One of the most iconic–and feared–muscle cars of the ’80s came with a somewhat unorthodox drivetrain: a turbocharged V6 backed by an automatic transmission. Meet the Buick Grand National and its variants, including the nearly all-conquering GNX.
Buick V6 engines, both turbocharged and naturally aspirated, were all over the place during that decade: They were raced in Trans-Am, IMSA GTP …
I'm not sure if there is another car in history that was so instantly recognizable by sound alone. Always loved these.
In reply to grover :
of course there are...just about any ferrari or opened up rx-7...or one of my favorites an opened up subaru with unequal length headers...that boxer rumble turns heads. :)
If I didn't know any better, I'd say that mountain in the background of the top picture was Superstition Mountain, on the east side of the Phoenix valley...
These are definitely cool cars. I'm sure mine is as fast as most of them, but man... they've imprinted a fear of them in my mind, from seeing so many of them rocket down the track in 10 seconds or less.
My dads best friend bought his Ttype new in 87, so I pretty much grew up with it.
The feeling of that thing on drag radials launching at 5psi still makes my back twinge in memory
One of the top 5 cars of my teenage dreams. Had a poster of it on my wall.
I still love these cars but at the same time, I get tired or hearing how these are faster than anything else, even current cars. Yea they dominated the streets 20 years ago, and especially when modified, but just don't compare to todays hot rods.
In reply to tuna55 :
I remember Buddy Ingersoll beating Bob Glidden in his mountain motor t-bird. My brother started what was Eastern Peformance which specialized in Buicks. He bought an 84 GN and then sold it to get an 87 GN. 245hp is way under-rated as out of the box those cars ran mid 13's on streets and with no cat on slicks 12's was easy. The biggest issues with them were oiling and head gaskets. When you pump 25 to 30psi into them they start popping gaskets.
The car was years ahead of its time and Buddy help spearhead that with his Regal in Comp Eliminator then Pro Stock.
My brother STILL has his GN and I was fortunate to be part of that evolution of cars and even saw the prototype GNX's at the Buick meet in Bowling Green, KY.
Turbo Buicks and SyTy's are the only dream cars I've had as a kid that when I've gone to look at them with cash in hand I just couldn't pull the trigger.
Boost, nostalgia, cool 80's looks (IMO), but I sit in it and they just all feel like awfully cheap garbage from dark days at GM. The need slide speedo that was straight from my grandmother's Olds 88. The door trim, shifter.....everything. The materials and construction just make me feel like these are better kept as dreams rather than actually owning one.
StuntmanMike said:I still love these cars but at the same time, I get tired or hearing how these are faster than anything else, even current cars. Yea they dominated the streets 20 years ago, and especially when modified, but just don't compare to todays hot rods.
True, they were low-14 second cars stock. Which was damn fast in it's day, but these days most cars with sporting intentions (and some without) are quicker. But they had real presence on the road, and a bad-boy image that made them damn near the coolest thing on the road for a few years there. I'll never forget the C&D review with the sub-headline "Speed is a gunslinger in black" 
StuntmanMike said:I still love these cars but at the same time, I get tired or hearing how these are faster than anything else, even current cars. Yea they dominated the streets 20 years ago, and especially when modified, but just don't compare to todays hot rods.
That is true, but it's been fun writing these Vintage VIews pieces. Hope everyone's been enjoying them. The next issue showcases the original 1LE. Our expert basically said it: Don't buy one for performance because the later Camaros are better on track.
Still, the original has that cool factor.
In reply to crankwalk :
GM quality is pretty much the only reason I don't have a C5 already. That was perhaps the first car that I truly "noticed" as being special in my youth. That said, I did try to buy one in 2007, but finances just weren't lining up at the time.
I still see them and think, hmm... but then I realize I have a Miata, and I have a Supra, so I pretty much check off the "needs" list that a Corvette provides. Still... can't help but think on it sometimes!
David S. Wallens said:StuntmanMike said:I still love these cars but at the same time, I get tired or hearing how these are faster than anything else, even current cars. Yea they dominated the streets 20 years ago, and especially when modified, but just don't compare to todays hot rods.
That is true, but it's been fun writing these Vintage VIews pieces. Hope everyone's been enjoying them. The next issue showcases the original 1LE. Our expert basically said it: Don't buy one for performance because the later Camaros are better on track.
Still, the original has that cool factor.
Personally, I love them, they are one of my favorite parts of the magazine. Then again, I'm one of those weirdos who bought a "sports car" that's slower than a base model 2018 Camry.
I love em.....always have. Of course I was also 17 in 1987 when these were roaming the streets. They were the first American Muscle car in ages that could run with the cars from the 60's. Keep in mind, growing up in the 80's, we weren't pining for new cars.....we were lusting for the Hemi Cudas, SS Chevelles, and GTOs of the late 60s- early 70's. Nearly all cars were dog slow.....with a 16 second 1/4 mile being seen as quick. Here comes the intercooled T-Type and GN, which could run mid to high 13 second 1/4 miles......bone stock! They were a revalation.
We quickly learned to keep an eye out for the third tail-light, which was mandated in 1986. If a GN had one.....watch out, it's an intercooled car, and fast! If it didnt'......no sweat, it was an older one, and only capable of a high 15- low 16 second 1/4 mile. The fast ones also had those ugly steel wheels--- although you could still get the "turbine" wheels on the T-Types. Those T-Types were the real sleepers, as you could get them in colors other than black. Sneaky cars that looked alot like the Regals your grandma was driving.
Keep in mind, those 80's Japanese cars we now lust over, like the Starion Turbo, Second gen Supra, and RX-7 would take 15 to 16 seconds to clear the 1/4 mile. Yes, they handled better than the GN, but on anything but a twisty mountain road, or a race-track, the GN would humiliate them. The GN was even quicker than the Corvette, the Ferrari 308, or Porsche 911 of the day.
I remember the first time I saw a genuine GNX on the road. We followed the guy, trying our best to get him to floor it.....just so we could see it in action. That damn responsible bastard wouldn't fall for it.......but we did gape at his car for a good long time.
It's hard to explain how cool the GNX was........ at the time we all thought it would be the last true Muscle car, as everything was headed for FWD. GM thought so too, and they allowed their engineers to have some fun. It reminds me of the Demon and Hellcat these days---- one last F-U, look at what we can do---- before the autonomous cars take over.
I thought these were a neat alternative to V8 power when they were new, but now that they are slower than many hot hatch commuter imports, there is nothing left to admire but the appearance and I never liked that at all - generic American sedan.
Before that I thought the Yenko Stinger was neat, too, but when the performance that seemed brilliant back in the day evaporates with time, what is left has to appeal and neither car does that, at least for me.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Yes I like the vintage articles too and don't get me wrong I still love GN's, Monte Carlo SS's, all the old big body cars, hotrods, etc I guess it just made me think of anytime we start talking cars and the old timers that like cars (but not really "gearheads") start talking about how fast cars used to be. I don't want to be that guy and start dropping facts but, my conservative build would smoke any build from that time and your average minivan or camry would smoke anything off the showroom from then. Anyways, off my soapbox, keep up the good work!
In reply to StuntmanMike :
Always thought it amusing to point out to those with the rose-tinted glasses that a modern Miata runs 14's, just like a lot of beloved muscle cars from back in the day. Really gets some folks hot under the collar haha. Modern cars are just scary fast compared to most of what we grew up with.
Buddy of mines “street” car....
In reply to te72 :
I think a lot of them would have turned better times if they had better tires back then. A lot of the old big blocks made 4-500hp but had little 215 tires and crappy suspension! I guess thats why restomods are so popular now.
"1987: This would be the final year for Buick’s G-body, and the Regal went out with a bang. The T-Type was replaced by the “T” package that, like the Grand National, now produced 245 horsepower, enough for a 13-second quarter-mile."
13 seconds seems suspiciously quick for a big ole car with 245hp.
Tyler H said:"1987: This would be the final year for Buick’s G-body, and the Regal went out with a bang. The T-Type was replaced by the “T” package that, like the Grand National, now produced 245 horsepower, enough for a 13-second quarter-mile."
13 seconds seems suspiciously quick for a big ole car with 245hp.
Those engines were seriously underrated. Also, although the GN was a fairly large sedan, they weren't total pigs weight wise---- 3600 lbs or so.
I think they were 3400
They were 3400+. Take it from a greybeard who owned an '86.
I worked for a Buick supplier and knew the engineers who designed
the thing. While they were doing final performance tuning at the Proving Ground
in Milford in mid-1985 on the inter cooled powertrain, those square-rigged coupes
with the barn door aerodynamics were blowing off a certain Chevrolet sports car
all day long, every day. The Buick guys had some special bumper stickers made up
with their 'power 6' logo and the slogan, "We brake for Corvettes" and applied them
to the back bumpers of their test fleet. The Corvette guys were not amused.
As to any doubts about the 13-sec. quarters; if memory serves - Car & Driver put a GN
on the dyno and obtained damned near 235 ponies at the rear wheels. You might say
that GM underrated them a bit, ahem, strictly for insurance purposes of course.
The GN had an incredible drivetrain wrapped in a car barely evolved from a '64 Skylark
all dressed up in Hell's Angels livery. Floor the throttle at 35 MPH and the back end
would break loose. That car was the most fun you could have with your clothes on.
I love these cars. So cool in their own unique way.
You'll need to log in to post.
