Photo: Mecum Auctions
Here’s a question for you: does Buick make a car you would pay your own hard-earned dollar bills to own? From the entry-level Verano to the range-topping Enclave, the answer is a definite “no” if you, like me, haven’t reached retirement age. Not that long ago, however, Buick used to build a thoroughly exciting vehicle.
As you might have noticed from the headline, I’m referring to the one and only GNX. 547 were made, making it rarer than the LaFerrari as long as we boil the coupe and spider in the same pot. Essentially the most performance-oriented variant of the Grand National, the now-classic GNX was made possible by a collaboration with [wait for it] McLaren Specialty Products.
The car in the featured photo is the last one ever built, showing just 68 miles on the odometer. Two owners since new and boasting the original window sticker and factory plastic, GNX #547 is looking for the third one. At the Kissimmee 2017 sale, Mecum hopes to fetch $250,000 on this bad boy.
Considering that the original owner paid $10,000 over sticker price, Mecum’s estimate isn’t remotely exaggerated. What’s more, the upcoming owner will get plenty of extras in the form of a book, jacket, owner’s manual, and a letter of authenticity from the dealer that sold the car in the 1980s.
Other than the ominous looks and retro design appointments, the 1987 Buick GNX is all about the engine. More specifically, a 3.8-liter V6. After the Macca boys had finished tinkering with it, the resulting turbocharger and air-to-air intercoolers transformed the Grand National into the full-on GNX.
Once called “America’s quickest automobile,” the GNX could smoke Corvettes in the quarter-mile with ease thanks, in part, to the fast-spooling Garrett turbocharger. The GNX also features a reprogrammed transmission with a special torque converter. Hence, the GNX sported an underrated 276 horsepower, 360 lb-ft, and could cover the 1/4-mile in 14 seconds.
The car in the featured photo is the last one ever built, showing just 68 miles on the odometer. Two owners since new and boasting the original window sticker and factory plastic, GNX #547 is looking for the third one. At the Kissimmee 2017 sale, Mecum hopes to fetch $250,000 on this bad boy.
Considering that the original owner paid $10,000 over sticker price, Mecum’s estimate isn’t remotely exaggerated. What’s more, the upcoming owner will get plenty of extras in the form of a book, jacket, owner’s manual, and a letter of authenticity from the dealer that sold the car in the 1980s.
Other than the ominous looks and retro design appointments, the 1987 Buick GNX is all about the engine. More specifically, a 3.8-liter V6. After the Macca boys had finished tinkering with it, the resulting turbocharger and air-to-air intercoolers transformed the Grand National into the full-on GNX.
Once called “America’s quickest automobile,” the GNX could smoke Corvettes in the quarter-mile with ease thanks, in part, to the fast-spooling Garrett turbocharger. The GNX also features a reprogrammed transmission with a special torque converter. Hence, the GNX sported an underrated 276 horsepower, 360 lb-ft, and could cover the 1/4-mile in 14 seconds.
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