It’s a little tricky calling this 1982 Buick Regal a muscle car. You see, it’s a Regal with the Grand National “package,” and not a fire-breathing turbocharged GN. However, it’s still quite rare, with fewer than 220 believed to have been sold when offered as an option. So, the question becomes whether you pay for sheer rarity, or do you save your pennies and pay for less rarity and more performance? That’s a question only the seasoned Buick collector can answer. Check out this ’82 Regal listed here on eBay for $30,000 or best offer.
On the surface, this Regal looks pretty sweet. The Grand National package was an off-the-line option, meaning the cars rolled off the assembly line and then got shipped over to Cars and Concepts for the special cosmetic treatment if owners asked for it. The package cost around $3,300 at the time, which was quite pricey for the era and one of the most expensive options Buick offered. Most all of these cars were equipped with a naturally-aspirated 4.1L V6 that made a modest 125 b.h.p., so this kit was all about the looks and not the performance. Check out the turbine-style wheels, rear spoiler, and Buick graphics on the rear quarter.
Inside, drivers enjoyed the nicely bolstered Lear Siegler bucket seats. The rest of the kit consisted of badges, blacked-out front grill and headlight covers, and subtle GN touches throughout. Although it’s disappointing to not see more of a focus on the performance, the overall effect of the cosmetic upgrades creates a very intimidating car. If nothing else, GM likely got some good data on what buyers liked about the package from this limited run of special order cars, and certainly made a compelling case for the high-performance Grand National and GNX cars to move into production.
While this 4.1L engine isn’t very exciting, there were a few Regals with this limited-edition package equipped with the desirable 3.8L turbocharged V6. Estimates peg the total number of cars equipped with both the turbocharged engine and the Grand National trim package at around 10-12 vehicles total, so that’s a specimen that will likely set you back $50,000 or more, by my estimates. The question is, does this rare Regal represent a solid value at $30K, or is it too much scratch for a car with what amounts to a bit of cosmetic dress-up?
Great looking car, just needs a real engine.
Ok.. this is special and looks great inside and out. But…. its 4.1 six with a 4bbl as I remember single exhaust. It’s a WANNABE!!! It does have those early Turbo emblems on it! For the Buick collector that has the Gran National 3.8 Turbo also a GNX this would add to it nicely. All 3 together trifecta !! Yes they would look great together. That’s my opinion! 😄 Now 30 large or more tough call! I drove a Buick with 4.1 it was a slug to me. It’s a show car. Something a dealer would do and this would be on the showroom floor to show the public what you can get in a Regal! I do remember seeing one like this back in the day. And it was beautiful. I can’t remember if it was Turbo. All I know these were a beast when unleash the power of the 3.8 turbo. I seen twinturbos on these. A Corvette could not touch it or many sports cars tried. I love this GM body style. My brother had the Monte Carlo 3.8 Turbo that’s rare. Yes it was fast. But it had single exhaust. I try to tell him to put on the GN duals. He wanted normal. Ahhhhh BS!! 😂 You could make the Monte just as fast as the Buick. Then my wife had the Grand Prix V8. That’s was fun t-tops!! Same body style. Well all can say is. Good luck to the seller! 🇺🇸🐻
It was on BaT, bid to $23k, reserve not met. And frankly, IMO that was ALL the money for it. $30k can get you a nice “real deal” GN, and wouldn’t you really prefer that? I know I would.
Agreed & well said; $23k is ALL the money, despite the ultra-low mileage. The only other option is trying a “live” Mecum, Barrett-Jackson, et al venue; the cynic in me thinks a live bidder might not catch the engine details, but just be blown away by the appearance. To be clear, I don’t condone this, just sayin’…
Son of the ’78 Regal turbo and daddy to the Grand National that was yet to come. Sometimes you have to appreciate your roots.
My brother-in-law’s late brother had one of these stored away. Not sure if his kids held onto it or not. I hope they did.
Although it will never be worth what the later GNs are, it is a collector’s car in its own right.
I had one of the turbo cars , traded it in for a 1986 T type designer series almost the same 2 tone but no Leif seigler seats it was a option that I had picked but they didn’t make it that way
Almost bought one of these several years ago but waited. I’m glad I did because I purchased a’85 GN just before Christmas almost 14 years ago. Got it repainted and modified to look like a GNX with these same type Lear Siegler seats that’s in this one. I still wished I had bought that’82 though. Love these cars.
Despite the relatively high asking price, a lot of folks just don’t realize how rare these cars are. Reportedly only 215 made. Think about that number for a moment. 215 total. Survivor rate taken into account, there’s not many of these left. Sure, there’s no “go fast” engine in these (even the handful built with the 3.8 carbureted turbo versions weren’t record setting vehicles at the time), but this is where the legend started. The seats in these models are expensive and rare but very comfortable. I’ll say this much, if I had a low mile example as nice as this one appears to be, I’d not sell it for his asking price if someone offered it. My 2 cents.
Atwood203 gets it.
I was hoping that my brother-in-law would ask about what was going to happen to his brother’s car when he passed away, but he never found a good way to ask. I wanted to help him fix it up (I heard it wasn’t too bad, but needed work) because it would have been well worth it alone, but to also keep his brother’s legacy alive.