Why doesn't the Reatta have steel front fenders?

[Ronnie]

I have always wondered about this. Buick choose to put a steel hood on the Reatta that weighs as much as a VW but they put lightweight front fenders on it. I don't understand why. Does anyone know?

[Y-JobFan]

This may answer your question 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/buickman2.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/plastic-fenders/amp/

[SpecialEducation]

Same reason Saturns had metal hoods & trunk lids. They are structural and are under a lot of stress, where fenders just sit there and look pretty.

[Barney Eaton]

Good question...........very good link........ it is common to try a "new" technology or process on a limited or low production vehicle.....that way if there is a problem not every car has it also sometime the cost is greater at start up and

by going the limited production route,  you are not dropping a lot of $$.    The "T" type LeSabre was a limited production option,  and while the Reatta was not supposed to be that limited,  the higher price of the Reatta allowed them to

use the plastic part.   Guess it was a success as GM went on to use plastic fenders on other production vehicles.  

[padgett]

The early GM "minvans" (I had a TranSport) also had plastic front fenders. Were really small.

[Ronnie]

I can understand using plastic fenders and aluminum bumpers to save weight but throwing that big heavy hood on top seems to defeat the purpose of the weight savings. The hood might have been steel as a structural part of the car but it just seems like there should have been a better way to accomplish the same thing without that big heavy steel hood.

[Barney Eaton]

Ronnie...... there may be other reasons for not using plastic for the hood......mainly heat.    There is probably enough engine heat to cause a plastic part to eventually sag......also even a small engine fire could catch the plastic on fire,  then the melting plastic

would drip on the engine and other parts and a small engine fire might end up totaling the car. 

25 years after the Reatta we are seeing aluminum on body parts of production cars but lots of engineering has made that possible.   The auto industry always felt comfortable stamping parts out of steel.

[Y-JobFan]

It could also have a lot to do with the cars balance, I always thought the Reatta trunk lids were oddly heavy, they may have been using the body panels to achieve the ideal front and rear weight ratios