Buick Grand National History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
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The Buick Grand National began as a high-performance version of the rear-wheel-drive Regal, named for Buick's NASCAR Grand National racing success. After a 1982 debut and a one-year pause, it returned for 1984 in its iconic all-black livery, powered by a turbocharged and (from 1986) intercooled 3.8-liter V6.
By the mid-1980s the Grand National was one of the quickest American cars you could buy — a turbo V6 that out-accelerated contemporary V8 Mustangs and Camaros, an unlikely high-tech outlier in an era of slow malaise-era engines.
The legend was sealed in 1987 with the GNX (Grand National Experimental), a final 547-unit run modified by ASC/McLaren with a ceramic-impeller turbo and upgraded intercooler. Rated at a conservative 276 hp, it was widely tested faster, marking the end of the rear-drive G-body and one of the most collectible Buicks ever built.
Body styles
- Coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
GNX
The 'Grand National Experimental' — a final 547-car run modified by ASC/McLaren with a ceramic-impeller turbocharger and upgraded intercooler; the fastest and most collectible Grand National.
T-Type / Turbo T
The lower-key turbocharged Regal performance trim sold alongside the all-black Grand National.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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