While the shift lever has been replaced to accommodate the racing transmission, things like the steering wheel and instrument panel remain as originally intended. Privacy Policy, Cookies Policy and Terms and Conditions and Disclaimer. Sharpe and I said, 'How are we going to come up with 47 more?' Max. It didnt hurt that 1987 was the 245-hp Grand Nationals fastest year, with 0-60 times of 6.1 seconds, and a 13.85 quarter mile at 99.2 mph. Ten years later, Darrell Waltrip raced factory-backed .css-xtkis1{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#1C5f8B;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;font-weight:bold;}.css-xtkis1:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Buick Regals to claim back-to-back championships in 1981 and '82. Specs review by Pawel Zal. In four years Buick had sold 29,807 Grand Nationals and 547 GNXs. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine, rated at 235 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. Torque: 448.00 Nm (45,47 kgf-m or 328,75 ft.lbs) at 2800 Rev. Sales were comparatively brisk for the GN, and 20,193 were built in 1987, 10,000 being ordered in the last 6 months. 1986 Buick Regal Grand National Coupe (aut. It ran to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and clicked through the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 98 mph. 4) .Specs datasheet with technical data and performance data plus an analysis of the direct market competition of Buick Regal Grand National Coupe (aut. - Performance Data. One: Its one of the best looking full size car to come out of the 80s, an era riddled with ugly ugly cars. Buick engineers continued to improve the 3.8 liter V6 turbo engine and were able to up the horsepower to 245 versus the 235 previously. 0-1 km 28.4 sest. Specifically, the 3.8 V6 received the following upgrades: To cope with the additional power and maintain traction, the GNX received a few important suspension upgrades: To an untrained eye, the outside of a GNX may not look very different from a regular Grand National. Launching year 1986, 1987 end of production. The Buick Turbo Engine Group developed an intercooler and a sequential port fuel injection system that noticeably increased both the horsepower and the torque of the Grand National. Consider that it was such and amazing car, back in the second half of the 80s, that the executives over at GM pulled the plug on the whole line do to the fact that this car was spanking the Corvette at the drag strip on a regular basis. Also reliablity is high on these, neither guy comes in to much for work. So, what's the difference between a Grand National and GNX? The same class cars with similar kind of fuel, power and type of transmission: The same class cars with similar performance (1/4 mile times) and kind of fuel, with manual transmission: 1986 Nissan Leopard TR-X 2Door Hardtop 300 Turbo Grand Edition 5-speed Japan 231 km/h / 144 mphest. The base Grand National hit 245 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque, and the GNX pumped out a mighty 276 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. And for a Muscle Car, it is also very green as well, pulling about 25 MPG on the Highway. When I ran mine it flexed like hell with braces, etc and it was only a mid 10 car. Yeah, unrealistic! per min. For that considerable sum the buyer got a production car capable of thirteen and a half second quarter mile times. These increases had a significant impact on performance. That is almost twice the cost of the garden variety Grand National. *Please note: All prices shown here are based on various data sources, as detailed in About Our Prices. How Strong Is A Standard Buick V6 Block? - Hot Rod Magazine Buick produced 20,194 Grand Nationals in 1987, making this 1986 Grand National much more rare. The standard 1987 Grand National, pictured above, was powered by a turbocharged 3.8L V6 rated at 245 horsepower and 355 ft-lbs of torque. "I thought it was the end of my career. 1983-88 Chevy Monte Carlo SS buyer's guide - Hagerty Media The GNX happened because thenchief engineer Dave Sharpe, advanced concepts manager Mike Doble, and project engineer Chuck Jensen badly wanted it. Ed Mertz became Buick general manager in 1986, and GM's aging rear-wheel-drive mid-sizers ceased production in 1987 to be . In all, less than 10 percent of Regals were equipped with the turbo engine. The Grand National Package cost $558. I could see an unloved car pulling those numbers. 1986 Buick Regal Grand National Coupe (aut. 4) - Automobile-Catalog Enough said. Plus, it was marketed as a working mans supercar, so to make the word "working" true, the Grand National had to undergo such a treatment. If you have a T-type you can make it into a GN. The Buick LeSabre also had a Grand National trim level in the early 80s that ran alongside the original Regal package. Specifications . These could tweak the stock frame over time, even with the stock drivetrain. So, in January 1987before the program had final approval and well before the prototypes were fully developedLarry Gustin (newly promoted to news-relations manager) invited key magazines one at a time to GM's Desert Proving Ground in Arizona to spend a day with two prototypesone for driving, the other for photography.