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1987 Buick GNX # 001
Owner: General Motors

Year 2006 -- GNX # 547 sold for $150,000 - click here for website
December 2006 -- GNX # 033 "Sunroof" sold for $91,110.10 (ASC Owned) - click here for photos

As this site is developed -- items of interest will be rearranged.... now a few words about the GNX from their point of view!

"Circa 1987, the Buick GNX was GM's fastest production sedan ever and remains among Detroit's quickest and most collectible vehicles of all time. It was created to commemorate the final production run of the Buick Grand National. It's a little bolder in appearance and it has considerable mechanical improvements. 1987 was the only production year and 547 were made, all optioned identically with a serialized plaque on the dash.

In a collaboration between Buick and ASC/McLaren, Grand Nationals were assembled at the Buick assembly line and brought to ASC for the conversion. The 547 were allocated to dealerships based on their previous sales. The word was out that the GNX was even faster than the Grand National so dealerships enjoyed marking them up well above their sticker price of $29,290. Some famous customers were Burt Reynolds, Reggie Jackson, and Charles Schwab.

Since everyone knew the GNX was a collector car, a sizeable share were purchased on speculation. Many are still "on the lam" in garages across the country with almost no miles on them. Others were treated like any daily driver, built into track cars, or even wrecked. No idea how many are left, but you probably won't encounter one outside a car show."
    Quoted from www.buickgnx.com
 

1987 was the last year for the Regal and the Grand National, but Buick decided to go out with a bang (although the rear wheel drive G-body platform would last one more year until 1988). A whooping 26,555 Turbo Regals were sold, of which 20,193 were Grand Nationals. Buick made some changes to the powertrain and power increased to 245 bhp and 355 lb-ft. The grille was slightly revised, with the teeth set further apart and the Buick emblem on the drivers side. Chrome wheels also were new.

But the big news for 1987 was the introduction of the limited edition GNX. Only available for 1987, the Buick GNX represents the height of Grand National performance. In a nod to the famous Buick GSXs of 1970-1972, the GNX logo featured a larger "X" than the other letters, just like the GSX logo. All GNXs began life as fully optioned Grand National that immediately left the factory and were sent to ASC/McLaren Specialty Products in order to be extensively modified. The modifications included a more efficient Garrett air-to-air intercooler and a special pipe that connected the intercooler to the engine coated with CERMATEL (Ceramic/aluminum) for increased heat rejection and heat dissipation. Front fender vents were installed to pull heat away from the engine while driving. The GNX also received a special Garrett "hybrid" T-s turbocharger that used a very lightweight ceramic impeller (as opposed to metal in standard Grand Nationals). The decreased weight allows the turbo charger to spin up much faster, thereby decreasing the turbo lag time inherent in turbo charged engines. Maximum boost was set at 15 psi and the turbo used an electric wastegate. The turbo also incorporated special low drag, dynamic turbine shaft seals, and a built in contamination trap. All of these modifications added up to 275 bhp and a whooping 360 lb-ft. To handle this extra power, the transmission was beefed up with firmer shifts and the rear axle received a longitudinal torque ladder bar with a panhard rod to help prevent wheel hop and torque twist. It also received a special rear axle housing cover made of aluminum (with GNX embossed on it) that serves as an additional strengthening element and point for the torque bar. For even more strengthening, the car body received special structural reinforcements in the form of "behind the back seat bracing" and special chassis (steel cross member between the chassis rails) bracing. The GNX was the only Regal to ever receive 16 inch wheels. The wheels were made of a lightweight alloy and the rear wheels were wider than the front. The GNX came with P245/50VR16 tires in front and P255/50VR16 tires in the rear. Special welded in fender flares were added to the wheel wells to make room for the larger wheels and tires. The standard transmission was a reprogrammed Turbo Hydra-matic 200-4R four speed hooked up to a custom torque converter. Inside, the dash had a special Steward Warner analog gauge package. All GNXs were black in color and the only exterior identification were small "GNX" badges placed on the front grille and rear deck lid. Under the hood, a special turbocharger heat shield had "GNX" stamped on it, similar to the aluminum rear axle cover. All GNXs received a special numbered plaque mounted on the passenger side dash which identified the number of that particular car (1-547). Also, the Fisher body plate has "GNX" stamped on it. Special "GNX" decals were used on the intercooler and other locations and there were several hidden I.D. stampings to prevent fakes. But all of this came at a price. The cost of the GNX option was a whopping $10,995, which resulted in a final MSRP of $29,900. All out performance doesn't come cheap.

Production: Grand Nationals: 20,193 GNX: 547
Engines: Grand National: 3.8L V6 Turbo 245 bhp @ 4400 rpm, 355 ft-lb @ 2000 rpm.
                              GNX: 3.8L V6 Turbo 276 bhp @ 4400 rpm, 360 ft-lb @ 3000 rpm.
Performance: Grand National: 0-60 in 6.0 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.23 seconds @ 98 mph.
                                      GNX: 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.43 seconds @ 103 mph.

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 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.

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.

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 US $10,995 premium. Produced by McLaren/ASC, Buick underrated the GNX at 275 hp and a very substantial 360 lb-ft (488 N·m) of torque. 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-impeller turbocharger connected by a ceramic-coated pipe to a better intercooler. A special computer chip, low-restriction exhaust, and reprogrammed Turbo Hydramatic 200-4R transmission with a custom torque converter and transmission fluid cooler completed the drivetrain 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 60 mph 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 air force-feeders (such as turbochargers and superchargers) and chips controlling the many aspects of the car, increasing performance became that much easier. Simply by spending a couple hundred dollars on a racing chip could drop the Grand National’s quarter-mile time from its stock thirteen second range into the mid 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 heavier fuel-injectors. 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.

The 1986, and 1987 Buick Grand Nationals and GNX's are now being sought by collectors throughout the United States and abroad. For those enthusiasts who care to maintain these cars as stock, parts are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, as they are drying up quickly. There are a number of vendors still out there with parts for these cars, but some of them are aftermarket. Only a handful of vendors actually stock the authentic nos4gn parts. Those collectors who wish to maintain mint condition cars will generally only use genuine GM or AC Delco parts from one of the few nos4gn reputable vendors.

Famously painted in all black, the Grand National and GNX were ferocious drag strip competitors and are highly collectible today. The stealthy appearance coupled with the fact that the Grand National was initially released during the height of Star Wars fever earned it the title Darth Vader Car (Car and Driver covered the model's introduction with the headline "Darth Vader, your car is ready"). The Grand National returned briefly to the headlines in 2003, when actor Sean Penn's car was stolen with several guns inside. Also, actress Carmen Electra bought her then rock star husband Dave Navarro a 1987 Grand National as a present.

Fact:  GNX # 001 is owned by General Motors

Fact:  Are there any "Real GNX's" that do not have "GNX" stamped on the body tag below the driver's side windshield?
           It has been noticed that earlier production GNX's may have tags that later GNX's do not!
           GNX # 001 owned by GM does have the GNX stamped on the ID, but it does NOT have an ASC emission label.

Fact:  Were the GNX prototypes crushed and destroyed?
           Brad Conley, owner of an 1986 Buick GNX prototype, copy of letter from Buick and member of GNregistry.
           Rick Hunt-who worked on the ASC assembly line for years-said all the prototypes were suppose to be destroyed.
           We all know the 1986 prototype(it had ECC) one of the engineers had got SAE passed so GM sold it to him and
           he sold it to the guy(Diabo) that has the GSX prototype also. Rick also stated that they all were not destroyed
           (crushed) but some were taken apart. I was able to get a prototype GNX intercooler-unfortunately without
           documentation from the GSCA club (Lasseter). So I know they all weren't crushed. All in all,it's good history
           that makes things interesting

Myth: Did the government, FBI, CIA purchase and use GNX's?
           NO, however, according to a book published by Dennis Kirban (p. 273),
           the government bought approximately 80 Regal T-types in 1986-87.

Myth: Were 10 GNX's purchased NEW, shipped and stored with Zero miles in the Chicago area?
            NO, According to Joe Harrington, whom has a "shipping list of dealerships that each GNX were shipped to".


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