Before NASCAR became… Well, NASCAR, the highest name in stock car racing was the Grand National. During this time, the Chevrolet Corvette was the one to beat. With the muscle car making a comeback, and Buick trying to make its way out of the reputation of only producing luxurious yet simple and sturdy vehicles, Buick decided to challenge the Corvette.
In 1982 at the Daytona 500, Buick unveiled the first Regal Grand National. After the reveal, 215 Buick units were retrofitted to become a Grand National Package. This included light silver paint with pinstripes, branded lettering, and a turbocharged 3.8 Liter V6 engine. 1984 marked the return of the turbocharged engine Regal Grand National, except now all in black.
With the turbo Regals at their most popular, Buick decided to keep improving. In 1987, a more lightweight Grand National was released, which was named the Turbo-T. The Regal Turbo-T came with the same 3.8L V6 engine, but the body and wheels were created with lighter materials. Only 1,547 units were produced.
1987 also gave us the fastest Buick ever created at the time. The 1987 Buick Regal GNX (Grand National Experimental) was produced in conjunction with ASC and McLaren. The same V6 engine in previous turbo models was used, but the turbo was significantly upgraded to a Garrett AiResearch T-3 turbocharger and a much larger intercooler system. Buick would create the interior, and send the car to McLaren to turn into an official GNX. 547 units were created – making this an extremely rare model, and a dream to many collectors.
The GNX clocked in from 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds, a record for its time.
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