Welcome to another edition of Vintage Ad Break, where we pick some of our favorite General Motors vehicles from yesteryear, and peer into their advertising efforts in the past.
Today, we decided to jump into the 1980s, and landed upon one of Buick’s shining stars: the Buick Grand National.
“What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday,” as the classic saying once went (not so true for the 2016 Chevrolet SS, though…). The Grand National debuted in 1982 after Buick trounced competition in the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series. You can venture a guess where its name originated from.
Originally offered with a 4.1-liter V6 engine, it wasn’t until 1984 when the iconic 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 rolled out as standard, based upon the T-Type. The little V6 made a name for itself, smoking Corvettes and Camaros in the quarter-mile. For reference, the 1985 Grand National was capable of running a 15.9-second time. Chevrolet’s performance machines were stuck in the 17-second range.
To this day, the Buick Grand National remains a rare, cult classic car for collectors and enthusiasts alike. In 1987, Buick sent the Grand National out with a bang, shipping the car off to McLaren Performance Technologies ASC. This gave birth to the even more iconic, GNX.
It proved to be an enormous hit. GM extended the 1987 model year to keep pace with customer demand, finally ending the vehicle’s run in December of 1987.
Step back in time with us in the advertisement right up above.
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