The Buick Grand National and My story.

A downsized Regal appeared for 1978 with a new version of Buick's venerable 231 in³ V6, a combination that lasted 9 years and helped give the Regal an unexpected reputation for performance. Nevertheless, it was still hampered (from a performance perspective) by a soft suspension, small wheels and tires and the unavailability of a manual transmission, largely because the intermediate personal luxury market was the Regal's intended target, not the sports car segment. The 1978 Regal was noteworthy, as it could be equipped with a 3.8 L Turbocharged V-6 engine. Versions were offered with either a 2-bbl or a 4-bbl carburetor. The Buick LeSabre was also available with the turbocharged engine. The only other turbocharged cars available in the U.S. market in 1978 were imports from Saab and the Porsche 930. The Turbo Regal also included a firm handling suspension with larger tires and sport wheels. A facelift in 1981 gave the Regal a much more aerodynamic profile, helping make it possible for the car to compete on the NASCAR racing circuit, where it enjoyed several decent seasons and won the NASCAR manufacturers title in 1981 and 1982. V8s for street use were still available, but had shrunk to 267 in³, and the V6 was rapidly gaining popularity. In 1982, a new Century appeared on the front-wheel drive A-body, but the former rear-wheel drive Century sedan and wagon were not discontinued. These models were simply rebadged as Regals, and for the first time the name appeared on a full model lineup. From 1986 to 1987, the 5.0 L Olds 307 V8 was available as an option.
Grand National and GNX

T-Type Regal coupes, aimed at the performance market, appeared at this time, but the real news came in 1982, when the Regal Grand National appeared. Named for the NASCAR Grand National racing series, this car incorporated a 4.1 L V6 with 125 hp (93 kW) or an optional 180 hp turbocharged 3.8 L V6. There was no Grand National in 1983, but it returned in 1984 wrapped in its familiar all black paint. The turbocharged 3.8 became standard and would continue to be refined with fuel injection and intercooling. In 1987 it reached 245 hp (182 kW). 1987 also offered a lightweight WE4 (Turbo T) option which is extremely rare today. Only 1,547 of this variant were produced. They were painted black and treated to the same blackout package as the Grand National, including bumpers, grille, headlight and taillight trim. The differences between a WE4 and the base Grand National were the interior trim package, wheels, exterior badging, aluminum bumper supports, and aluminum rear brake drums as opposed to the Grand National's cast iron. The rear spoiler was only available as a dealer installed option. 1987 was the only year that the LC2 Turbo option was available on any Regal, making it possible to even see a Limited with a vinyl landau roof and a power bulge turbo hood. By 1985, the Grand National was acquiring a reputation as a modern muscle car, but the days of the G-body were numbered. For the final year, 1987, Buick introduced the GNX at a $10,995 premium. Produced by McLaren/ASC, Buick underrated the GNX at 276 hp (206 kW) and a very substantial 360 lb-ft (488 N·m) of torque which gave this car a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds.[1] This was created so as to be "Grand National to end all Grand Nationals," as the next model year converted the chassis to front-wheel drive, which, Buick engineers admitted, simply wouldn't be able to put down that much power. Changes made included a special Garrett ceramic-impellered turbocharger connected to a more efficient intercooler and a specially coated up pipe. A specific computer chip, low-restriction exhaust with dual mufflers, reprogrammed Turbo Hydramatic 200-4R transmission with a custom torque converter and transmission cooler, and unique differential cover/panhard bar included more of the performance modifications. Exterior styling changes include vents located on each front fender, 16 inch black mesh style wheels with VR-speed rated tires, and deletion of the hood and fender emblems. The interior changes of the GNX included a serial number on the dash plaque and a revised instrument cluster providing analog Stewart-Warner gauges, including an analog turbo boost gauge. The acceleration performance of the GNX outpaced the factory's power claims: 0-60 mph (97 km/h) took just 4.7 s with a 13.4 s/104 mph (167 km/h) quarter-mile. According to contemporary sources, these numbers made the GNX the fastest production sedan ever built. This claim is somewhat controversial-the car had two doors but its interior volume and structure made it a sedan rather than a coupe, and just 547 examples were built. GNX #001 is currently owned by Buick and sometimes makes appearances at car shows around the US. Although many quicker cars have been built, including a number of quicker modern sedans, its performance was truly impressive for the time. A contemporary Porsche 930 hit (97 km/h) in 5.0 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds, roughly equivalent to the GNX, which cost much less and could out-accelerate the naturally-aspirated 911 of the day. Ironically, many believe that these performance numbers were the reason the GNX was axed. GM didn't want one of its own cars outperforming its flagship, the Corvette, and pulled the plug on the Buick program. The muscle cars of the 1960s had the power to beat the GNX, but the tires of the time could not transform this into speed, not to mention the numerous techniques employed in the GNX allowed the car to transfer all the power to the ground, such as a ladder bar that ran from the mid-section of the car to the rear axle, so as to increase traction. This is also the reason why a GNX will actually lift the rear end up when the car is about to launch heavily. The GNX never made much of a road-track competitor to cars like the 911, but it could certainly hold its own on a drag strip. Another amazing aspect of the Buick Grand National and GNX is the ease of upgrading performance. As electronic technology increased in automobiles over the years, with the implementation of forced induction(such as turbochargers and superchargers) and chips controlling the many aspects of the car, increasing performance became that much easier. Simply by spending under a hundred dollars on a race chip and increasing the boost could drop the Grand National's quarter-mile time from its stock fourteen second range into the high twelve-second range. This alone makes the Grand National a very formidable opponent on the drag strip. Other easy upgrades include installing a larger turbocharger or purchasing larger fuel-injectors capable of supplying the engine with more fuel. The affordability and effectiveness of these upgrades made the Grand National a very popular car for drag-racing. In recent times with stock Corvettes producing quarter-mile times in the eleven second range, Grand Nationals provide an easy way to overcome the current "bad-boy" muscle cars. One can purchase a Grand National and upgrade it for far less money than buying a modern high-performance car and easily produce much quicker quarter-mile times.

Information Courtesy of: http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Buick_Regal

So join me as I take a little journey back in time a few years. I would have to say it all started in about the year 1984 for me. I had two buddies back then, and we were in High School at the time. Now both of these friends and I date back to elementary school in our friendships and one of them is still a very good friend of mine to this day. The other one has sort of disappeared over the years, but that is irrelevant.

Any way the point of all of this is that one of them had an older brother who had a friend with a 79 Turbo regal. Now I was just about to turn 16 at the time I first saw this car and really didn't know to much about it, but being young car enthusiasts about to come of the age eligible for our drivers license, we certainly did spend much time discussing this car and how cool it was.

So the three of us were exposed to the world of Turbo Regals and all three of us were hooked. One by one, we started to do research, at different paces, but would share whatever we had learned with one an other. Now of course these were the days before the internet, it is hard for some of you younger readers to believe this, but it is true, we had to dig through car magazines and hope to find any information we could on this subject. So needless to say, it was a slow process.

By late 85 one of us had come up with an article on the more desirable of Turbo Regals, the Grand National and the fact that the 86 year model was going to have an intercooler added to the Turbo. On paper, this car was said to be amazing, and of course it did end up being just that.

Now as fate would have it, I ended up going to a different High School from my two buddies in a city many miles from them, but we still manage to stay very close.

This School I attended was called Girard College and it is located in Philadelphia, Pa, and at this school I attended the automotive program. I was fortunate enough to have a pretty cool shop teacher who was doing pretty well in life and always manage to bring in cool cars to educate the class with. The latest tech and that sort of thing. Some times the car was just bad to the bone and he wanted to rub in that he had access to these cars, this is my guess any ways, and who could blame him.

One week, he brought in a Regal T-type, a 1986 model and gave us the whole low down on it, and afterwards, he gave a select few of us a ride in it. I was one of the very fortunate ones who got a ride in this car, I'll never forget it, from that moment on, I knew I wanted a Turbo Regal.

Of course, I wanted the GNX, which is the very top of the food chain, but I would have gladly settled for a T-type if that is what fate had in store for me, just as long as it was a Turbo Regal.

So in 1987 shortly after I graduated High School and moved back to Florida full time, one of the first things I attempted to do was go down to my local Buick Dealerships and tried to buy one of the last of these great Turbo Regals. Unfortunately at the age of 18, with no real credit history and more importantly the extremely high price of insurance, the car was out of my reach.

Basically it was the cost of insurance that really killed the deal for me, that was as much as the car payment was going to be, so I walked away with my head down and ended up buying a 1985 Mustang GT, which was a fun car in it's own right, but it wasn't a Grand National. Sigh

Buick Regal Production Listings

Model Year (19XX): 86 >> 85 >> 84 >> 83 >> 82 >> 81 >> 80 >> 79 >> 78

1987
GNX

547 Produced
276 HP @ 4400 RPM (actual HP rating was closer to 300)
360 ft-lbs of torque at 3000 RPM
- GNX #033, owned by the President of ASC is the only GNX fitted with a ASC-installed astroroof

Grand National (WE2)

20,193 Produced
245 HP @ 4400 RPM
355 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM

Turbo T (WE4)

1,547 Produced
245 HP @ 4400 RPM
355 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM

Regal Limited w/ Turbo

1,035 Produced
245 HP @ 4400 RPM
355 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM

Base Regal w/ Turbo

4,268 Produced
245 HP @ 4400 RPM
355 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 27,590

1986
Grand National

5,512 Produced
235 HP @ 4000 RPM
330 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

T-Type

1,921 Produced
235 HP @ 4000 RPM
330 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM
- 127 Equipped with gray leather, 55 equipped with tan leather, 1 Equipped with Lear Siegler seats.

WH1

463 Produced
235 HP @ 4000 RPM
330 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

LeSabre Grand National

112 Produced
140 HP @ 3600 RPM (Non-turbo 3.8L FWD)
240 ft-lbs of torque at 1600 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 7,896

1985
Grand National

2,102 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

T-Type

1,575 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

WH1

525 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 4,204

1984
Grand National

2,000 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

T-Type

2,238 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

WH1

1,163 Produced
200 HP @ 4400 RPM
300 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 5,204

1983
T-Type

3,732 Produced
190 HP @ 1600 RPM
280 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 3,732

1982
Grand National

215 Produced (Just 16 of which were believed to be turbocharged. i.e. Same engine as Sport Coupe.)
125 HP @ 4000 RPM
205 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM

Sport Coupe

2,022 Produced
175 HP @ 4000 RPM
275 ft-lbs of torque at 2600 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 2,022

1981
Sport Coupe

2,891 Produced
170 HP @ 4000 RPM
265 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 2,891

1980
Sport Coupe

6,276 Produced
175 HP @ 4000 RPM
265 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 6,276

1979
Sport Coupe

21,389 Produced
170 HP @ 4000 RPM
245 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 21,389

1978
Sport Coupe (2BBL)

2,697 Produced
150 HP @ 3800 RPM
245 ft-lbs of torque at 2400 RPM

Sport Coupe (4BBL)

27,811 Produced
165 HP @ 4000 RPM
265 ft-lbs of torque at 2800 RPM

Total Turbo Cars = 30,507

87 >> 86 >> 85 >> 84 >> 83 >> 82 >> 81 >> 80 >> 79

TOTALS

* Total Regal Grand Nationals produced from 1982 to 1987 was 30,022.
* Total Turbo Ts produced: 1,547 in 1987 only.
* Total Regal T Types produced was 22,806.
* Total Turbocharged Regal Sport Coupes produced from 1978 to 1979 was 59,896.

RAREST

* Rarest Grand National: The 1982 with only 215 produced.
* Rarest Turbocharged Grand National: The 1984 with 2000 produced.
* Rarest Turbocharged Regal (non GNX): The 1987 Regal Limited with only 1,035 produced.
* Second Rarest Turbocharged Regal: The 1987 Turbo-T with only 1,547 produced.
* Thrid Rarest Turbocharged Regal: Regal with LC2 engine option with 3,233 produced.
* Rarest Regal Sport Coupe: The 1982 with only 2,022 produced.

QUICKEST

* Quickest stock Turbocharged Regal: The 1987 GNX.
* Quickest stock Turbocharged non-GNX Regal: The 1987 LC2 optioned Regal (could be ordered in any standard Regal color, weight savings afforded by reducing options (power accessories, spoiler, t-tops, etc...)
* Quickest Grand National: The 1987 Model.

Buick Regals Imported into Canada

Year Total Regals Option WE2 (Grand National)
---- ----- ---
1984 3,955 100
1985 3,670 143
1986 4,138 441
1987 3,578 1,695
1987 2,664 Regals excluding Limiteds **
1987 280 Y56 'T' package ***

°° Using the 3,578 figure, it can be concluded that 914 were Limiteds

°°° GM Canada indicates that this figure is for models 4GJ47 only, therefore not including Regal Limiteds.

- Please note that all figures shown, except for WE2 obviously, include turbo and non-turbo cars.

Bibliography:

* Dove, Steven L. "Guide to Buick Grand National, T-Type & GNX The Facts & Figures Book". American Muscle Cars Publications. 1989. ISBN: 0-9621059-4-5
* Kirban, Dennis. "Kirban's Guide to 1986-1987 Buick Turbo Regals". Kirban Performance Products. 1997. ISBN: 0-9658447-0-6

This information came from this website:
http://www.g-body.org/history/b/prod-b.php

So now, I'm all grown up. My insurance rates have dropped and I "had" cash and credit. So about 5 years ago, I'm surfing on the web, I hadn't had a hot rod since my GT 5.0, and I was sort of looking for a Salen Mustang.

I actually found one a little north of me a few counties away. So I was sort of getting excited and was about to call on it, when I stumbled across an 86 Grand National do West of me on the opposite coast of Florida.

It was sitting in a Buick Dealership Showroom floor and had been there for about 12 to 13 years and it only had 17,600 miles on it. So here I am having flashbacks to when I was a teenager so close to buying one of these cars new, and it was like a second chance. With those low miles on it, it was like brand new.

So I called my wife and said we need to take a drive, it is about 2 hours away, which we did. I was blow away when I saw the car, it was like brand new still. So we haggled back and forth for a while, then took the car for a test ride, and it was over, I had to have it.

I drove it home that night and I've had it ever since. Until two months ago, I had hardly driven it. Mostly on Sundays, I'd pull it out and put a few miles on it, then wash it and put it up.

So two months ago, it only had 18900 miles on it, and I found myself in a strange position where I really had no other choice, but to drive it. At first, I really didn't want to do it, but then reality kicked in that I have owned it for almost 5 years and barely ever driven it. We could all die tomorrow and I've really not gotten to enjoy the car, so the heck with it, I'm going to drive it, for a while any ways.

So here we are at present day, and I have about 20800 miles on it, close to 2000 miles in 2 months, which makes me a bit sad, but yet on the flip side, the car is so much fun to drive, that I smile too, every time I get in to it. If you ever get a chance to drive one, take it, you will love it.

Based on my current situation, I would consider selling it for the right price, but that would have to start at the $20K level. The only reason I would consider it is because I see how fast I'm putting miles on it and I hate to rack up to many and devalue the car, it has been preserved for so long, it would be a shame to not continue preserving it.

Like most Americans I'm hitting extremely hard times and am forced to sell my beautiful black car. Until last September, the miles were under 19,000, but alas, my other vehicle broke down and I didn't have the cash to fix it, so I have been driving the GN ever since. It would seem that I have it sold as to tomorrow, and I'm less then 100 miles away from 25,000 on the odometer.

As sad as I am about the whole thing, including putting all these miles on it in such a short span of time, I'm almost glad I did. Thanks to the economy, I'm taking a huge beating on the sale price of the car, so at least I really got to enjoy it the past 6 months. Until September, when I started driving it full time, I had really never driven the car.

Basically it was for Sunday drives only. I would literally pull it out of the garage on a Sunday, put 10 to 20 miles on it, just enough to keep it alive, and then I would do a thorough detail job on it and put it back in the garage until the following Sunday. This was of course provided it was an actual "Sun" Day. If it were raining, the car was stuck in the garage for an other week. Some times, during the summer, it would go 4 or 5 weeks before I would get a sunny Sunday. We get a lot of rain in the summer here in Florida.

It is with a heavy heart, that I write this final chapter on this amazing car, it will more then likely be the one and only Grand National I ever own. I will miss it and cherish the memories of having owned it. I'm sure by the time I get back on my feet, these cars will have skyrocketed in value. It is less then a year away from hitting antique, and I can't help but think that is when they are really gone to gain value, and it will only be up from there.

Perhaps a miracle will happen between today and tomorrow, but the lottery was last night and I didn't buy a ticket. Bummer.. Good-bye old friend, I will certainly miss you.