Buick Grand National Story: Bringing Back American Muscle Without Using a V8

Throughout its history, Buick has been GM's second-tier luxury brand, generally offering elegant cars at lower prices than siblings Cadillac.

Models like the Century, Skylark, Wildcat, or Riviera were very popular during their respective eras, and they're highly collectible even today.

Apart from its traditional focus on luxury, Buick also stepped into the performance arena on several occasions.

The division's first memorable performance model was the 1936 Buick Century, which was the first American production car to combine an intermediate-sized body with a powerful eight-cylinder.

That proto-muscle car was followed up nearly three decades later by Buick's first legitimate muscle car, the 1965 Skylark Gran Sport.

An answer to Pontiac's GTO, the Gran Sport eventually became a stand-alone model that evolved into one of the most impressive high-performance intermediates from the golden age of muscle.

With the muscle car era coming to an abrupt end in 1973, the intermediate Gran Sport and GSX (Gran Sport eXperimental) became history. Although the nameplate lived on as a package for other Buick models, performance never rose to the same levels.

From Gran Sport to Grand National

By the start of the 1980s, Buick was boosting its image by taking part in the NASCAR Grand National series.

During the 1981 and 1982 seasons, the GM division managed to win the Manufacturers Cup with the Regal.

To celebrate that success, the brand decided to develop a special, performance-oriented edition of the road-going Regal dubbed Grand National, which became the spiritual successor of Buick's Skylark-based Gran Sport muscle cars.

The first Grand National

Launched in February 1982, the Regal-based Grand National was initially part of a 100-unit plan to celebrate Buick's NASCAR success.

Transformed from regular Regals into Grand Nationals by Cars and Concepts of Brighton, Michigan, these cars received a special two-tone gray finish with black accents and red pinstriping.

Additionally, they were equipped with a new front air dam, a front splitter, a rear spoiler, and a pair of Lear-Siegler seats upholstered in a mix of silver cloth and black vinyl.

The Grand National was so popular that, in addition to the initial 100 units, Buick commissioned Cars and Concepts to convert an additional 115 Regals.

Most of the 1982 Gran Nationals were powered by a naturally aspirated 252-ci (4.1-liter) V6 engine rated at 125 hp and 205 lb-ft (278 Nm) of torque, but around 35 received the Regal Sport Coupe's 175-hp turbocharged 3,791 cc 231-ci (3.8-liter) turbocharged V6, which made 175 hp and 275 lb-ft (373 Nm) of torque.

The 1982 Grand National may have had the flashy performance looks, but with V6 power and less than 200 hp on tap, it was far from the iconic Gran Sports of the second part of the 1960s and early 1970s.

The second Grand National

In 1983, the turbocharged Sport Coupe, Buick's standard performance-oriented Regal, was renamed T-Type, but the Grand National didn't return.

However, in 1984, Buick gave performance fans something to cheer about and reintroduced the Gran National.

Like the original Grand National, the second edition came with signature visual enhancements, a special two-tone interior, and an all-black finish.

Under the hood, it hid the same 231-ci (3.8-liter) turbocharged V6 found in the T-Type, but thanks to the addition of a sequential fuel injection and distributor-less computer-controlled ignition systems, the motor now capable of delivering 200 hp and 300 lb-ft (407 Nm) of torque.

Though not quite up to old muscle car standards and still powered by a V6, the revised, all-black Grand National was a hit among enthusiasts, who brought 2,000 of them in 1984.

As expected, Buick's new high-performance flagship returned for 1985, albeit virtually unchanged. It continued to sell well, with 2,102 units leaving the division's dealerships during that model year.

Becoming more muscular

By 1986, the Grand National was a mainstay in Buick's intermediate lineup and one of the most desirable American performance cars on sale.

To make it even more desirable, Buick introduced an improved version of the V6 engine in the 1986 Grand National. With the addition of an air-to-air intercooler, the turbocharged motor was boosted to 235 hp and 330 lb-ft (447 Nm) of torque.

Performance buffs took notice and rushed to Buick's dealerships to buy a Grand National. This led to an increase in sales by over 50%, as GN production totaled  5,512 units that year.

In 1987, the last year of production for the second-generation Regal and, consequently, the Grand National, Buick could've just carried over the 1986-spec models and called it a day.

Thankfully, the division did a bit more than that. While the 1987 Grand National didn't feature any drastic improvements, it did get an output boost of ten horses.

Sales of the high-performance model jumped to a whooping 20,192 units, but that wasn't the biggest news of 1987.

The almighty GNX

To bid farewell to the successful performance, Buick introduced a limited-edition version, which became the ultimate Grand National.

Dubbed GNX (Grand National eXperimental), the limited-edition monster developed in collaboration with McLaren Performance Technologies/ASC was powered by an insane version of Buick's 231-ci (3.8-liter) V6.

The motor was upgraded with a reprogrammed ECU, a performance exhaust system with dual mufflers, and a custom Garrett T3 turbocharger with a ceramic impeller that drew air through a ceramic-coated inlet pipe and a significantly larger intercooler.

Linked to an upgraded Turbo-Hydramatic 200-4R three-speed automatic with a bespoke torque converter and an individual cooler, the beefed-up engine was rated at 276 hp and 360 lb-ft (488 Nm) of torque.

However, GNX owners who put their bone-stock cars on a dyno soon discovered that the engine was comfortably making 300 hp and an impressive 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of twist.

Apart from the upgraded powertrain, each GNX received a revamped rear suspension system equipped with a distinctive torque arm. Connected to a special rear differential cover, the torque arm altered the suspension geometry and drastically improved the traction of the rear wheels.

Visually, the GNX came with only subtle upgrades like wider fender flares, functional side vents, 16-inch Pontiac Trans Am-inspired wheels and a set of analog Stewart-Warner gauges.

Quicker than a Ferrari over the quarter mile

While some purists had a bone to pick with the Grand National, arguing it wasn't a true muscle car since it came with a V6, nobody could debate the GNX's muscle car status when magazines started publishing test figures.

With its highly-tuned motor, the GNX could run the quarter mile in the high-12-second range at around 113 mph (182 kph).

Not only was that quicker than any factory-built muscle car from the golden age but also quicker than what a V12-powered 1987 Ferrari Testarossa could achieve.

Initially, Buick scheduled a small production limited to just 200 GNX examples, but due to the high demand, a total of 547 examples were built.

Today, the Grand National series highlights an atypical yet important page in the muscle car history books. While it had a small engine (by 1960s standards) with fewer cylinders and a turbocharger, it was undeniably an impressive intermediate that brought back American muscle.

For more on what is arguably the most legendary Buick model line of all time, we recommend watching the "Black Air" documentary below, posted on YouTube by v8killers.