The Buick Grand National is one of the most celebrated American performance coupes of the 1980s, but unusually, it’s not powered by a V8. Under the hood you’ll find a turbocharged, intercooled 3.8 liter V6 and it ate Corvettes for lunch.
Due to its blacked out paintwork and menacing design, the Grand National was nicknamed “Darth Vader” by car enthusiasts back in the 1980s. By the time the GNX was released in 1987, it was the fastest American production car that money could buy.
Fast Facts: The Buick Grand National
- The Buick Grand National began in 1981 as a limited-edition Regal commemorating NASCAR success, initially more of a cosmetic exercise than a performance machine. Just under 200 were built with two-tone paint and decals. By 1984, however, Buick engineers transformed it into a serious contender by fitting a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6.
- This unconventional approach challenged the dominance of V8s in American performance cars. Turbocharging, electronic controls, and fuel injection allowed Buick to meet emissions and fuel economy targets while still producing 200 bhp and 300 lb ft. The all-black styling gave the car a menacing presence that earned it the nickname “Darth Vader.”
- By 1986, upgrades included an intercooler, Garrett T-3 turbo, and sequential fuel injection, pushing output to 235 bhp and 330 lb ft. Performance testing revealed quicker times than Buick admitted, with quarter miles in the mid-13s and 0 to 60 mph in under five seconds. In 1987, power rose again, confirming the Grand National’s place as a performance icon.
- The GNX, developed with ASC/McLaren in 1987, represented the pinnacle with a larger turbo, revised intercooler, suspension upgrades, and output well beyond its rated 276 bhp. Limited to 547 units, it was the fastest American production car of its year, cementing the Grand National’s legacy as one of the most formidable cars of the 1980s.
History Speedrun: The Buick Grand National
The project to build the Buick Grand National began as a marketing exercise in the early 1980s, but it soon evolved into one of the most feared performance cars of its era – a mean-looking turbocharged V6 coupe that readily embarrassed V8 Corvettes and Camaros at the drag strip.
For 1987, the Grand National reached its peak with the GNX, a collaboration with ASC/McLaren. Limited to just 547 examples, the GNX had a larger turbocharger, a revised intercooler, unique engine calibration, and upgraded suspension. Image courtesy of Buick.
The story of the Grand National ties together Buick’s fading performance image, General Motors’ turbocharging experiments, and the seemingly unending appetite of 1980s enthusiasts for cars that offered genuine performance as the Malaise Era finally drew to a close.
The Grand National Arrives
The base platform of the Grand National was Buick’s midsize Regal, a comfortable rear-wheel-drive coupe aimed at middle America. In 1981, Buick built a limited run of special Regals to commemorate its NASCAR dominance – these wore distinctive black and silver paint and Grand National decals, but under the skin they were little more than appearance packages. Fewer than 200 were built, making them more of a curiosity than any serious performance milestone.
The formula changed dramatically in 1984 when Buick engineers, working under the constraints of emissions standards and GM’s push for fuel efficiency, fitted the Regal Grand National with a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6.
Unlike the V8s that had long defined muscle cars, this smaller engine delivered its punch thanks to forced induction, electronic engine management, and fuel injection. The combination was unconventional for the time – but importantly it gave Buick a way to deliver a 200 bhp performance car with 300 lb ft of torque – without breaking emissions rules or its own fuel economy targets.
By 1986, the Grand National had gained an intercooler, an uprated Garrett T-3 turbo, and sequential fuel injection. Power jumped to 235 bhp and 330 lb ft of torque, respectable numbers for a V6 in a mid-size coupe. Just a year later, output rose to 245 bhp.
Buick’s quoted figures were widely believed to be conservative – period magazine tests found quarter-mile times in the mid-13-second range and 0 to 60 sprints under 5 seconds….. in favorable conditions of course.
With its all-black paint, blackout trim, and subtle badging, the Grand National had a decidedly menacing look, a look that contrasted sharply with the pastel-colored personal luxury coupes of the era. Image courtesy of Buick.
With its all-black paint, blackout trim, and subtle badging, the Grand National had a decidedly menacing look, a look that contrasted sharply with the pastel-colored personal luxury coupes of the era. Owners and fans dubbed it “Darth Vader” – an image that only helped its legend grow in car culture and in popular media.
The Buick GNX Arrives
For 1987, the Grand National reached its peak with the GNX, a collaboration with ASC/McLaren. Limited to just 547 examples, the GNX had a larger turbocharger, a revised intercooler, unique engine calibration, and upgraded suspension.
Buick rated it at 276 bhp and 360 lb ft of torque, though again the figures were deliberately modest – real output likely exceeded 300 bhp. Car and Driver clocked the GNX at 4.7 seconds to 60 mph and a 13.5 second quarter mile, numbers that made it the quickest production car sold in America that year – much to the chagrin of the V8 crowd.
Beyond straight-line speed, the GNX had functional fender vents, special gauges, and a reinforced drivetrain. At $29,900 USD it cost nearly twice as much as a standard Grand National, but it sold out instantly and became one of the most collectible American cars of the 1980s.
The 1987 Buick Grand National Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1987 Buick Grand National – the final year of the model before it was replaced with the GNX. Under the hood you’ll find its factory-original turbocharged and intercooled 3.8 liter V6 engine, which is mated to an automatic transmission which in turn sends power back through a limited-slip differential to the rear wheels.
As you might expect, the car has power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and locks, bucket seats, and a center console. It’s also fitted with a Delco AM/FM/Cassette stereo with equalizer and a tilt steering column.
Under the hood you’ll find its factory-original turbocharged and intercooled 3.8 liter V6 engine, which is mated to an automatic transmission which in turn sends power back through a limited-slip differential to the rear wheels.
It’s finished in black and rides on the original black and chrome steel wheels, the interior is black and gray, and at the time of writing it has a little over 59,000 miles showing on the odometer.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late October and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
