Buick Bengal

The Buick Bengal was a concept roadster that Buick showed at the 2001 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. It was part of an effort to make the Buick line look more appealing to younger buyers. Power came from a supercharged 3.4 litre V6 of 250 horsepower, joined to a six speed manual gearbox that sat ahead of the engine so the front wheels could be moved forward for better handling. The car was a two seat roadster, but its rear decklid could be raised to show two extra seats. It understood over 100 spoken commands through a voice control system named Quiet Servant, developed by Visteon, and its dashboard had no conventional gauges, showing everything on demand on a single flat panel screen. Buick said in 2001 that it wanted to build the Bengal, but the plan was shelved until the more realistic Velite roadster appeared in 2004.