Back in the 1980’s, GM’s performance cars were in a bit of a slump. The 1970’s had not been kind to big V8 engines, and many of these motors barely broke the 150 horsepower mark. How could GM slip around the stringent emissions standards of the time to produce a powerful muscle car? The answer was the Regal T-Type, and its better known cousin the Grand National, which sported a turbocharged V6 engine that has become something of a legend.

Well, the turbocharged Regal is making a comeback, though in a different way. GM has given the Buick Regal GS the green light, and it should be hitting showrooms sometime in 2011.

GM first revealed the Buick Regal GS concept back in the 2010 at the Detroit Auto Show. While GM was mum about whether or not the car would make it to production, we were all pretty sure this car was a sure thing. Sporting a 255 horsepower 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine, the Regal GS ditches the all-wheel drive system in favor of front-wheel drive. Oh yeah, and it’s a 4-door.

Alas, we had been hoping that the Regal GS would get Opel’s 2.8 liter turbocharged V6 engine, which made a respectable 325 horsepower. Still, Buick says the Regal GS should make the sprint from 0-60 mph in less than seven seconds, and should be price somewhere in the mid $30,000 range. Technically, the 2.0 liter Regal GS makes more horsepower than the Grand National, which made just 245 horsepower (but 355 ft-lbs of torque compared with the GS’s 295 ft-lbs).

If its any consolation, the Regal GS can also be equipped with 20-inch polished wheels and Brembo brakes if one so desires.

We’re disappointed it’s wrong-wheel drive, but GM says they have a remedy for that in their High Performance Strut, or HiPerStrut, that they say will remedy the problem of torque steer. The GS will also come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, so we’re pretty happy about that.

So ask yourselves, is this car a worthy successor to the Grand National? Or does GM have to go back to the drawing board?