UPDATE 04/11/2024: I always admire anyone possessing unbridled optimism because that is sometimes the difference between success and failure. The owner of this 1987 Buick GNX possesses that trait in abundance. This is their second attempt to sell the desirable classic. Their previous auction closed below the reserve at $100,600, with nobody tempted by the BIN of $199,000. They’ve decided to roll the dice again, listing the GNX here on eBay. The details remain the same, although the new listing is a BIN-only proposition. Having not tasted success at the previous figure, they have raised it to $225,000. There is the option to make an offer, and I believe anyone genuinely interested will make that their first port of call.
03/16/2024: It is said that fortune favors the brave. Buick engineers in the 1980s would never die wondering if that is true. While other manufacturers successfully sought to extract extra power from their strangled V8s, Buick pursued a different path, producing one of the most potent production cars to emerge during that period. The ultimate expression of its iconic Grand National was the 1987 GNX, and spotless examples command eye-watering prices in the current market. Our feature car could achieve that feat because it is an immaculate and unmolested vehicle with a genuine 4,000 miles on its odometer. The seller has listed the GNX here on eBay in Hicksville, New York.
Henry Ford was once incorrectly quoted as saying buyers could order his Model T in any color as long as it was Black. That may be a fallacy, but it was a fact with the GNX. Buick kept exterior ornamentation to a minimum, limited to a couple of subtle badges and the polished outer section of the distinctive 16″ wheels. The Grand National had created a storm upon its release, but the 1987 GNX was the ultimate expression of that model. Buick despatched 547 examples of the Grand National to ASC/McLaren, where its specialists weaved their unique brand of magic. Many changes hid below the skin, but the enormous wheels, fender flares, and front fender louvers were tell-tale signs that this was no ordinary car. The seller isn’t forthcoming with their description, with no information supplied about this Buick’s history. However, its overall condition and presentation support their claim that it has a genuine 4,000 miles on the clock. Finding anything worth criticizing is almost impossible, with the paint shining beautifully. It is the ideal shade to expose panel bumps or bruises, but the GNX is as straight as an arrow. There is no evidence of deteriorating plastic, and its garage-kept history has allowed the car to remain rust-free. The glass is flawless, and the wheels show no signs of stains or other problems.
Okay, what makes the GNX so special? Buick commenced the build process with a Regal that received the Grand National treatment. Its V6 engine benefitted from internal upgrades, fuel injection, electronic engine management, a turbocharger, and an intercooler. The power feeds to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission, and the suspension received upgrades to cope with the significant performance improvement. Buick was set to release the Third Generation Regal in 1988. With the new model featuring front-wheel drive architecture, the 1987 model year represented an opportunity for the Grand National to go out with a bang. Buick built 547 examples of the 1987 Grand National that it handed to ASC/McLaren. The goal was to produce the GNX, which stood for Grand National Experimental. The already potent drivetrain received further upgrades, with the GNX’s V6 producing an official 276hp and 360 ft/lbs of torque. In this case, “official” is loosely defined because many believe the GNX produced significantly more power and torque than Buick admitted. Was it fast? Just a bit! The factory-quoted ¼-mile ET was 14.3 seconds, but contemporary road tests saw the car produce consistent sub-13-second passes. The GNX wasn’t merely fast for a five-seater, but with the ability to show a clean set of heels to offerings from Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini, the GNX was fast in its own right. The seller doesn’t supply much information about this car’s health, although the odometer reading appears documented. They provide this YouTube video of the Buick with its engine running, and that V6 sounds crisp, clean, and doesn’t blow smoke. A significant collection of paperwork is included, comprising the original Window Sticker, Owner’s Manual, and even a rare GNX jacket.
The seller’s reluctance to supply information about this GNX sees them including a single interior image. However, it is enough to suggest the condition is as flawless as you would rightly expect from a vehicle of this caliber. The distinctive Gray and Black seatcovers are immaculate, and there is no evidence that the headliner has succumbed to the typical sagging issues. The dash and pad are spotless, genuine floor mats have protected the carpet, and there are no signs of abuse or UV damage. The new owner receives power windows, power locks, a six-way power driver’s seat, a power trunk release, cruise control, a premium AM/FM radio/cassette with a power antenna, and the distinctive Stewart-Warner GNX gauge package.
Some cars roll off the production line, serve their owners faithfully for a few years, and make a final trip to the scrapyard with barely a murmur. Others have a profound impact, with their legend status and value climbing consistently. With a sticker price of $29,290 when it was new, the 1987 Buick GNX was not cheap. However, history proves it was a sound investment. The previous auction received an impressive forty-three bids before closing at $100,600, which is well short of market expectations. That poses the question of whether the BIN is realistic, which is a tough call to make. It is if you rely solely on information from Hagerty, although NADA quotes a lower price. However, there have been two recent successful sales that might add perspective. Both cars featured lower odometer readings than our feature GNX, with the more expensive one struggling to pass $190,000. The other sold for $176,000, demonstrating that sometimes it is worth researching a classic before making the investment. Do you agree?
Adam, a sub-13 second pass would be in the 12’s. Did you mean sub-14?
These cars seem like they’re always popping up for sale,seems like you seen one you seen them all but with different mileage
I’m not a real fan of these cars. Just the box style cars of the ’80’s. This one is the best one I’ve seen. But the body style has no character like most 80’s automobiles.
These ran strong mid 13 second times back in the day. I had a friend who was a mechanic for the FBI. They had some of these as well. He used to love to “Test Drive” them. My only hang up was having the 2004R in these with all that horsepower. I had one in my 82 Electra with the Olds 307 and it didnt make it to 90K miles. Although now that I’m thinking about it maybe GM put some more stronger parts in the ones going in higher performance cars like these.
The FBI had Grand Nationals, not GNXs. The 200-4Rs in these cars had considerable differences from your Electra. They can be easily modified to be a good performance trans and they have a better ratio spread than a 700.
100% correct ACZ! I’ve owned 5 ‘87 Turbo Buicks, soon to be a 6th, and a 307 LeSabre with the 2004R and never had any issues with them at all.
And the Turbo transmissions are plenty stout in stock or somewhat modified cars
I had an ’84 Regal T-type, bought it brand new and the transmission didn’t last very long. The rod bearings didn’t either.
Darth Vader’s car. These are remarkable in any age and even more so in the eighties. I used to be on the circular test track performing some mundane test and have these come off the stop pad and pass me like I was standing still. What a car.
Rare to see a GNX with low mileage and in mint condition. Usually they were enjoyed and used a lot with high mileage and lots of fun induced wear.
You must be confusing the GNX with the Grand National. The Grand National was produced in larger numbers and were less expensive so that their buyers enjoyed them like the mass-market muscle cars that they were; the GNX was much rarer and their buyers knew that, so GNXs in general weren’t driven as much and many GNXs coming up for sale had much lower mileage than their Grand National counterparts. This is an epic find that should be on Hemmings, not eBay, if the seller is expecting a bidding war amongst deep-pocketed buyers.
My sarcasm doesn’t always translate into text well. 😆
Most of the GN’s and GNX’s that survived where I live are low mileage because their owners were afraid to drive them or park them outside because they’d get stolen. Same thing happened wit Fox body 5.0’s. Nowadays it’s performance Challengers/Chargers, Hyundai’s and Kia’s.
Steve R
only two words describing the GNX that’s for sale, BAD ASS, back in the day I had a couple of grand nationals that were my three season drivers from Wisconsin to Ohare where I worked as a mechanic for American Airlines, both cars were tweaked with simple add on stuff like aftermarket headers, bigger injectors no restriction exhaust that included removing all pollution controls including the converter, don’t have a clue as to how much power they made after the easy mods but no one could keep up with me on route 12, I was challenged on a weekly basis and all who tried lost.
Rather lost on these but my1954 Century with its 455 and 700r will show it its tail lights. OH its on a 1989 chevy frame.
No, it won’t…
Yeah sure 🤣🤣🤣
You’re dreamin’
I ordered one in September 1986 from bell Chevy in md . Dec no build date . After several inquiries as to when . Still nothing . I was getting ready to transfer to a new duty station. At the end of March still no build date . Someone got a gnx with every option available.
You ordered a new Buick from a Chevy dealer?
Yep, there were, and still are, GM dealers who sell different makes.
I scrolled through the pictures of the car on auction and it seems like the buyer did the same thing: bought it with no build date, and provided that the dealership gets chosen to get one.
So, this buyer knew that it would be stored away from the very beginning.
That’s one tried-and-true way to create demand.
Remember looking at a new one on the showroom floor, $29k sticker was way above the $18k my GN was at. Disappointed to see metal debris and rusty metal particles around the inside of the fender where they cut the fender for the side vents. Thought how poor that install was and that they probably didn’t even paint the cut edges on the fenders.
The engine pictures look like it has a lot more then 4 thousand miles the radiator is banged up along with the top radiator support. Also not a single picture of the interior. For the amount this car will sell at it would need a solid inspect before handing this amount of money over.
I seriously don’t see where you think it is ” banged up”.
The picture is a little blurry is all.
Engine pictures look like more then 4 K and what happened to the radiator and the top radiator support. Also not one picture of the interior.
Only thing I see under hood brake fluid looks low
The brake reservoir looks that way on all hydro-boost brake systems that were standard on the GN/GNX.
More “than” 🙄
I road tested new vehicles for a large, suburban Philadelphia newspaper in the 80s. One day, our rep dropped off a new GNX. I got in and took off. Never did I have so many requests from fellow staffers to drive a car. It was very fast. I have a copy of the original window sticker somewhere in my piles of paperwork. I recall the MSRP then was about $27,000. Most of these went into storage. I believe the highest price paid to date is $250,000. A few years later, I bought a 1988 Monte Carlo SS every option. I preferred a V-8, even if it had only 180 hp.
This is the one I heard all the stories about when it hit the street. These were definitely sleepers and cought some unlucky car betters off guard. Love to own one.
I worked at GM and had early info about the upgraded Intercooled Turbo GN for 86. Convinced my buddy to order one and he had one of the first in town. We had connections with the programming engineers and got an improved “chip” for it. Beat a lot of cars in the area, especially after he added nitrous. I liked the performance so much bought a new 87 Turbo Regal. Looked at a 442 which I liked the looks better and nicer gauges/interior but one test drive of the turbo Regal was all it took!
Being around a GN is how I learned that turbos and nitrous are a match made in heaven.
Highly doubtful that any GNX sold for (only) sticker price. The additional dealer markup on these hard-to-get cars could exceed the sticker price.
Our dealer was not charging over MSRP, but $29K for a Regal when the standard GN was 17-18k was enough more and out of my budget.
Charging over MSRP wasn’t a thing back then.
I’ve seen some of these on other auction sites where they include a photo of sales invoice on one of these and there was indeed a steep dealer markup. It’s not like every dealer had 10 to sell. If you wanted one you had to be willing to pay more than the other 20 guys who wanted it. Similarly, Honda dealerships in the mid-’80s routinely had dealer markup above MSRP. It’s all about supply and demand.
These were notorious for blowing turbos. A nice 305 would have gotten you around 180Hp about that time, a much better idea.
No.No.No.
Not true. Only knew of one in our area that blew and that was one with heavy nitrous. Drove a 307 442 which I liked, but after driving the Turbo Regal there was not question which one I was buying. Not to mention the GN could hit mid 20’s mpg.
This is a car I could go out in public driving like a boss instead of missing some curve on a dark lonely road on a rainy night.
Probably scared the he’ll out of that new owner so they chained them up like the bad dog they were.
Liked the regular Regal better, because I associate Buick with luxury first and performance second.