Last Buick Grand National Ever Built Heads to Auction
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By Ben Selby
When one considers American cars built in the 1980s, there no doubt will be the usual references to C4 Corvettes, Fox body Ford Mustangs and of course that talking icon of eighties TV, the Pontiac Trans Am.
However, people tend to overlook the Buick Grand National, one of the most brutish designs ever to come from General Motors. The Grand National was the mightiest Buick muscle car of the era.
Essentially a performance variant of the Buick Regal and sitting on the Buick G-body platform, it produced 245hp thanks to a turbocharged 3.8L V6 engine. Yes, that’s right, this was a certified eighties American muscle car which did not eight cylinders pumping away under the “hood.” It also sported a four-speed automatic transmission.
The ultimate expression of the Grand National was the GNX (Grand National Experimental) with 276hp. Production of both variants came to a halt in 1987. This was due to Buick’s desire to drop the G-body platform for front-wheel-drive to suit the new Regal for 1988.
This Grand National is unique as it was the last example ever produced. It will go under the hammer as part of Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale, Arizona auction. The car rolled off the production line at GM’s Michigan factory on December 11, 1987. As it was last of the line, many colleagues took the time to etch their signature under the bonnet.
This Grand National has travelled only 33 miles since that day. It even still features the original delivery wrapping for the steering wheel, seats, and gear lever. This was common for brand new cars on their way to their respective dealerships. This car is stored in a special climate-controlled storage garage. It also only sees the light of day on very special occasions, such as Buick’s Centenary in 2003.
The Barrett-Jackson Auction is scheduled for January 22-30. Lets wait and see what this delivery mileage dark horse of a muscle car will fetch.
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