Types were soon axed. Yet Buick executives bestowed its full-size LeSabre with a high-performance model. In another era, it would have been called the Wildcat and, in many ways, was its spiritual successor.

The LeSabre moved from the rear-wheel-drive B-Body platform to the front-wheel-drive H-Body platform, sharing many of its components and much of its underlying structure with Oldsmobile 88 and Pontiac Bonneville. But there were differences. Shod in Goodyear Eagle GTs on aluminum wheels and boasting the sportier FE-1 Gran Touring suspension, the front-wheel-drive LeSabre T-Type was dressed in the requisite Euro-style blackout trim, rather than Buick’s customary chrome. Even rarer for any LeSabre: it’s a coupe, a body style that would last through the 1991 model year. It employed Buick’s normally-aspirated 3.8-liter (231-CID) overhead-valve V-6 sending horsepower through a four-speed overdrive automatic transmission. Power front disc/rear drum brakes came standard, while anti-lock brakes were optional.

Drivers were treated to full analog instrumentation, as opposed to the speedometer and fuel gauge that was standard on most LeSabre models. The roomy cabin featured standard cloth upholstery that was accented by charcoal gray trim rather than the brushed metal typically fitted. Other standard features included air-conditioning, power steering, tinted glass, clock, AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player and graphic equalizer, 45/45 front seats with center console and cruise control.

“Our long-term goal was to build premium American motorcars," said LeSabre product-line manager Jon Lauckner at the time. And while it could be argued whether Buick made the right decision, there's no arguing that Buick's 1980s fixation with muscle produced some very interesting – and fun-to-drive – results. This was among the last of Buick’s attempts to lure the muscle car crowd.