1987 Buick GNX

Description

The 1987 Buick GNX is the ultimate prize of the Regal Grand National field because ASC/McLaren gave it a big turbo power upgrade and a suspension worthy of a sports car. Now this ultra-low mileage numbers-matching, near perfect survivor can be yours if you're quick enough.

You already know the legend. General Motors was about to close the books on one of its best sleeper cars ever made, so they let it go out with a very limited production bang! You are looking at #73 of only 547 cars produced. The blacked-out trim, the bulging hood, and the simple ducktail spoiler, all give this car a look that demands respect. But the GNX went further with exclusive features such as the aggressive fender vents, wider fender flares, and badging. All of this presents particularly well because this has been treated like a classic since day one. It carries the factory code 19U black on its dentless body panels, and you can tell how the paint has been babied (the 15,892 original miles should tell you how little time this has spent out in the elements.) You can also tell the level of care this GNX has seen just by the way the panels fit and that the doors open and close just like they did when this one was picked up from the dealer. In fact, this one is so original, not only are the exclusive 16-inch black GNX wheels from McLaren still in pristine order, but also car's original tires are included with the sale.

The interior is just as factory original and well preserved as the exterior. The GNX packaging took everything that was great about the Grand National and improved it in the best places. So you get a loaded interior with comfortable two-tone cloth buckets, and the Grand National logo embroidered in the headrests. The gray in the seats coordinates with the color on the door panels, dash, and headliner. All of this shows so little wear, it can be a blueprint for anyone wanting to restore one of these legends. You get plenty of features like air conditioning, power seats, power windows, power locks, cruise control, power steering, and the original AM/FM/cassette stereo – all in perfect working order. From the driver's seat, you get the cool three-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel. But beyond that only the GNXs had the Regal instrument panel replaced with a proper Stewart Warner full round gauge package. And just in case you needed a reminder of how special this is, the dash plaque tells you it's #73 of a very limited build.

What really makes this one so special is what's under the hood. The 3.8-liter fuel-injected V6 turbo motor might sound like what was available in the Grand National, but the GNX was a very different beast (why the low mileage preserved ones go for so much). This numbers-matching powerplant was developed and built by ASC/McLaren. It started with a much larger Garrett AiResearch T-3 turbocharger connected to special intercooler just for the new setup. But the packaging goes much further than that. McLaren also re-mapped the computer to give the mixture, timing, and TH200-R4 four speed automatic the right characteristics to get the most out of the enhanced motor. This special packaging was more than just pure power. The GNX is far superior going down the road, with exclusive enhancements such as a longitudinal torque bar, tubular steel Panhard rod, and revised lower control arms. While we mentioned you get the original tires in the sale, this one is wearing modern BF Goodrich gForce performance rubber so you can drive it out of our showroom and attack the backroads immediately.

The GNX was a no compromise car that cost nearly double the price of a Grand National when new.