The Buick Regal Grand National as we know it was produced from 1984 to 1987. As the mid-size rear-wheel-drive platform was coming to its end, Buick wanted to send the Grand National off with a bang. Working with ASC/McLaren Performance Technologies, they created the King of the Grand Nationals, the 1987 Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental).
The Buick GNX wore the same sinister gloss black exterior as the Grand National, but a number of exterior details set it apart from its more mundane stablemate. Composite fender flares, functional fender vents over the front tires helped cool the engine compartment, larger basket-weave 16-inch black wheels with polished aluminum lips, and GNX badges appeared in the grille, trunk lid, and on the wheel center caps.
The Buick GNX had freer flowing heads, improved engine management, less restrictive exhaust and an upgraded turbo, all combined to boost output to 276 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. In addition to the engine mods, there was a transmission cooler, stiffer body, an improved rear suspension design with stiffer springs and stabilizer. A bulge was added to the hood to accommodate the increased dimensions of all the performance goodies. The improvement was undeniable. The Buick GNX laid down a zero-to-60 time of 4.6 seconds, and rocketed through the quarter-mile in the low 13-second range.
The interior of the Buick GNX featured a number of unique details. A serial number plate was mounted on the passenger side of the dash, and standard gauges were swapped for Stewart-Warner units, with gauges for oil pressure, coolant temp, and boost level housed in a modified cluster.
Our feature Buick GNX is number 308 of the 547 produced. It was previously listed on Bring a Trailer in January of 2020, when it was bid to $150,000, but failed to meet reserve. Showing just 203 miles on the odometer, it is equipped with air conditioning, cruise control, Delco AM/FM/cassette with graphic equalizer, Concert Sound II speakers, power windows, power locks, power steering, power brakes, and tilt steering. It should be noted that the headliner is sagging, and the listing indicates the car was refinished under previous ownership. The selling dealer has replaced the bumper fillers and performed paint correction.
This extraordinarily low mileage Buick GNX is now for sale on Bring a Trailer. Included in the sale is the manufacturer literature, original window sticker, Manufacturer Statement of Origin, and a clean Carfax report.
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Comments
Hope it sells and gets driven. Wasn’t created to sit in a dark room.
Nice very nice but $150,000 dollars is a lot of money I would never dream of spending that much on any car… My house is $160,000 dollars to put it in perceptive! But overall a beautiful Buick that should sell to the right person.
Houses are a dime a dozen. I have a house too and so do all of my neighbors and millions of others. There are only 547 GNX’s ever made, and for one year only.
It’s nice……… but turning down $150 and looking for more is blue sky for any 80’s G-body. I recently attended an auction and watched in amazement as 3 G-body cars were offered for sale by the same seller. The hammer came down as sold sold sold on all 3 for an average of $55k each. Yet all 3 were loaded back up on the sellers rig. Are some G-bodies worth $150k+???? Or even $55k+? We’ll see when a buyers market comes about in the next year.
Yeah…its a G-Body, but its not just a regular G-body, its a rare model. Nowadays, you have run of the mill cars from the 80’s and 90’s going for big $$$, so $150k for a rare factory performance car is not really unexpected.
You can buy a regular GN and save yourself some money and have the same amount of fun. You could spend a meager amount as well if you wanted upgrade the performance with plenty of aftermarket stuff including the fender flares and a set of similar wheels.
Unless you think the 150 will turn to 200 shortly and it’s pure investment, buy a used ’87 GN.
Terrible investment. In 1987 they sold at dealers for around 50k. The stock market average yield is 11% over it’s history.
At 11% your 50k would return you under 2mm. At 5% interest your return is 275k.
Millions of people in the stock market. Only 547 GNX owners. I am the latter and wouldn’t trade my historical ownership for it.
The low mile original ones are $300,000 cars. 3 of them sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022, not to mention private sales. Wait until a 7 or 8 mile one pops up. I bet it will far exceed that!
They are still on the rise. 547 made for 1 year only.
and there it is.. those damn tv auctions boosting prices and screwing the little guy who would appreciate these cars way more than a rich collector. just sayin..
They’re not screwing the little guy. They’re in business to make money and serve an active market.
I.E. Screw the little guy.
For anyone that’s wondering this car never sold & just sat at Boulevard Buick since it was new.
Looking at it beyond its rarity and ultra-low miles, it is not a very attractive car. To start, its body length is way too long for its wheelbase. Styling – despite all the spoilers, vents, scoops, black coloring, the square roofline just can’t mask its luxury coupe DNA.
To me, it seems to be trying too hard to show that Buick is cool and not the car that your grandfather would drive. It certainly did not help reverse the decline of the Buick brand over that period of time.
If you do not like these. then why are you here? Please go elsewhere. Like it or not ,these are great cars and the price reflects that. Positive and educational comments are always appreciated and helpful to the true fans. Positive people please give me a thumbs up. I don’t get paid for it.
I agree to a point, the GNX engine was better put to use in the ’89 T/A, much better car for the engine.
I lucked out in Feb 87 in putting an order in for a WE4 package Buick and delivery was in June – fun car straight line.
The headliner is sagging? Makes me wonder where this car was stored. Can’t imagine it runs that well. All fluids would have to be flushed out. I would imagine that rubber seals would be dried out from age and non use. Could be an expensive headache to get it to perform like it’s supposed to. Too many choices now that easily surpass this car in every way and cost a lot less. Strictly a nostalgia purchase.
I’m guessing it must’ve sat outside, that would explain the repaint as well. It’s cool and all, but if I’m paying six figures for a supposedly mint 203-mile example, I’d want original paint and I definitely wouldn’t accept a sagging headliner.
The paint on these cars had some kind of defect from the factory, which explains having it refinished. As far as looks, I once had a elderly gentleman that worked at an auto inspection station, tell me that my ’87 Gn was the prettiest car that he had ever seen. It was a Gnx clone.
Red is right for that kind of money the headliner should be fixed first! Beautiful car though 👍👍
Is this the same one that was sitting in a dealership showroom for years that was featured on Jay Leno’s garage episode a while back? If I remember when they were driving it had under 200 miles.
One of those that makes your whole body tingle. I would drive it, live it, care for it & baby it, like it was meant to be. Sweet.
You guys are right for $150k they should be providing a flawless car, no sagging headliners. They want top dollar you have to give a car with all items addressed.
I can assure u alot more than 547 were made you knob
I personally know for a fact that the state of Connecticut on a mess up from the manufacturer received 2,000 gnx that were supposed to go all around the country and ended up in Connecticut former gnx owner and LOVER living in Massachusetts told me he remembers it like it was yesterday
A unique and cool vehicle imo. Worth 150K? That’s for a buyer to determine.
That GNX is worth at least 500k. At those Barrett Jackson Auctions they sale Hemi Barra Cudas for 1million I’ve seen that and others well over 250k so yeah 203 miles this classic is brand new YYEEAAA half a million
Junior , you are misinformed . The Connecticut state police did have turbo regals in 1987 that they used as chase cars but they were T types in various colors. No grand nationals and certainly no gnx’s. A few black ones but they were T types with chrome bumpers.
They only made 547 GNX cars period. I own a 1987 Grand National, bought it in 1988 and with a few small tweaks it was an animal on the street. It can run in the 10s today. They where the most durable muscle car in the 80s . It smoked tires like a Hellcat today . GNX was like the Demon in it’s day , not even Porches or Ferrari could run with them . If you are not familiar with it then it means nothing . But if you raced the streets in the early 1990s then you knew to fear this car and that is why it is worth $150000.00 today. Paint would check due to shrinkage and made me have to paint my car as well.
Actually if you did street race in the 80s and 90s, you know guys who had GNs and GNXs were easy fodder for just about any true 60s/70s muscle car. I raced both a number of times – stop light to stop light and 1/4 mile – and my 1970 big block Chevelle always had em by at least a 3/4 car length. Admittedly they were fast and great looking for a mid 80s car but they were really no match for 1970’s hp. That said, I would like to own one.
Bruce your dead on. How those engineers made that much grunt from that Ancient 3.8 V6 is amazing. With no computers or flashy software.🤦🏻. Incredible just incredible. I keep looking for a Monte Carlo SS just to add to my collection. My first new car out of college was a 79 Cutlass Supreme with a gutless 360. I ran it to the ground till 2003. Went to the junkyard. Kept my dog dish wheels and rims 😎.
Witness protection, what are you smoking?? Of course they use computers. GM has had them since 1981. You could install a high performance computer chip that would raise boost pressure and richen the fuel mixture for increased performance.
Very limited technology. My 95 9c1 had a chip. But the OBD1 technology was primitive. 1996 brought OBD2 manadated by the federal government changed everything.
This GNX just sold for $225,000. It has a really nice repaint. I couldn’t imagine what it would sell for if had the original paint!
I would give $100k for it. Not driving this for that long will cause a few issues sitting.