We’ve seen a few extraordinary examples of the 1987 Buick Grand National over the years here at Barn Finds, but this car has to be up there with the best of them. What you are looking at here is what may be the lowest-mileage Grand National in existence today. One peek at the odometer reveals a reading of 27 genuine miles. It has been carefully stored away since it was new, but now it is set to go to a new home. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, you will find the Buick listed for sale here at Barrett-Jackson. It is set to go under the hammer in an auction between June 17th – 19th, and it is being offered for sale with No Reserve.
It appears that the original owner purchased the Grand National and then proceeded to squirrel it away in climate-controlled storage. The environment must have been close to ideal because the vehicle presents in as-new condition. The original Black paint looks deep enough to walk into, with a dazzling shine. There are no blemishes or marks on the panels or paint and no evidence of corrosion or rust. The exterior looks menacing, with only a few subtle Grand National badges and the distinctive chrome wheels to break up all of that black. The exterior plastic has not deteriorated, while the wheels and glass are perfect. There’s no doubt that this Grand National would suit someone seeking perfection, and if you missed out on buying one of these when they were new, perhaps this is your chance to right that wrong.
Buick was determined to create a new generation of muscle cars with the Grand National, and the forced-induction route was the obvious path to follow. This technology had been successful in various forms of motorsport across the globe. Hence, the company wanted to utilize it to produce a car with performance that harked back to the glory days of the muscle car scene. They took their 3.8-liter V6 that, in normally aspirated form, produced 110hp, and they breathed on it pretty heavily. By adding more efficient fuel injection, a turbocharger, and an intercooler, power pushed out to an official 245hp. Many experts believe that Buick understated this figure and that the number was closer to 290hp. All of those raging horses were fed to the rear wheels via a THM200-4R automatic transmission, and this made the Grand National a brute in a straight line. It was capable of demolishing the ¼ mile in 14.7 seconds. However, even that number was seen as conservative. Contemporary motoring publications managed to achieve sub-14-second ETs in unmodified Grand Nationals, which helped to reinforce the belief about output figures. As you might expect, the engine bay of this Buick presents as nicely as the exterior, and the car hasn’t been left to sit untended during its time in storage. It comes with service records that indicate that the fuel was removed, and all of the fluids and the battery were changed in 2003 and 2014. Whether the car is roadworthy is unclear, so it might warrant an in-person inspection to verify this.
The original owner has been so meticulous about preserving the Grand National that most of the original protective plastic remains in place. That means that the original Black and Gray cloth upholstery would be in as-new condition, while the same would be true of the carpet and plastic trim pieces. There have been no aftermarket additions or changes, with the car remaining as it was the day that it rolled off the production line. By modern standards, the equipment levels in the Grand National might not appear that special, but this car would have rated highly in 1987. The buyer will find themselves with climate-control air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a power driver’s seat, cruise control, a remote driver’s mirror, a power antenna, a premium AM/FM radio and cassette player, and a tilt wheel.
I would be surprised if another 1987 Buick Grand National exists today with an odometer reading as low as this one. This really is like taking a step back in time and provides a perfect insight into what these cars would have looked like when they were new. That brings us to the question of what potential buyers will do with this car. They were made to be driven and enjoyed, but I believe that the future of this Buick rests in a museum somewhere. I suspect that the bidding will probably nudge close to $100,000, although it could go higher. A large part of its inherent value rests in that odometer reading, and every additional mile accumulated has the potential to negatively impact the vehicle’s value. That’s why I feel that a life on display is what awaits this car. Of course, we can always hope that some well-heeled person buys it. If money is no object to them, perhaps they would be willing to get the Grand National out on the road occasionally to blow out the cobwebs. This is a car to be driven, not to be looked at. It has been sitting for too long, so I hope that it gets to taste our roads in the future.
That is four-seasons A/C, not climate-control. Not that it will ever be used.
Looking for that high mileage Grand National that someone actually has driven and enjoyed…probably rarer than a low mileage one.
Did anyone ever actually drive these things?…they all seem to have like 14 miles in showroom condition, IMHO a complete waste of a car, that actually isn’t really all that impressive…plenty of 78 and 82 corvette owners in that club….I got a pack of old AA batterys but they’re brand new never used wrapped in factory package…might be worth a fortune one day…some people have no sense….
Funny you should mention it, but I have a bottle of Night Train Express in my downstairs fridge that’s almost 40 years old and has never been opened. It may be the world’s oldest.
Dave, you win!
The problem that I have with guys who bought these cars and left them as-new is that in the end, even if they doubled, or even tripled their money, it was a TERRIBLE investment from a pure return-on-investment perspective.
It wasn’t hard to see that coming. By the time these were on the market it was pretty clear the Pace Car Corvettes weren’t going to pan out as good investments. The same could be said for any number of other “collector” oriented cars often tied to races or marketed as limited or special editions.
One of the reasons you don’t see very many GN’s with relatively high miles is because they were stolen at high rates. I had several friends with them, most that were not garaged every night or that were driven to work on a daily basis were eventually stolen. Thieves loved them, the engine and rear end were upgrades to very popular cars of that era. on top of the fact that many GN’s were abused to the point they suffered engine failures, at which point replacement engines were often sourced from someone else’s car.
Steve R
Steven R., That’s true. even in the late ’90s ..Mine was stolen, and the next week our Typhoon was ripped off. At the time they were only twice the $$$ of used Buicks or GMC Jimmys…
I never could understand someone buying a vehicle and squirreling it away in some hole and save it for someone else to buy in the future. Cars were made to be driven, not just looked at IMO.
Someone will pay big money for this at BJ. I cant imagine the amount of time and effort to maintain this over the 34 years. Beautiful car though.
I agree with everyone here. I bought a Iroc convertible used in 1993 and still have it. The car is kept inside but driven some,usually a couple thousand miles a year. When I think of all the fun and happy times I have had I can not imagine it just sitting there all those years doing nothing.
Even though I am over 60 now it still puts a smile on my face rowing threw the gears
Oh wow, yet another GN no one has ever driven. Shocker! These cars are super cool and deserve to be out on the road, not under some glass bubble.
I’m surprised they didn’t spring for a delco battery, tho no permanent battery is needed for this car at all!
27 miles is barely enough to drive the moisture out of the motor & exhaust – just once, let alone break in the motor. I wonder how many oil, filter & coolant changes it has had.
That windshield washer fluid might be a bit “ripe” by now. lol
I would not trust the hoses or belts or tires on anything other than a trip around the block.
Did any of these come with raised white letter tires or optional wider tires than 215-65r-15s?
Really, why would you buy a car not to drive it. Surely not as an investment.
It leads to another problem, do you drive it and enjoy it and then take a beating on what you paid, or park it again for another 30 plus years?
In thirty years from now the likelihood you would even be able to drive a gasoline powered vehicle is questionable.
As someone just recently said they should have invested in gold, less room and no upkeep.
The ’87’s were the fastest cars of the day, I believe, Foreign or domestic. The ’87 I had was the real deal–with minor work, a high 12 second car. Don’t even mention the GNX!!. The $100,000 seems insane to me–but I’ve been out of the hobby for a while. For that low mileage maybe for the GNX….Maybe…
Someone will get tanked up and pay way too much for this at BJ. It happens all the time.
Maybe the guy bought 5 GN’s new,drove the dog poop out of ‘em then sold ‘em at the appropriate market price. He’s going to sell the last one for 100K+ and walk away close to even with a big fat smile on hi face and 35 years of driving a badass car under his belt.