1982, 1984, 1985 Buick Grand Nationals

    So how did these cars get started you ask? Back in 1982, Buick and a famous driver by the name of Darrell Waltrip won a big NASCAR event (Busch Grand National Series) with their Regal G-body platform. Thus the Grand National was born. It was built to honor the Buick G-body that won the race. There was a limited production of the 82 GNs in which 215 were produced (the rarest Grand National of all time). There was no GN in 1983. In 1984, the GN came back with a bang. The car was totally re-designed from the older Regals which used carburetors. The 84 version came with a 200 horsepower SFI engine. It ranked right up there with all the big dogs of the sports car world including the Camaro, Mustang, and even the Corvette. There was no engine change in the 85 GN as it still produced 200 hp, but the looks of the car were changed a little bit. It was still classified as one of the quicker cars made that year.

    This is the 1982 Buick Grand National. This was basically just a stripe and detail package with not very much performance but that would all soon change. Only 215 were produced and something like 16 of those were turbo-charged; by far the rarest Turbo Regals of all time.

    This is the 1984 GN. There were 2,000 of these cars made and are pretty hard to find today. This year the GN produced 200 horsepower and 300 lbs of torque. This was the first year for sequential fuel injection for the GNs.

    Here is an article comparing some of GM's G-body lineup. It is said that the 84-85 GN's can do the 1/4 mile in 15.7 seconds @ 87 mph. It was pretty quick for those times. But it is only the beginning of what the GN will be able to do.

    This is the 1985 GN. There were 2,102 GNs made in this year. The engine was the same exact engine used in the 84 GN, producing the same exact power numbers. The only difference between the two years was a few minor cosmetic changes such as the front grille.