Jack,
Thanks for your 0.35 worth.
Perhaps my reaction time is slow on the road but I have felt the ABS kick in numerous times on my 4WD and BMW under normal driving conditions under hard braking. This is a particular problem in the Cobra on a wet road where the brakes tend to lock very easily resulting in aquaplaning.
The benefits I expect will be later braking on the track without locking the brakes and less chance of an accident on a wet road.
I've almost completed the difficult job of integrating a Bosch ABS system, stripped out of Holden Commodere (somewhat equivalent to your Buick). I have got to know this ABS system quite well from the mechanics manual that dropped into my lap by chance.
Most vehicles built in the past 10 years have had the ABS ring gears installed into the front wheel hubs and either side of the LSD at the rear end. Some systems have one unit for the hydraulic actuator and another for the ECU. Others use a simpler one unit system , eg., Ford.
www.corral.net/tech/handling/abs.html
It's been one helluva challenge and I'm almost there, I've taken it slowly and I think I have covered all bases on this one.
I hope in the end it's a case of "how could I have lived without it all these years ?"