Buick Grand National

The Buick Regal Grand National was one of the hottest performance cars of the dark days of the 1980s, and its performance is still very respectable even by today's standards. The 1986-87 intercooled models have always received most of the attention, but what many don't realize is that the Grand National package actually dates back to 1982 (in the Regal line). Another fact is that everything the Grand National had except the Darth Vader black paint was also on the T-Type (with the exception of the 87 GNX), so if you wanted the performance of the Grand National but didn't want it in black and/or preferred a much more subdued look, the T-Type was the way to go.

• 1982 - The Grand National's premier year. Most 82 GNs had the 4.1L 252 V6 (rated at a whopping 120 hp), but a very small handful (16 is the unofficial number) had the T-Type's Turbo 3.8L V6 with a 4 bbl carb. Only 215 total GNs were sold this year, so if you value rarity above all else, this is the one to look for.

• 1983 - The biggest noteworthy news this year was the elimination of the 4.1 V6 (hardly missed I'm sure). It is believed that all Grand Nationals had the Turbo 4 bbl carbed engine this year.

• 1984 - This was the year the GN really started coming into its own. Now all GNs were Darth-Vader black, the Turbo engine dumped its carburetor and was now sequentially fuel injected and rated at 200 hp. All GNs now had the 4-speed 200-4R automatic tranny. 2100 sold this year.

• 1985 - A virtual rerun of 1984, save for a slightly revised grille and front air dam. 2100 also sold this year.

• 1986 - THIS was the magical year for the GN. THIS was the year that many people, including the general public and the automotive press all gave a collective "WTF?" when this car was tested at 0-60 in under 5 seconds and the 1/4 in mid-13s - fast enough to clean a Corvette's clock and many other foreign exotics. The Turbo gained an intercooler this year and Buick rated this car at "only" 235 hp, but as many found out was vastly underrated (the actual hp amount still remains a mystery, but it was supposedly well over 300 hp). Sales jumped to around 5500 this year, finally surpassing the T-Type.

• 1987 - As one magazine said, "The Grand National is determined to kick up some dust before biting it", and kick it up it did. GNs got a 10 hp boost the year to "245" and was continuing to surprise people everywhere with its amazing power capabilities. But the true badass this year was the GNX, a limited-edition-of-a-limited-edition model. Only 547 were sold and it stickered for around $30K. It differed from the "regular" GNs with its fender flares, special instrumentation, and of course a 300 + hp Turbo engine. One magazine tested a GNX at 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and the 1/4 at 13.2 seconds - again, still very respectable today and completely unmatched in 1987 - even Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the day had a hard time achieving those figures. Production of the GNs continued until the end of calendar year 1987. The party was over in 1988 as the Regal went to GM's new front wheel drive W-body platform, and the GN and GNX were no more.

Like James Dean, the Grand Nationals lived fast and died young.