1987 Buick Grand National Redesign for 2021

The 1982 Buick Grand National was fitted with a naturally-aspirated V6 and the following year, Buick gave the Regal a turbocharged powertrain and the Regal Turbo-T was born. But the most remembered Buick Grand National arrived in 1984 with an all-black paint job and even more performance.

1984-and-later Buick Grand Nationals got a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 with a four-speed automatic which early on produced 200 hp and 300 lb-ft. That changed in 1986 — thanks to a new intercooler and several internal tweaks, output jumped to 235 hp.

The power increase didn’t stop there and by the end of production in 1987, the Grand National offered 245 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque and made it capable of launches from 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds! The 1987 Grand National could out-run a C4 Corvette in the ¼-mile.

• Related: Buick Grand National ~ Everything You Need To Know

Buick wanted to make something even more special for the last run of the Grand National production and that was the 1987 GNX which received further tweaks to the 3.8-liter V6 — a new turbocharger, a retuned ECU and fuel-injection system, and a sport exhaust. The chassis was also stiffened, the rear suspension strengthened and the transmission upgraded.

On the outside, the Buick GNX also gained new aluminum wheels and fender flares with functional cooling louvers. No fake vents here.

As a result, the 1987 Buick GNX has 276 hp and 360 lb-ft and goes 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds – faster than a Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach and could run the ¼-mile in just 13.1 seconds. That put it in supercar territory of the 1980s and the GNX is still a fast car by modern muscle car standards.

Buick only made 547 GNXs in 1987, all black of course. It’s a rare find and that’s partially why a GNX was recently sold for an incredible $205,000 at auction.

Redesigning the 1987 Buick Grand Nation for 2021

YouTuber and graphic artist TheSketchMonkey applies his skills to redesign the iconic Buick Grand National…