I never understood the attraction to this car.
6 cylinders? Turbocharged? How much HP could it be?
GNX put out 276 @ 4400 rpm
You can take a 3.8L Buick V6 ‘LD5’ and make 1300+ horsepower from it.
I had a buddy with one, and by the time he was done addind and tweaking, it was up around 700. I refused to get in it.
The area I grew up, drag racing was popular (street racing on the country roads as well as at the local track)
These cars were blowing the doors off of cars that had major investments as custom muscle cars.
Six-Cylinder Hondas have about 300hp these days....Most the the ‘baddest’ Muscle cars from back in the day can’t compare to most stock six-cylinder cars these days...It’s about more than HP in this car...And, I bet 120k will not touch it at Barrett-Jackson.
“I never understood the attraction to this car.
6 cylinders? Turbocharged? How much HP could it be?”
You could just as easily say this about a 911 Turbo. But you probably wouldn’t. :)
This was a slightly refined straight-liner. It was designed to go fast, and had semi-decent handling, but fast was the emphasis.
A showroom stock GNX would run the quarter mile at 13.26 seconds and 104 mph (bested the 'Vette for the same year).
For 1987, it hauled ass. What made it special I suspect was the gear ratio. It didn’t spin the tires. The car has great grip. Definately a man’s car IMHO.
In 1987, this was the top “standard” production car. Remember, this car was out-running the new Corvette.
The real heart of the GNX was under the hood. The V6 turbo was upgraded with special bearings, rods and a strengthened valve train. A Garrett AiResearch turbo was linked to a special designed intercooler. The GNX’s computer was modified to enhance fuel mix, turbo boost and transmission performance. The result was 276 horsepower and a massive 360 lbs-fts of torque. There was so much torque available that a special ladder bar was installed beneath the car. It ran from the mid-section of the car to the rear axle to increase rear wheel traction. As a result, the GNX will actually lift the rear end up when the car is about to launch heavily. It’s an interesting and intimidating sight.
http://musclecarfacts.net/1987-grand-national.html
Think back to 1987. Granted, nowadays, 276 horsepower is about what a V6 Honda Accord puts out. But 23 years ago, with the muscle car just re-emerging on the scene after the automotive hell of the 1970s and early ‘80s, 276 hp was serious stuff...especially out of a 3.8L GM V6, and ESPECIALLY out of a Buick. And then there’s the NASCAR connection with the “Grand National” name...Buick was still competing in NASCAR Winston Cup with the Regal in 1987, and though they ran V8s instead of turbo V6s, the connection would resonate with people.
I was riding around in a friend’s Mustang GT 5.0L one night up in Columbia, MD and we happened to pull up next to one of these at a stoplight. Glances were exchanged, engines were revved, and when that light turned green, the Grand National was *gone*. An F-body Mustang 5.0 was pretty quick, but this thing just destroyed it off the line.
}:-)4
Because you never had one or drove one.
I did. This was one of the most enjoyable strip car I ever had.
The engine came out of the CART racing division and was originally designed to be the replacement for the Corvette 8.
The car had 300+BHP but got around 25MPG and it was lightening fast. I took my GN to comp 3 and sub-4 second 0-60 and turned quarter mile in low 10’s.
The car was very raw power-wise, you hit it and when the turbo kicked in your neck snapped and the car launched and pretty much ate anything that tried to race you.
I have had a lot of high-powered muscle cars in my life and I miss this one quite a bit almost as much as the 1970 Buick GS-1.
And I am not a Buick guy.
Because you never had one or drove one.
I did. This was one of the most enjoyable strip car I ever had.
The engine came out of the CART racing division and was originally designed to be the replacement for the Corvette 8.
The car had 300+BHP but got around 25MPG and it was lightening fast. I took my GN to comp 3 and sub-4 second 0-60 and turned quarter mile in low 10’s.
The car was very raw power-wise, you hit it and when the turbo kicked in your neck snapped and the car launched and pretty much ate anything that tried to race you.
I have had a lot of high-powered muscle cars in my life and I miss this one quite a bit almost as much as the 1970 Buick GS-1.
And I am not a Buick guy.
6 cylinders? Turbocharged? How much HP could it be?
Off the showroom floor it was a high 14 second quarter-miler. Which for the eighties was very good.
But slightly modified, it was a screamer. Many run in the 10 second bracket with ease.
A fairly highly modified GNX ran an 8.57 second quarter ! Lots and lots of horsepower.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC6HF6BA-WA
naw they aren’t fun at all...lol.
and no a little 6 can’t generate much...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs7hGJ1vkhc
BTW thanks for the walk down memory lane...man now I miss it even more.