Post by ferrari512s on Apr 19, 2014 2:12:34 GMT -5
While modern-day Buick struggles to compete with the likes of Lexus and Acura , there was once a car with a Buick logo that muscle-car enthusiasts dream of driving.
Funny as it sounds now, in its era this car used to give the Corvettes and other high-end sports cars a run for their money.
This car is none other than the Buick Grand National.
With a turbocharged V-6 under the hood that helped gain quicker accelerations and a standard black paint job that made the design of the Grand National more intimidating, this car is definitely considered as one of the true muscle cars, during its heyday.
To make matters worse, this car peaked in an era where econo-boxes reigned supreme and performance was an afterthought.
The Grand National, in today’s standards, is like the 2013 Shelby GT500 with both cars being a working man’s supercar.
So, now you’ll get the big picture how the Buick Grand National was in the 1980s...
With rumors circling that GM is trying to revive the Grand National name for a high-performance Buick, we just hope that the rumor of will come true and spark excitement like it used to back in the 80s.
Nothing charming could be said about the Grand National’s exterior, as it looked like any GM car that rolled out during the late 80s.
Yes, it did have distinguishing elements like the Buick grille and Buick’s "Power 6" badges in the fenders and wheel centers, but overall, it looked like your run-of-the-mill 1980s slushbox.
The main feature though that made it unique was the color of all the elements. Each nook and cranny of the exterior was finished in jet black.
Since the movie "Return of the Jedi" was released during the same time, people often referred to the Grand National as the "Darth Buick.” If only it had the laser guns and light sabers...
While its interior is an eyesore by today’s standards, the right angles and upright binnacles covered in a leather-print vinyl used to be “the thing” among the 80s motorheads.
Plus, it was marketed as a “working man’s supercar,” so to make the word "working" true, the Grand National had to undergo such a treatment.
GM’s longstanding first commandment is “Thou shalt not victimize thy Corvette” and that commandment went so far as to halt the potential GM/Shelby Shelby relationship.
Oddly enough, it couldn’t squash its own sister company’s attempt at putting its halo car to shame with a turbocharged box on wheels.
Sure, the Corvette was sexier and handled the twist more effectively.
In a straight line, however, the Grand Natty was pound-for-pound and dollar-for-dollar a better car than the C4 Vette.
Allow us to duck away for a second as Vette enthusiasts everywhere chuck tomatoes at our heads.
Source
www.topspeed.com/cars/buick/1982-1987-buick-grand-national-ar139782.html
Grand National Buick Die-Cast Model
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