Cars from the 1980s are slowly rising in popularity, as cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale and Porsche 928 have become particularly sought-after collector cars. When it comes to American cars from that era, there really isn’t a whole lot of excitement, because of the oil crisis and severe restrictions, choking performance out of cars. That said, the YouTube channel AutoTopiaLA is giving us the tour of a 1986 Buick Regal resto-mod that has almost nothing in common with the original car.

Shawn Davis – host of AutoTopiaLA – visits P2 Fabrication, at South California, which is the same shop that is building AutoTopiaLA’s Foxbody Mustang. The star of the show, however, is their 1986 Buick Regal, which, other than the boxy design, has nothing in common with the stock version of the car.

This particular Buick is proof that, sometimes, mishaps can turn out to be good. Frankie, from P2 Fabrication, shares that when the stock 3.8-liter V-6 engine blew up, he immediately took it as a sign to do an LS-swap and, naturally, “things snowballed from there”. What came out on the other end was a 1,176 wheel-horsepower autocross monster. Obviously, over 1,000 horsepower is way too much for autocross, so Frankie toned it down a notch, to where the car makes “only” 700 to 800 horsepower.

The LS engine has been supercharged and features dry-sump lubrication. In addition, it has been moved back by about 10 inches for better weight distribution. Moreover, Frankie says that the car needs to be a streetcar. “You have to have a radio, you have to have AC, power windows… Anything that that car came with, it has to have”, Frankie explains. He also notes that this was not a Buick GNX, but a regular T-Type, which, at this level of modification, really doesn't matter.

Probably the most revolutionary upgrade, for a car like this, is the sequential gearbox with dog engagement. Frankie explains that, while the sequential gearbox is a bit difficult at low-speed driving, because of the way it engages gears, it works exceptionally smooth at high speeds, which is where you can execute flat-foot shifting. For city driving, Frankie says, it’s better to use the clutch.

You can’t expect a 1980s Buick Regal to have exceptional chassis rigidity, which is why the boxy coupe features a heavily revised chassis with a full roll-cage. Although the rear seat has been deleted and the front ones have been replaced with Sparco bucket seats, the car still weighs around 3,800 pounds (1,723 kg).

The Buick has been equipped with a nine-inch rear, limited-slip differential with 3.70 gears that, Frankie says, has nine different tunes, depending on requirements. According to the guys at P2 Fabrication, with this setup, the car is able to hit 230 mph (370 km/h). Frankie, himself, claims to have gotten up to 208 mph (334 km/h), in Mexico.

In terms of rubber, the P2 Fabrication Buick Regal runs a square 315 mm width tire setup with six-piston brake calipers all-around, and additional four-piston calipers, for the handbrake.

Naturally, after giving getting the brief on the car, Shawn and Frankie go for an epic ride. What follows is an epic symphony of V-8 bliss, enhanced by side-pipes, the loud whining of a supercharger, and crisp shifts from the sequential transmission. Meanwhile, Frankie lights up the tires while trying to tame the beast and Shawn is holding on for dear life. “This shouldn’t be street-legal”, Shawn says, but we are happy it is. Watch the video below to get an idea of what I am on about.