1987 Buick GNX
Seller's description
The biggest upset in automotive history? It’s definitely up there. When the 1987 Buick Grand National was released in late 1986 it made a statement that both the automotive press and the manufacturer itself didn’t expect. Of course the car was meant to perform better, but to achieve the level of acceleration performance it did was not foreseen. First indication was when famed Editor-in-chief of Car and Driver Magazine Csaba Csere performed first tests in Michigan achieving 0-60 in 5.5 sec and the quarter mile in the high 13 sec range. They ran the test multiple times thinking their equipment was malfunctioning, in the end it wasn’t and the performance numbers proved that the Grand National was quicker than most all super cars of the day. Ferrari, Lambo and Porsche were left to scratch their heads. In order to reach customer demand a massive 27,000 plus Grand Nationals were produced, but not before Buick officials agreed to push the Grand National one step further. Still common today, Buick looked to an outside firm to help spearhead the project. The firm chosen was special engineering firm ASC McLaren. ASC McLaren started as American Sunroof Company in the 60’s which developed the moonroof as we know it today and engineered convertibles for other brands such as Porsche for the 944 and BMW with the Z4. During their operations in the late 70’s ASC changed to the American Sports Car company McLaren. The McLaren name came from McLarens Can-Am efforts as they set up with ASC to be their North American Support and Distributor. Since then ASC continues on as a North American engineering company supporting many big auto manufacturers and a portion of the company has moved to Ontario Canada where they perform precision manufacturing and fabrication as well, they also develop and manufacturer skyjacks for commercial use. So neat as the Mclaren brand as we know it is associated with the build of this very special Buick. In the 80’s ASC McLaren built numerous special edition cars for the big 3 in Detroit, all of them carried the ASC nameplate with the exception of just one. The Grand National Experimental dubbed the GNX was a collaborative effort between Buick and ASC McLaren allowing it to only carry the name of GNX. The cars were fully assembled with Buick highline interior option and sent to ASC for the modifications to begin. Starting with the engine, the GNX received a larger turbocharger and intercooler. From there the car received new programing and exhaust work upping power from 245hp to 276. The torque converter was modified to handle the extra power and connected a trick Limited Slip differential with solid rear axle. To help stabilize the rear axle, a torque arm connected to an aluminum rear diff cover was added. To handle the extra power the suspension, wheels and tyres received the ASC treatment with stiffer springs and shocks, slightly lowered suspension and signature ASC deepdish honeycomb wheels shod with Goodyear VR50 tyres. Of course to house those big wheels ASC turned to the body adding front and rear fender flares along with side fender grilles and a complete blackout package. All things in place it made for a sinister looking track monster. Production numbers for the GNX were super limited to just 547 units. A good chunk of those cars still ended up modified and raced leaving even fewer in circulation. The example we have here originates from bob Tolkan Buick in Milwaukee, the car was sold to an Exotic and Classics dealer before residing in her first home until 1999. From there the car moved to Lima, Ohio and in 2006 she finally made the move to Burlington, Ontario. From there the car went to my customer who eventually traded it into us. During this time the car has covered just 3500 Carproof/Autocheck miles. It retains its factory spare wheel, tools, books and keys. The condition of the car is immaculate. Minimal stone chips are present, the wheels show no blemishes, the black lacquer finish is unscathed with no spider cracks. The car meters perfectly indicating all original paint. A remarkable car in terms of condition. Of the total build this numbered vehicle is #190 of the 547 produced and one of very few on Canadian soil.
Contact Pfaff Auto for more details.
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