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Car Of The Day: May 26, 2008; Corgi '75 Buick Regal
Topic Started: May 25 2008, 11:22 PM (1,011 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's car of the day is Corgi's 1975 Buick Regal police car (NYPD).

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Wikipedia
 
Buick had been the first GM division to bring a personal luxury car to market with its full-size 1963 Riviera but was otherwise slow to react to the developing lower-priced mid-size personal luxury market, which Pontiac created with the 1969 Grand Prix and Chevrolet with the Monte Carlo the following year, 1970. At the same time Oldsmobile added a formal notchback coupe to its intermediate line, the Cutlass Supreme, in 1970 and that model soon became Olds' best selling intermediate. Wanting a model that could be marketed to compete against the Olds Cutlass Supreme as well as the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo, Buick introduced the Regal for 1973, as a top line coupe in that division's intermediate A-body line, the Century. The year 1973 also marked the introduction of the first major restyling of GM's intermediate A-body design since 1968, as well as the first major restyling for the intermediate-based G-body used for the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix.

A highly-trimmed, notchback coupe, the first Regal shared its front and rear styling with its Century parent with distinctions amounting to differing grilles and taillight lenses. The Regal shared the same "Colonnade" pillared hardtop roofline (a hardtop with center pillar but frameless doors unlike a sedan body) and greenhouse (window area) with the Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme as well as the lower-priced Buick Century Luxus coupe. Like its corporate cousins, the Regal (and Luxus) featured the newly fashionable opera windows, which were small fixed rear-side windows surrounded by sheetmetal, instead of the traditional roll-down windows. Only the Colonnade hardtop coupe was offered in the Regal line in 1973, but a new four-door Colonnade sedan (with six-window-greenhouse and frameless door windows) debuted in 1974 and continued through the 1977 model year.

Regal interiors were generally more luxurious than lesser Century models with woodgrain trim on dashboard and door panels, along with door-pull straps and notchback bench seats with center armrests with either cloth, velour or vinyl upholstery. Optionally available throughout the run was a 60/40 split bench seat with armrest. For 1976 and 1977, the Regal coupe was available with the S/R option that included reclining bucket seats with cordoroy upholstery. The model lasted five years with minimal changes, although there was a fairly substantial facelift in 1976 (for the coupe only - sedans stayed with original 1973 sheetmetal through 1977), which incorporated the recently legalized square headlights (horizontally-mounted on coupes, and vertically on sedans - much like the mid-1960s Pontiacs).

The Regal most commonly powered by Buick's 350 in³ V8, which was standard equipment on all models in 1973 and 1974 and optional on coupes but remained standard on sedans from 1975 to 1977, and the larger 455 in³ V8 was optional in 1973 and 1974 only. Starting in 1975, Regal coupes came standard with Buick's resurrected 231 in³ V6 engine previously offered on the Skylark from 1964 to 1967; the engine's tooling had been sold to Kaiser Motors for use in Jeep models (Kaiser was purchased by American Motors in 1970 and Jeep became an AMC division) and sold back to GM by AMC in 1974. In 1975 and 1976, the Century and Regal were the only mid-sized cars in America to offer V6 engines.

The Century designation was quietly dropped from the Regal in 1975.


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For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Buick Regal

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This model exists thanks to Corgi making Kojak's car ("Kojak" actually used the similar Buick Century).

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Where do I begin on this model? Definitely an interesting choice of casting, one of the many cars we have to thank a TV show/movie for. I'm not sure when the casting received a rake (jacked up rear end) but the original releases didn't have that. When Mattel bought Corgi's tooling this is one of the models that made its way into the Hot Wheels range as well (with the rake, and also as a police car). Does anyone know if this is an accurate NYPD police scheme?

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Celica Baby
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Can you see what I'm saying?
OMG! That is horrible! What happened? Did it get attacked by a Smurf while winning the Indy 500? BLAH!
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Lovemy1971Camaro
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Speed Junkie
Celica Baby
May 26 2008, 12:35 AM
OMG! Did it get attacked by a Smurf while winning the Indy 500?

:smurfy: IT'S BEEN SMURFED!!!!!! :smurfy:
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

For the time period that these were produced in, they look really nice. Some of the castings lines are apparrent esp on the rear fenders but it still looks realistic from the ones I've seen in 1/1 scale on the local derby circuit. Ablut four blocks from my house is a mid 70s Regal painted pink in stock form, not a derby car. I just got 2 copies of this casting in a trade with Daniel H to use as derby cars.
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davidj94
Out hunting for JL
Well, I kinda like it. Sympathy vote here I thnik. From the pic I couldn't have told you what kinda car it was though, and then even knowing, I am still not so sure, so I think it failed in that area. But I kinda like the pale blue with the blue light bar and the black/white checker sticker/graphic. The wheels are as bad as some I've seen either. And it would look "wrong" with chrome bumpers, so it seems some thought went into it anyway. :rolleyes: :twocents:

Swifty, thanks for posting this one I have never seen! :wacko:
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
I've NEVER seen any NYPD cars that looked anything like this!
Certainly Kojak didn't drive this version.

Kiddie toy maker takes casting and decorates it with kiddie colors and graphics and hopes to sell millions to kiddies. That's about the sum of it's accuaracy. And thousands of collectors probably would love to have this one! :o
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bangerkid45
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Ultimate American Banger Enthusiast!
ive been to Newyork the cars are White not blue, this car is soooooooooo.... unrealistic, and yes its been smurified!


:smurfy:
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
bangerkid45
May 26 2008, 10:28 PM
ive been to Newyork the cars are White not blue, this car is soooooooooo.... unrealistic, and yes its been smurified!


:smurfy:

Well, this car would be 1970s vintage, not new. Police departments do change their paint schemes over time.

That said I've never seen an American police force use checkers on the side. I'd expect most Americans would hail it thinking it was a taxi!
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Celica Baby
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Can you see what I'm saying?
I kinda feel sorry for the poor car :(

It's having an identity crisis! It doesn't know if it should be a Police Car, a Taxi Cab, a Race Car or a Smurf! Poor, poor car!
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james_autos
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Minivan
Quote:
 
That said I've never seen an American police force use checkers on the side. I'd expect most Americans would hail it thinking it was a taxi!


I suppose that's what you get when a British manufacturer attempts an American car ;)

I did a custom version of the Regal and lowered the rear end to get rid of that strange stance. The wheels don't run to well, but it does make a huge improvement.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
NYPD DID have blue cars years ago, but this isn't blue, it's Smurf/cereal/baby toys blue green, or aqua, or whatever.

Also, Chicago Police did have checkers on their cars, it's part of Chicago's heritage. The cops have checkers on their hats, as well.

The scheme on this car certainly would have been believable for a taxi. I've seen wilder schemes on cabs than this!!
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
Police Livery of the time was a sky blue with white roof, large 'Police' markings in white, and large logos. Variations of this lasted until the late '90s.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Sak
May 31 2008, 11:30 AM
Police Livery of the time was a sky blue with white roof, large 'Police' markings in white, and large logos. Variations of this lasted until the late '90s.

Well, they got the sky blue right, anyway....
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Celica Baby
May 25 2008, 11:35 PM
OMG! That is horrible! What happened? Did it get attacked by a Smurf while winning the Indy 500? BLAH!
In over a decade of Car Of The Day posts, this still remains my #1 favorite reply. Appropriate too since tomorrow's the Indy 500.
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Pegers
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Pony Car
this one has no appeal to me at all...
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
Thank you Kojak - or at least the TV series that this casting was based on. I do have this one in my collection with my NYPD cars but, as noted ten years ago, it is not accurate to the NYPD - might be cars like this that lead to NYPD and FDNY having such strict licensing requirements. :thumbup: And prior to the blue cars, NYPD had cars that were dark green with black fenders and white roofs so yes their colors have changed quite a bit over the course of history. Now time to go find a "Kojak stick!"

Here is an overview of the various NYPD colors that have been used.
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Edited by pjedsel, May 26 2018, 01:28 PM.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
pjedsel
May 26 2018, 01:16 PM
Thank you Kojak - or at least the TV series that this casting was based on. I do have this one in my collection with my NYPD cars but, as noted ten years ago, it is not accurate to the NYPD - might be cars like this that lead to NYPD and FDNY having such strict licensing requirements. :thumbup: And prior to the blue cars, NYPD had cars that were dark green with black fenders and white roofs so yes their colors have changed quite a bit over the course of history. Now time to go find a "Kojak stick!"

Here is an overview of the various NYPD colors that have been used.
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You get :thumbup: :thumbup: for including a Smurf in the above image. :D

On a side note, that's a massive response from the NYPD. Word on the street has it a Dunkin' Donuts truck collided with a Duck Donuts truck...
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94cadillacfleetwood
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Nothing good ever happens after midnight.
I just don't know...is that some alternative paint scheme for the NYPD??? I love the very first reply about a Smurf winning the Indy 500 or something to that extent.If I saw a real one like this I don't know if I were to laugh or cry.
This colour scheme would seem more appropriate on a Prius police car (yes they do exist! :D ).
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

pjedsel
May 26 2018, 01:16 PM
Now time to go find a "Kojak stick!"
Who luvs ya, baby?
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I know is it is a long time favorite Corgi jr casting that has been available over the better part of 3 decades in a wide variety of variants, and ended up with a swan song farewell in the Hot Wheels mainline...and as such is fair game for me, and this is one I didn't know was out there...
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Dean-o-mite
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Muscle Car
Not every toy car needs to be perfect to be a fun addition to my collection. Heck, I have some older Hot Wheels that don't even have door lines that some of today's collectors would turn their noses up at.
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Lane1through75
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With Jazz and conversation from the foot of Mt. Belzoni.
I recall a collector back in the MCCH days who was trying to find every variation ever made of this Buick. I can't recall his handle, though I was amazed by the variety he was able to find.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Lane1through75
May 26 2018, 11:18 PM
I recall a collector back in the MCCH days who was trying to find every variation ever made of this Buick. I can't recall his handle, though I was amazed by the variety he was able to find.
With Corgi, that has to be in the hundreds! Like Yat Mings, I sometimes think no two left the factory alike.
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corvairjim
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Fullsize
Such a sloppy casting. Mold liner wherever you look. I've never seen a 1:1 Century with eyebrows over the headlights. Then there's the issue of the "shoulder pads" on the quarter panels. The taillights are halfway filled in with casting slag. Ooh baby, is this one rough.
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