In my New York neighborhood back in the 80's, when you were done with kid stuff and ready to get rid of your Camaro or Firebird, you graduated to either a Monte Carlo, or, if you really wanted to let go, a Buick Regal. (Although, if you still couldn't give up the muscle car power, and you had the coin, you got the famed Regal Grand National.)

That was before the beloved car started sharing bodies and powertrains with the perennial senior citizen-magnet, the Buick Century. (I'm wondering if that's why a lot of senior communities in Florida are called Century Village...) The car was mercifully put out of its misery in 2004.

But now it's back... completely resurrected and redesigned as a true euro-inspired sports sedan.

Based on the multiple-award-winning Opal Insignia sold in Europe (and looking a little to me like a tamer BMW 3-Series... more pics after the jump), I'm told by Craig Bierley, Buick's Marketing Director, the new Regal promises a combination of technology and performance you won't find on any car in its class.

And while test drives were not available (official production doesn't start for a few months), I could tell by the engineering they put in the car, and Bierely's wink, wink, nudge, nudge that incredible things were to come (my repeated queries as to whether that meant a Grand National-like performance package would be available were met with various forms of "just wait"), that the promised performance was legit.

Infused with great driving dynamics, this new version of the Regal is a far cry from its Century-esque heritage. Under the hood they've powered it with a 2.0-L 220-horsepower Ecotech twin turbo engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic with driver-shift control (a 6-speed manual will be available as an option), that's expected to take you up to 30 mpg highway. And depending on your driving desires, you can choose from three driving modes: Standard, Sport for road holding during aggressive rides, and Tour for comfort on long rides.

Inside they've poured a ton of standard equipment into the Regal, holding to their promise of performance plus technology. You get leather all around, heated 12-way power front seats, XM satellite radio in a premium sound system that includes a 10GB hard drive for storing music and the ability to pause and rewind live radio, OnStar, wood trim and 18" rims, for starters. Then there are the usual optional toys: Navigation, sunroof, etc.

And how far is all this technology and performance going to set you back money-wise? They won't tell me... "Pricing hasn't been set yet." But I am told it will be priced less than the new Buick Lacrosse, which starts at $27,800. Not a bad place to be for true euro performance and luxury. If the Regal lives up to the hype.

Start looking for the new Regal to hit showroom floors sometime in the spring of next year. I'll be waiting to see if a Grand National-type package hits shortly after.