Throwback Thursday: Buick's Black Sheep

The license plate on this Grand National says it all (Google Images)

Let's face it. We've all been running late for work, gotten on the highway and then gotten stuck behind that old woman driving interminably slow with their turn signal on in a car that would be better served as an ocean liner than an automobile. And that car usually features a Cadillac or Buick badge. These two brands have long been known as the luxury branches of the General Motors family tree. But in 1982, Buick called on its muscle car past (remember the GSX?) and turned the popular Regal from grocery getter to fast lap setter.

Buick was trying to break from the stigma that anyone who drove their cars was just barely alive. They wanted to create a car that would have teenagers flocking to their dealerships in droves. So what they decided to do was take the Regal and combine it with the NASCAR marketing tactic of the car that "wins on Sunday, sells on Monday." What they came up with was the Grand National. Named for the NASCAR racing series, the car was a jet black coupe that would become legendary in automotive circles.

The first Grand Nationals, which were actually charcoal gray instead of black, came with a 4.1 liter, naturally aspirated V6 that put out 125 horsepower. However, a handful received a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6 that made 175 ponies, a whopping 50 more than the 4.1 liter alternative. By 1984, the 3.8 liter became standard in every Grand National and it now boasted electronic ignition, sequential fuel injection and 200 horsepower. This technology is also what led to later Grand Nationals having intercooled V6 power plants. The 1984 model year is where the legend of the Buick Grand National was born.


1987 Buick Grand National GNX (Google Images)

Because of this intercooler technology, the little turbocharged V6 under the hood of the '84 Grand National was able to beat sleeker, V8 powered names like Corvette, Camaro, Porsche and Ferrari. With stock boost listed at 10 psi, the Grand National was able to run quarter mile lap times around 15.9 seconds. Meanwhile, Chevrolet's Camaro and Corvette of the same year were able to run the quarter mile in 17 seconds and 15.1 seconds respectively. Eventually, as Buick's intercooling technology improved, the Grand National was putting out 245 horses by 1987.

This year would also prove to be the final one for the Grand National. Buick produced a total of
1, 547 Grand Nationals in '87 and sent 547 of them to McLaren Performance Technologies to be upgraded to the GNX. With the 245 horsepower its little V6 produced, the GNX was intended to be "the Grand National to end all Grand Nationals." Today, the '87 GNX is one of the most sought after Grand Nationals and the final one produced survives in a museum-like hall, in the same state it was in when it rolled off the factory line in Michigan. These cars are in such short supply today that there are multiple clubs across the country who gather throughout the year to show off their Grand Nationals.

The Grand National was truly the "black sheep" of the Buick lineup. It is a legendary car today because of what it was and also what it wasn't. Its raw power and speed made it a muscle car in every sense of the term. It outran many of the most popular European supercars with a turbocharged V6. But despite the fact that it was faster than most of these high end machines, it was nowhere near as sleek and streamlined as the Porsches and Ferraris of the day. It was a boxy, almost dorky looking coupe that proved Huey Lewis and the News right. It is, in fact, hip to be a square.

It was the ultimate sleeper at the strip and it was a great daily driver on the street. The Buick Grand National was the best of both worlds and that is why it remains a part of automotive folklore.