The Buick Grand National is undoubtedly a sought-after American classic, and even if you felt like it had reached peak popularity a few years ago, listings like this one reveal it’s still going strong. Of course, this particular Grand National has a major differentiator compared to some of the other cars we’ve seen recently, and that’s because it’s equipped with the rare AstroRoof option. While the feature itself is not particularly unusual, it was quite novel to find one in GM products in the 1980s. Find this Grand National here on eBay where bids are approaching $27,000 with no reserve.
While figures always vary a bit, it is believed that fewer than 200 cars were ordered with the AstroRoof, which simply amounted to being a moonroof option. You won’t see many outward signs of it being installed, other than people putting their hands in the air through the roof at a stoplight. Of course, this also means the headliner is unique to the car, and it can sometimes prove challenging to replace a panel like this if it’s damaged, and plenty of unrestored GNs have sagging headliner panels. In the case of this Buick, the panel is exhibiting some sagging, with additional damage noted to the cover that slides across the glass. As you can see, the exterior needs some work with obvious clear coat failure.
The seller notes that this is a project-grade GN but the cosmetics inside are far cleaner than on the outside. The bucket seats are in surprisingly nice shape for a project, and especially one with some miles on the clock as the Buick shows just under 80,000 on the odometer. Feature-wise, the seller notes that the Buick was equipped with the optional Concert Sound stereo equipment but that the head unit was replaced with an aftermarket piece. If you were to buy this Grand National, I believe you could live with the interior condition indefinitely while the engine and body were restored.
The exterior cosmetic issues are obvious – the clear coat is failing, among other paint damage – but the mechanical concerns are only evident when you fire the Grand National up. The seller notes that the numbers-matching 3.8L turbocharged V6 “….(has) a noise in the front of the motor when it gets warmed up that has not been clearly identified.” This is fairly vague and could be so many things, but that mystery isn’t stopping bidders from ponying up the cash to take this desirable AstroRoof-equipped Grand National home as a springtime project.
I had a 1987 GN with the rare Digital Dash cluster I bought in 1992, I loved it yet have never seen another in person
Ted, my GN has both the digital dash and the factory astroroof.
My 87 T-Type Turbo had the digital cluster. I hated the 85 mph limit on it so installed a .62 reducer in the Speedo cable which made the kilometers reading be actual mph so then had a 137 mph range when set to kilometers.
Had the digital cluster in my 87 T-type Turbo. Used a .67 Speedo reducer and the Speedo on
I love these things and given what it is, the current bid is pretty darn reasonable. If it doesn’t go too much higher, someone is going get a sweet little motor scooter that would be an absolute gas to drive.
My formerly mechanic had a ’86 with automatic climate control. He sold it with 6,000 miles on it years ago.
Personally, I would replace the stereo back to the factory radio, strip and repaint.
The motor issue is a concern not knowing what that could be. That would be the first fix for me.
The buyer has some $$$$ to spend.
With the cat removed, why not go with true dual exhaust?
Buick used clearcoat in 1987? If not, this repaint(or this original paint) deserved occasional proper deep cleaning/waxing.
Tho I still can’t believe i can no longer find INEXPENSIVE turtlewax liquid wax/cleaner in any brick & mortar store for many years now! Much less find my old fav, Simonize Vista liquid wax/cleaner in the white & yellow plastic bottle. Spray waxes are no substitute!
You do not have a true dual exhaust with the turbo engine. Both exhaust manifolds feed the turbo hot side, and exit through a single downpipe. The exhaust after the cat, or the deleted cat split into a dual exhaust at that point.
Noticed the cat delete too JoeNYWF64. Will it pass emissions test.
When I had my 87 in northern VA, for emissions testing I removed the dump pipe and put the cat back on. I also had a custom chip from one of the tuners that guaranteed an emissions pass… and it did. Got home, reinstalled the performance chip and dump pipe and was good for 2 years. Repeat as necessary.
No, Buick didn’t use clearcoat, it was lacquer from the factory. I had an 87 turbo T, WE4. Part of the car was repainted at the factory because they had a lot of paint problems, even on Monte Carlos. The black paint they used on the repainted area’s had metallic in it. The white monte carlo ss aerocoupe that I had was thin in one area but I left it alone.
AstroRoof was probably more common in the Buick as they didn’t offer them with T-tops.
Not true, my new 87 had t-tops.
Buick did indeed offer the T-Tops, a fairly common option, and there were substantially less Astro Roof cars built.
Not enough car for too much money.