Thirty-four years after it rolled off the assembly line, the very last Buick Grand National is going up for auction. And with just 33 miles on the odometer, the lucky winner will have a pristine machine.
It’s Hip to be Square
To the first Gen-X kids, the early to mid-80s felt like the heyday of supercharged dream cars. There were plenty of head-turning hot wheels from Mustang 5.0 and the Corvette to the Camaro IROC-Z Camaro and turbocharged Trans Am. But the Buick Grand National? That was something different.
On the one hand, a big boxy sedan like that had no business being cool. On the other hand, HOLY BLEEP! The Grand National ROCKED!
The Need for Speed
The Buick Grand National roared onto the scene in 1982. The automaker had won consecutive Manufacturers Cups in 1981 and 1982 and, to capitalize on its racing success, Buick restyled the plush Regal and gave it more muscle. The restyled and souped-up Grand National took its name from the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series (the series retired the “Grand National” name in 1986).
The automaker hadn’t planned to manufacture many Grand National models. Following a run of just 100 cars, the model proved more popular than Buck apparently anticipated. They sent 215 Regals off to be retrofitted as GNs. The 1982 model boasted a base 252 cubic-inch V6 that made 125 horsepower and 205 pound-feet of torque, while several of the retrofitted models got a beefier power plant that cranked out 275 pound-feet of torque and 175 horsepower.
Back in Black
Buick didn’t produce the Grand National in 1983, but it made a comeback in 1984. Decked out in all-black, the turbocharged GN introduced the 200-horsepower V6 intercooler engine to the lineup. The boost in performance enabled it to rival models like the Corvette, with its larger V8 engine, in the quarter-mile.
It got another performance bump to 235 horsepower in 1986 when the air-to-air intercooler was added. Its sizzling speed made it popular enough that parent company General Motors had to hold off plans to discontinue the G-Body platform.
The Imperial March (Toward Legendary Status)
Like all good things, the Grand National met its end in 1987. General Motors was shifting the Regal over to the GM W platform, making it the first front-wheel-drive car manufactured on this new base.
Now in its final months of production, the Grand National Experimental (known as the GNX) rocketed to legendary status. First, its all-black aesthetic prompted many to refer to it as the “Dark Side,” in a nod to Star Wars villain Darth Vader.
Buick also tuned the 3.8L V6 for hyperspeed performance with a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds (which is impressive even by modern standards) and sprinting the quarter-mile in 13 seconds. The ’87 GNX became the hottest ticket in town, but with only 547 built, it is as hard to get as a still-in-package Han Solo action figure.
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
Sadly, you won’t find this beauty at your local Buick dealership. The final Buick Grand National exited the assembly line on December 11, 1987, and has received VIP treatment ever since. It’s made rare appearances over the years, coming out of storage for special events like Buick’s centennial celebration.
Will a Gen-X kid finally realize their dream of owning a Grand National? We’ll have to wait until January. The Buick is scheduled for auction at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale, AZ, from January 22-30, 2022.
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