What's special about it? It's a Buick with a suede-covered flat-bottom steering wheel, dude. How much more special do you want? With the former excitement-bringer Pontiac out of the way, GM is beginning to load the Buick lineup with Euro-engineered product. The LaCrosse, based on the surprisingly competent, designed-in-Europe Epsilon II platform, is the first of the non-flaccid Buicks. This curious turn for the old brand has been further promoted by the recent announcement that the rebadged Opel Insignia would be the next Buick Regal and will be offered with a turbocharged engine and a — gasp! — manual transmission.