UPDATE – We first featured these cars when they were found back in 2017. Then they were listed on eBay in 2018 and got bid up to $200k! Well, they showed up again this year at a Barret-Jackson auction where they only got bid up to $67,100… What?! It was a no reserve auction too. How did this happen???
FROM 4/5/17 – I know there isn’t such a thing as a new 1987 Buick, but this pair of Grand Nationals is about as close as you’re going to get. Apparently, the owner purchased these new and simply parked them in his garage. And that’s pretty much where they have stayed ever since. A while back, the owner decided it was time to move on, so they posted the cars on Facebook with an asking price close to $200k! That’s a crazy amount of money for any automobile, but it caught the eye of one Grand National fan named William. He decided to contact the guy just to have a look and boy was he glad he did!
It sounds like the seller is a bit eccentric. He required William to jump through all kinds of hoops just to see the cars. After meeting all the requirements, he and a friend were finally granted the privilege, so they made the three and a half hour drive. When they got there, the seller led them to an old house. They opened the garage door and sitting inside were the “Twins”. They are identical, have consecutive VINs, and have been together since leaving the factory, so the nickname only seems fitting. Both are low-mileage cars with their window stickers still in place.
William’s friend Shawn made an offer, but the seller was firm on the asking price. So Shawn decided to think about it before spending $200k on a pair of dusty Buicks. Given their history, they are likely worth more as a pair than individually, but the price was still too high. So they had to head home empty handed, but they spent the next month dreaming about the Grand Nationals. In the meantime, Shawn found a Mustang he wanted, so he called the seller to retract his offer. For whatever reason, that motivated the seller and they were finally able to make a deal. He called William and told him to get ready to make the drive back over to pick up the Twins.
They made the three hour drive yet again. As soon as they arrived, they started inspecting the cars to make sure they hadn’t been messed with since their last visit. The seller started to get agitated and told them they couldn’t touch the cars until he got his money. So they headed to the nearest bank to transfer the money. After that, they got the cars moved out and loaded into a trailer as fast as they could! Given the situation, I don’t blame them.
The Twins are now safe in Shawn’s shop. The headliners are sagging and they will likely need all the consumables replaced after sitting for all those years. Both car’s engines are in good shape though, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get them running again. One has 807 miles and the other has just 592 miles, so they haven’t even been broken in yet! Shawn plans on keeping them together and is going to take them to car shows. I’m just glad to hear that the Twins won’t be separated!
Source: GM-EFI
What a great story! Sometimes fairytales do actually come true.
I’m a little confused. The article states tat you finally ended up buying these, but it also says that after declining bids up to 200K, the seller decided to put them in at Barrett Jackson and they only made it to 67K. I was there when they crossed the block. So who owns the cars, and who ran them through the BJ auction? Beautiful cars, no doubt about it! Congratulations
What a waste to simply let these sit all these years. As those that buy these cars as “investments” their $$$ would have done much better in the market compared to this buy and hold strategy. Great to see they will come back to life.
Your incorrect sir. We made a investment in this purchase..follow the story you will see
Reading skills folks, the guy that bought them new and let them sit made a bad “investment” move in the true sense. Hope they were bought well and you enjoy them.
Someone once told me classic cars are the poor man’s real estate. My insurance company calls me every year to ask if I want to “increase” the agreed upon value of my classic cars. The classics don’t depreciate the moment you are in the driver’s seat. Enjoy your cars, guys!
I would love to see a pic of them all cleaned up!
So what did they look like cleaned up
Can we get pic of then after you cleaned them up
It seems to me the twins sold at BJ for $120,000.00
if Im not mistaken
Seems a loss of 80 grand sounds insignificant to these gentlemen, they must have deep pockets.
I have had four of these 87 Grand Nationals over time and one 87 Turbo T which is much rarer than a GN. I sold them all but I still have one clean 87 GN stored away with my fleet of junk. Anyway, I never had such a hard time selling a car as I did with these Turbo Buicks. No shows, lowballing, time wasters who just want a test drive, kids with no money, on and on. You would think for such a wanted car, it would be easy to sell one? No chance and I priced mine below what others online were selling for. Maybe that is why I struggled to move the darn things. As much as I liked Turbo Buicks, I will never want another one. They left a bitter taste with me and the sight of one today still bothers me.
Welcome to the world of trying to sell a car Nessy. It’s truly a sad state of affairs. The only thing you seem to have missed out on was posting it on Ebay and having non-paying bidders.
Ah, no Keith. I am not new to this, far from it. These cars are hard sellers. I never had such a problem selling anything other car as I did with Turbo Regals before. Yes, I have listed in the past over and over on Ebay with bogus fake timewasting bidders. Craigslist is no better.
You should Market the car to sellers overseas. Sometimes rich collectors in the Middle East, Japan, China, and Australia see the value in these rare American cars. Especially when the dollar is weak and they can get a better deal with the currency exchange. Just make sure you share the story behind the vehicle and you will probably get a quick hit.
Hi were these car found in Indiana and the owners first name of Rick? I use to with a guy that fits this story.
No,the sky’s of western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle
I want to see these all clean and shine… not restored, but rinced off, to see what they really look like! :)
Im a Polisher..i would love to Polish those given the history of them.
http://www.facebook.com/paulthedetailtech
I did a GN just two weeks ago. Have also done a T type….done 4 total in my career add on a Regal…lol
Very fast beasts. I raced one in time trials at a drag strip in my 70 Coronet, & it took off like I was standing still.
It’s sad a person could afford 2 of them and not even cover or occasionally clean them over the years
Two polyprop tarps 15’x15′ would have been a great investment at $20.00 each IMHO.
sad, very sad!!
Bob
Maybe not Bob. Might have trapped moisture on the paint and caused damage. Probably safer uncovered, as it can dry out rapidly if water condenses. If I covered it, I would use a sheet or something that breathes.
Yep…..breathable cotton covers vs. tarps which hold moisture preventing it from evaporating upwards….indoors or outdoors.
Agreed! Never ever use a tarp on a car. Unless you would like it to rust from the inside out.
True. Back in the late ’80’s when Marine “Shrink-Wrap” was just coming out… a $400k sailboat was delivered from the factory shrink-wrapped to about half way down the topside. It sat all Winter, one side to the sun. In the Spring when it was uncovered, the south/sunny side BLUE gelcoat had turned WHITE where the moisture had settled at the lowest point. The gel-coat was ruined and the boat had to be sprayed with PAINT (Awlgrip)! The owner/buyer was PI$$ED! The factory that paid for the shrink-wrapping ,paid for the new paint job.But a $400k sailboat with PAINT is never worth as much as factory gelcoat!
I bought one brand new back in the day, paid close to sticker if I remember, had a ton of orange peel in the factory paint, I ran mine at the local drag strip it went mid 13’s on factory tires, later I put a NOS kit on it and high 12’s were common, BIG mile per hour in the speed trap …@118-120 mph. The motors were under rated hp wise by the factory, ran really well for a loaded option wise car, pwr windows, locks, seat, trunk release, digital dash, T-roofs etc etc… I think it weighed 4200lbs if I remember correctly….I sold it when I was getting married in 1990….like to get another one day as I still have the nitrous kit for it! LOL!
Its a shame that the owner of this pair didn’t store them better, I think they were over priced at 200k in this condition…I’ve seen really clean ones go for 20k….if I had that kind of cash there are a lot of other cars that I would have purchased before this pair of dusty, rusty, neo-classics. Just MHO
I don’t see any rust, yes, dust, but that washes off. And these dirty untouched ones went for a lot more than $20k
These could fetch decent money. The last GNX that I’m familiar with was stored by a BMD dealer with 9 miles on the clock…yes, “9” MILES. It was sold to Len Immke Buick in Columbus, Oh. from Toth Buick in Berea,Oh.
Immke had a GN/GNX racing team with no less than 7 GN’s and 3 GNX’s and the 9 mile example was to be used as a display at events.
Sale price ? All said and done…$ 55,000.
And that was 20 years ago !
A little trivia…the 86 T-Type would beat the 87 GN’s track 1/4 time by a smidge. We had both at the dealership….fun stuff.
No, The 86 did not have the intercooler improvements so sorry you are incorrect. I owned both and raced em,
The 86 were intercooled. The 84/85 were hot air cars. The 86 had the exact same power train as a 87 they were under rated at 235. The 86 did have a different grille though.
No, The 86 did not have the intercooler improvements so sorry you are incorrect. I owned both and raced em.
Yeah they did I own one and it’s pretty common knowledge that they do you can check any forum or factory records
They make car covers for storage. He bought them to store them, you’d think he would have taken better care of them. But, he sold them for some crazy number, so I guess it didn’t matter. I thought it was the GNX that brought the big bucks.
That is crazy money isn’t it? I thought there was just a very low mileage GNX at the last B-J auction and went for $45k I think.
For close to 200k I could think of other cars that would be a better investment. These were a niche car at best. The owner probably never had another nibble and settled with this buyer just to move them.
I love reading about crazy dudes in stories like these; I’ve met similar junkyard owners like that, too. Scare the bejesus outta you. There’s always a banjo playing somewhere.
Dueling Banjo’s and the scary line of “you got a perty mouth” comes to mind…
The owner was “eccentric” that’s a polite way of saying nut job! That explains the lack of care given to these cars.
Yes, it is a bit nutty but it’s also cool knowing there could be very rare & virtually brand new cars sitting in storage and they could be anywhere.
the cars are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. congrats on your purchase
Not same value but it’s is mine and at meh eys it worth all diamonds
1987 asc mclaren
If you shouldn’t put a tarp on a car because there is to much moisture that might get trapped and rust the car out or ruin the paint, well it’s in the wrong storage place anyway. Short term or long.
Impressive story. I do like the Buick GN and GNX, but really tired of seeing them. That’s not a burn to Barn Finds for featuring these or any other Turbo Buicks they wish to. Just seems like these are crawling out of every shed these days. Same as the 78 Indy Vettes. Like everyone and their brother put these away.
There’s a special place in Hell for people that don’t appreciate a vehicle.
Cool cars, cool story. I owned an ’86 Turbo “T” Regal for a while. The car was fast in a straight line, but that was about it and I tired of it quickly.
Have fun finding a coil pack or a waste gate solenoid when they fail every other month. Stock headers crack if you look at them wrong. The AC Rochester MAF is the biggest POS ever created. And lastly…..that PowerMaster brake set-up is a real joke. That’s just the stuff off the top of my head. With all that being said, I still regret selling my low 11 second GN in 1992. No other car I have ever driven feels like a GN under 20psi boost.
Sounds like you got a lemon, I never had any of those issues.
He only bought 2?
What was he thinking?
$200K for two very low mile, but deteriorated, GNs? Wow!! If they were GNXs yes, but for GNs – crazy money . . .
Neat story and glad they will get going but at end of day I bet those cars will need lots of tlc to be right they look very poorly stored. We don’t know final number they were acquired for but I bet I could cruise the net and have 2 bought for lots less that have been taken care of.
I love the GN’s, but they were out of my budget then & they are out of my budget now. They were pretty much the brightest spot of American performance in the 80’s.
In the 90’s, a good friend of mine had a T type Regal, & he beat on that car like he stole it. He swapped in some lower gears & put a stall in it, & flat out embarrassed plenty 60’s & early 70’s muscle, & that was before he put nitrous on it. Today, 12 second cars with power windows & AC is pretty common, but in the 90’s that was insane.
One night, too much alcohol & too much nitrous, the engine grenaded. He ended up putting in a destroked small block 400, which after a couple weeks, & a pair of slicks, left the rear end in 100 pieces. Sadly, he pulled the engine & transmission & sold the car for scrap.
I’m a nurse at a little nursing home here in Nebraska. Every Sunday an 80 year old women shows up in a pristine 87 GNX to visit her sister who is in our Alzheimers unit. Parks right in front of the building between the usual rusted out F-150 farm trucks and hale damaged Cavaliers with barely enough room to fully open her door. Life can be so unfair sometimes.
Well. Why not ask her if she would leave it to you for a certain amount in advance?
She may be without relatives who appreciates the genre…
Let me know when she wants to sell it!
Racingpro56 make sure to get her number / address next Sunday.
Working on it. She doesn’t really like the car cause its black and hard to keep shiny. And the radio doesnt pick up her favorite AM radio station very well.
Man that’s awesome… definitely get a number… I’ll get you a finders fee that you will definitely appreciate! I promise…. ps… I’m the owner of The Twinz and that’s what I’m looking for. Thanks
Shawn, you bought these two featured here. Beautiful cars. Have you cleaned them up yet? Do you have a web page set up so we can see how they look now?
Brian
Is it common that 30 yr old barn finds have fully inflated tires?
Some times!
On the car you can see the drivers’ side, looks like those had to be inflated before it was moved.
To the new owners congratulations on your purchase.
It is amazing in what looks to be a closed garage, how much dust accumulated in 30 years.
I see the crazy guy wanted $200k but the guy who bought them made him an offer that he declined at first. I’m wondering what the offer was he declined and when he called him back after he found the mustang he wanted to buy how much they actually settled on? If the seller actually did some research and saw what these cars were selling for or his low mile twins were worth then maybe he realized how insane his $200k price tag actually was.
Back in the mid 80’s I went to look at an LS6 Chevelle that was for sale with a buddy. It was out in the country, owned by an older farmer. My friend bought the car. It was missing the air cleaner (cowl induction hood) and he inquired if the gentleman, by chance, still had it. He replied that he didn’t, but his brother, who also had “a Chevelle” may have one. We went to his brothers house to find another LS6 Chevelle with consecutive VINs! Evidently, the brothers walked into the local Chevy dealer together and each ordered their cars together. My buddy went home with both cars and sold the pair to a dealer for $10K…those were the days.
Shawn’ll have to grow two mullets!
Folks if you actually read the story you’d see they did not spend $200k on these cars, but ultimately negotiated a lower price. While not specified, I’d take a guess that is was closer to $150k. Still, that’s top dollar. However, as someone else mentioned, something is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it, not what a book, other owners, or a Buick automotive forum suggests. I think the VIN sequence novelty added a little bit to the price.
Hard to believe anyone on here is calling the original owner disparaging names. It’s likely he got 3 or 4 times what he paid for the cars. Probably exactly his plan when he bought them.
gotta watch those cars when they get old they had plastic teeth on the cam sprocket.
decades ago I heard the story of a guy who bought a car, drove it into a barn, put it on blocks, and covered it with a tarp. 20 years later he pulled the tarp back and found it trapped water and rotted out the entire car. Virtually worthless. Much rather have dust… What a find… Congrats…
This was my barn find last year. Jaguar XJ6 series 1, 1971. It had not moved in twenty years. We drained the oil, replaced the filter and new oil. new coolant, fed fuel from an outboard tank, replaced the plugs, put a new battery in and turned the key…It started first time…Saved from the wreckers…
Hello, are they gnx cars, and can you put some pictures of them cleaned up and some inside pictures and the dash , speedo, seats . I love them cars!
I had a Syclone and it was quick.
Brigham, the fact that the majority of people are clueless, uneducated or just plain ignorant of the acronym “VIN” is amazing. Even in the car “industry” (car dealerships especially) hearing things like a salesman say “Hey Joe, go get me the VIN number off that Buick” is everyday-common. Very sad.
My employer had an 85 GNX I thought it looked odd? Everything was blacked out it was the only car without chrome! Weird! Now looking at them they have stood the test of time and are extremely cool and desirable. He always lifted the hood 3-4 inches to cool of after he drove it! Wired! But what did in know I was driving a Rabbit!
Nice story about a guy who bought 2 GNs, stored them and made money in the sale-selling at market value kinda-and a guy who found them and bought them at a price he thought was good..good enough to buy. A Win-Win Story…😎😎😎 Thanx for posting…
These cars are neat but why buy one of these when you can buy a Hellcat with double the horsepower. Even the 392 challenger has almost 500 horsepower and they can be bought new in the low 40’s. I have a 1993 cobra I bought new and after looking at how fast the new cars are I keep questioning myself why I don’t sell it and buy a real performance car like a Hellcat or ZL1.
Please – some clarification on the Barrett-Jackson sale please – do we know this actually happened? Even so, there are quite a few shills sitting in the bidders seats at BJ and even sellers have been known to buy their own cars back – so it has the potential to be as corrupt as eBay . . . and of course we know what happened a few years ago when Craig Jackson had to buy back a Bugatti Veyron to “save face” when the winner caught on to the shill he was bidding against.
Their site says it was sold at $67k with no reserve. Why would they publish fake numbers?
Scams happen all the time. The auctioneer can advance the bid on his own with no other bidders. Names of winning bidders aren’t published. How are we to know whether the car(s) was/were truly sold to someone else or if the auctioneer just stopped the bidding after it stalled at $67k and said SOLD, even though it wasn’t. Ask yourself this: how do certain cars get auctioned at certain times at these kinds of auctions? Everybody knows that Friday afternoon from about 2pm to 8pm and Saturday from about noon to 8pm are prime time to auction your car and get top (or over the top) dollar for it. How does a guy get his car placed on the block during those times? It’s either got to be REALLY special or there’s a deal that’s been made in the background. Just my opinion, with a little personal experience mixed in.
Glad to see that a happy ending came about for the twin GNs.
Thanks for the update Josh.
I do not see 200k in those cars. When its all said and done they are still just a buick with a turbo. They are not muscle cars by any stretch of the word.
You may be right about the price, but many would disagree with you about the muscle car thing. Do a little research and you’ll learn why they were special.
If I was inclined to drive something that looks like these do, inside and out, I’d get a clean grocery getter and plug in a healthy driveline. But I’m not.
Put a Snake decal set on one, Mongoose set on the other & start the traveling drag strip show.
site says sold for $122k. wonder if any profit was made?
The most recent auction (Barrett-Jackson) shows that they sold for $67,100.
Each or the pair? Either way a nasty loss by the sound of it,
It’s pretty comical reading all the comments from people who where not there regarding the seller! After having to deal with tire kickers, treasure hunters, pimply faced kids with $350 in their pocket and Little Dick Rawlings wannabe’s for thirty years I’d be a bit demanding too. It’s even more comical how many people are freaked out over the dust that collected on the car, if you rinse it off without rubbing on it I can’t see it doing a darn thing to the finish. If the International Olympic Committee where to add Conclusion Jumping as a sport they’d have a great pool of competitors to choose from here that’s for sure.
Not exactly what I’d call an investment.
There were two lots, 1307 and 1307.1 They sold together for $67,100.00 each. Still quite a loss, especially with a sellers premium.
I agree with the Hellcat comment.
The 1970’s and 1980’s were times of shoddy coach and interior work for the American manufacturers. Hardly worth having those years “classics”.
They sold as a pair for $122,000. Add (the 10% buyers premium of) $12,200 that equals $134,200. Divide that by 2 (cars) you will get the $67,100 price each.
While I am curious as to what the purchase price and investment was(cleaning, moving etc..) just like the stock market. Every thing is not a “Sure thing!”
The owners have the privilege of saying “I owned two Buick T Types that were known as The Twins!”
The BJ seller(s) net of $54,620 per car was probably a loss for them given the original price paid and the subsequent carrying costs, but take the “story” away and that seems to me to be a fair price for a low mileage GN that needs to be reconditioned.