After noticing a TV commercial for the 2006 Buick Lucerne, I Googled it to find out more. Intrigued because of similarities to my beloved Olds Auroras (past and present)I did find that some of the things that made Aurora remarkable were echoed in the new Buick (as noted in the article.)

The ante into the Aurora legacy was the first thing I checked. Yes there is an option for the 32-Valve V-8 Northstar that made Aurora famous as a race car and served as the prototype for Cadillac's Northstar engine in 1995. (Yes, I realize that a V-8 uses gas, and hope that the fact that the car often relaxes for days without use thanks to the miracle of modern Web technology partially mitigates my indulgence in a fast car.)

The Lucerne includes virtually the same luxury interior options for the most part, but the one thing that made the Aurora interior remarkable, the cockpit-style driver's side styling is missing. The dashboard looks like it was donated by a Century and grafted onto this shadow of Aurora.


Coming from a GM loyal family I've watched the developments from Detroit in recent years with measures of sadness and disappointment. When the company killed off the Olds brand, I felt personally betrayed. Having learned early on the natural progression of brand loyalty in the GM family, outgrown Buick and not ready to believe I had entered the Cadillac age, I became a demographic without a GM solution.

If Buick would modify the Lucerne to include the cockpit-style drivers side that made Aurora special, I might forgive GM for naming Aurora's ghost after Safeway Dairy products and take the Lucerne for a test drive...