Topic: A Car I would like see come back. The Buick Grand National

[50362]

I'm not a big domestic car fan but the Buick Grand National is one car I would consider buying if GM ever re-introduced it.

A friend in college had one and I had the opportunity to ride along. Holy crap! 0-60 in like under 4 seconds and tons of torque! Apparently it will beat a vet off the start and even Porshe...maybe. Loads of fun.

[tpl]

I guy that worked for me had one. Unbelievable axle tramp. rattled incessantly even when brand new. a fast POS

[ovr50]

I'm not a big domestic car fan but the Buick Grand National is one car I would consider buying if GM ever re-introduced it.

A friend in college had one and I had the opportunity to ride along. Holy crap! 0-60 in like under 4 seconds and tons of torque! Apparently it will beat a vet off the start and even Porshe...maybe. Loads of fun.

Regardless of axle tramp and quality issues, a GN and especially the GNX are highly collectible today.

[Snowman]

  I have a friend who has one here in Sudbury who keeps it mint. I can guarantee it does not do a sub 5 second 0-60.

[ktm525]

I'm not a big domestic car fan but the Buick Grand National is one car I would consider buying if GM ever re-introduced it.

A friend in college had one and I had the opportunity to ride along. Holy crap! 0-60 in like under 4 seconds and tons of torque! Apparently it will beat a vet off the start and even Porshe...maybe. Loads of fun.

That is a "memory" 0-60 time. I bet it would be likely to break 6 seconds. It just seemed faster because of all the anemic cars running around in the mid eighties. What did the 85 Vette have? 200HP?

OK I went to Wiki and it appears I was srong... sort of.


The Buick Grand National would be lucky to break 6 seconds but the GNX which was produced at the end of the model run was different:

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$11,000 premium. Produced by McLaren/ASC, Buick underrated the GNX at 275 hp 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

[quadzilla]

Some information from a some quick searching...

1985:
Production: Grand National: 2,102. T-Type: 2,100
Engines: 3.8L V6 Turbo 200 bhp @ 4000 rpm, 300 ft-lb @ 2400 rpm.

1986:
Production: Grand National: 5,512. LeSabre Grand National: 117.
Engines: 3.8L V6 Turbo 235 bhp @ 4000 rpm, 330 ft-lb @ 2400 rpm.

1987:
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.

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.

[ktm525]

Some information from a some quick searching...

1985:
Production: Grand National: 2,102. T-Type: 2,100
Engines: 3.8L V6 Turbo 200 bhp @ 4000 rpm, 300 ft-lb @ 2400 rpm.

1986:
Production: Grand National: 5,512. LeSabre Grand National: 117.
Engines: 3.8L V6 Turbo 235 bhp @ 4000 rpm, 330 ft-lb @ 2400 rpm.

1987:
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.

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.

That and the GNX handled like a POS and had drum brakes on the rear. Maybe too much power for the chassis and brakes to handle?

[Scaerio]

TO me the Gran National is like a 4-wheeled Harley.  Before the new SAAB 9-5 was introduced I considered it to be Darth Vader's car!

[mdxtasy]

That and the GNX handled like a POS and had drum brakes on the rear. Maybe too much power for the chassis and brakes to handle?

Ya think?  These cars are great in a straight line on a smooth surface.  Impressive machines in their own right, but they do lack in other areas of performance.

[Snowman]

That and the GNX handled like a POS and had drum brakes on the rear. Maybe too much power for the chassis and brakes to handle?

Ya think?  These cars are great in a straight line on a smooth surface.  Impressive machines in their own right, but they do lack in other areas of performance.

I agree and the GN makes a perfect muscle car. Not all automotive enthusiasts have similar interests.

[mdxtasy]

That and the GNX handled like a POS and had drum brakes on the rear. Maybe too much power for the chassis and brakes to handle?

Ya think?  These cars are great in a straight line on a smooth surface.  Impressive machines in their own right, but they do lack in other areas of performance.

I agree and the GN makes a perfect muscle car. Not all automotive enthusiasts have similar interests.

I love seeing a GN....rare, and the black theme really adds to the menacing presence.

[50362]

I have heard of guys modifying there GN and have achieved 3.5 sec 0-60 times.  I saw one in Richmond Hill, ON a couple months ago. Mint condition, like new.

[initial_D]

3.5 seconds of 0-60 is awfully fast. Timed at the track or the wrist watch? 

Like the GNX, but too one -dimensional.

[mdxtasy]

You can modify anything to run fast....

[Scaerio]

You can modify anything to run fast....

That Lotus-tuned Lada Riva (Signet) being a great example!

[initial_D]

You can modify anything to run fast....

How is this? 



Wanna see official time slip for anything under 4.0 seconds.  I can time a 100Hp car with my old Timex too, time varies somewhat, but 5.0 seconds is achievable, depends on finger clicking speed. 

[barrie1]

I witnessed a Grand National with slicks installed and a few other extras on it run the qt mile at around the 11 sec mark years ago at Sparta race track. A young fella from Detroit brought it every Sunday one year. Very impressive for a 6 cyl engine. I heard years ago that the FBI actually bought 500 of them near the end of the run. If true they must of had a lot of fun on the job. 

[Mitlov]

...yeah, that's pretty dang cool.  No question there.

But if Buick were to build cool cars again, I am absolutely positively obligated to post a picture of the Riviera concept in this thread as a reminder of what they should be aiming for:

[Turbo Bob]

Holy crap! 0-60 in like under 4 seconds

 

[1TSX]

I witnessed a Grand National with slicks installed and a few other extras on it run the qt mile at around the 11 sec mark years ago at Sparta race track. A young fella from Detroit brought it every Sunday one year. Very impressive for a 6 cyl engine. I heard years ago that the FBI actually bought 500 of them near the end of the run. If true they must of had a lot of fun on the job. 

6cyl? I assumed these beasts all had V8's.