1987 Buick Grand National

Description

If you're a car guy of a certain age, you know better than to mess with the big, bad, blown Buicks on the street. This 1987 Buick Grand National carries one of the most potent powerplants of the '80s, all wrapped in a body that's so right that it still looks fantastic 30 years later.

Basic black was the only color you got when you ordered a Grand National, and there's a lot of it. Forget grandma's cushy Buick Regal with all its chrome and padded roof, this sucker was built with enough attitude to fill a Corvette factory. The bulging hood was a sign that there was a turbocharger underneath, and if you were smart, I don't care what you were driving, you left these cars alone when you saw it. Repainted just once, it has that same brutal look that ruled the streets in the late '80s and the work is at least as good as the factory would have done it with a great shine and no signs of major surgery underneath. Vented fender gills look pretty cool and there's a subtle deck lid spoiler out back just to differentiate it a bit from the boxy Regal's stock shape. Even the rubber rub strips on the bumpers remain in good condition.

The two-tone gray and black cloth interior is certainly flashy by Buick standards and still looks decent today. As Buick's top-of-the-line, just about everything was standard equipment and this one packs goodies like A/C, power windows, locks, and driver's seat, and a tilt steering column, all of which mean that this is a very civilized muscle car. The seats remain in very good shape with modest wear for the age and mileage and the leather-wrapped steering wheel still feels great in your hands. Factory instrumentation was basic at best, particularly with the tach stuffed down low in the gauge cluster like an afterthought, so proper gauges were added to monitor vitals like boost, spark knock, temperature, and oil pressure, all critical to the health of the blown V6. A new shifter handle dresses up the center console and there's an AM/FM/CD stereo system that's probably a big improvement over the Delco stereo it came with. The trunk looks almost new, with proper mouse fur mats and a space-saver spare.

The 3.8 liter turbocharged V6 really needs no introduction, and despite its modest factory ratings, it didn't take much to totally transform it without compromising reliability. This one features the modifications that most enthusiasts would make, adding performance without stressing anything, and that's why these cars are such a threat on the street; you just never know what's under the hood. There are six 30 lb-hr injectors, a stainless steel crossover pipe, an oversized intercooler, and a rebuilt turbo with a Turbo Tweak V57 chip to manage it all. The difference is shocking and even 30 years later, this is still a seriously fast car. The 2004R 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission seems to not mind the extra power churning through it and 3.42 gears mean that this car is making boost before you can get your foot on the floor. A custom exhaust system with a set of throaty mufflers give the V6 a bit of an edge and those flashy 17-inch Torque Thrust wheels and staggered 245/45/17 front and 255/45/17 rear tires totally transform the exterior look.

With low-mile cars priced in the stratosphere, this Grand National is priced just right. Clean, fast, and lightly modified, if you want one to drive, this is a great choice. Call today!