Buick movie to see

[Fire-medic]

Did he say, "a Buick movie? Why would I watch that?"

Because it's about the Grand National/GNX, which is probably the most desirable Buick ever, surpassing the Stage 1 musclecars of the 1960's/early 1970's. I am not including one-offs like the "Y-job," considered the first factory dream/concept car, nor any of the pre-WWII cars, which were of a different era in automotive history.

So after seeing the preview, do you think you would go to the theater?

The federal govt. bought several hundred of these at the end, presumably for the federal marshals, Secret Service, FBI, or other law enforcement organization.

http://jalopnik.com/5942236/black-a...to-see-and-talk-to-the-director?tag=Black-Air

 

[The Beekeeper]

Looks interesting, I always liked the GN/GNX.........A local couple Carl and Jamie Walcott either hold or have held the 1/4 mile record for a non intercooled "hot air" car....................Tom.

 

[RaWarrior]

A great car saddled with the wrong marquee. Buick sells conservative, comfortable, boring cars to geriatrics. In your choice of white, off-white, beige, or silver. Not blacked out turbo hot rods.

Really the only Buick anybody would want to own. I'd like to drive one sometime.

Buick's seem to be fairly common among students...everyone I know with one has it because their grandparents died and they got it for free. Nobody willingly went out and paid money for one. But college students also don't turn down a free car, regardless of how un-cool it is.

Because nobody wants to buy the automotive equivalent of white velcro strap sneakers.

 

[mr.maxx]

i had a 92 buick regal GS .....loved it...nice ride and the 3.8 had lotsa nuts for a v6.

 

[98Redlne]

I owned an 85 Regal T-Type with the same motor as the GN.

That car was just a blast to drive. The Garrett turbo was pretty big for a car that size and had a considerable turbo lag, but when it finally kicked in at 15mph........dayumn!....it felt like someone put their foot on your chest.

I logged a lot of great miles in that car but eventually sold it after the turbo took a **** and I didn't have the cash to fix it.

 

[m-cman]

I've owned 3 Buick's in my life. All were convertibles.

My first car was a 1961 Invicta convertible I purchased used in 1963. Was a beautiful blue with white top.

The second was a special ordered new 1973 Centurion convertible. Gold with saddle interior and white top. I ordered so many options that the window sticker was two full pages. Every performance, luxury and convenience option. 455 V8, low ratio positraction rear end, 6-way power front seats on both sides, trailer towing option, oil and trans coolers, etc... Got single digit mpg. Used it to tow a Santana 21 Sailboat to the various Dallas area lakes.

The last was a 1972 Skylark GS, the last year of the intermediate size convertibles. Had a 350 V8 with a functional vacuum operated hood scoop that fed the carb. Was yellow with a white top and interior. Wish I still had it.....

They haven't always been old folks cars... :biglaugh:

 

[PATMAX]

I learned to drive in a 72 Electra 225 with 455- four barrel. It was a boat with tons of torque. Loved that it had no pillars between front and back winfows not to mention all the poon tang I got in that behemoth!
I'd take a Wildcat, a Riviera, or 50s two door ... or a GNX.

 

[mr.maxx]

I learned to drive in a 72 Electra 225 with 454 four barrel. It was a boat with tons of torque. Loved that it had no pillars between front and back winfows not to mention all the poon tang I got in that behemoth!
I'd take a Wildcat, a Riviera, or 50s two door ... or a GNX.

a 454? didnt buick have the 455? anyhoo...my buddy had a big ol electra.....73 i think....the ashtray was 2 foot across:rofl_200:

 

[Redbone]

The last of the "G" bodies from GM, derivied from the "A" body muscle cars of the late '60's - early '70's... Hurst Olds, 442, Chevelle SS, Pontiac Grand Prix, and even the El Camino.
Those GNX were a hell of car for the time and were well respected on the street. Not many of other brands factory stockers would run it on the street, that's for sure. When I was hanging out on Dort Hwy in Flint at the Small Mall's parking lot where every week (smaller crowds on nice nights during any night of the week) there was a big turnout for showing off your cars/ bikes, picking up chicks and some dragging. Late 70's and early eighties was the last hurrah for Flint's own Buick muscle car.

 

[dmax1]

Lets not forget the early Buick Stage I. Had a convertible for a while and it was a fun car to drive. :biglaugh:

 

[Fire-medic]

Lets not forget the early Buick Stage I. Had a convertible for a while and it was a fun car to drive. :biglaugh:

I mentioned it in post #1.:biglaugh:

 

[DakRatFink]

I always liked the GN and GNXs. . As a kid growing up in the late 80's my dad's fantastic tales of his youth in the 60's made appreciate the early days of muscle cars and hot rodding. There wasn't too much rolling off the assembly lines of Detroit that excited me too much. Yes I enjoyed modified hot rods and street rods we would see at car shows and the local drag strip, but I was starting to believe that bad-assedness was a thing of the past.
Even though I now appreciate Fox body 'Stangs and gen 3 Camaros/Firebirds they didn't "do it" for me as a school boy who loved "cool" cars. When the Grand National came around I was in awe. Maybe it was the fact every magazine I saw it in back in the day showed it with tires blazing. Maybe it was the fact that sinister blacked out treatment and the word TURBO were inherently cool to my 12 year old self. Maybe it was the magazine articles I read about this boxy Buick Regal that was as quick as the 'vettes of it day, but something struck a chord with me.
Around that same era, I heard one of the big 4 Japanese bike manufacturers made a "muscle bike" that had these huge side scoops and was also as quick as the fantastic plastic crotch rocket sport bikes of its day. I wonder what happened with that bike. I think it was a V something or other. I heard they outlawed after the first year because no one would ensure 'em and like 1/3 of the people who bought them wrecked them (snicker)

 

[The Beekeeper]

I heard something about that too........Those bikes were so fast in the first year of production that 1 in 4 owners died............Heard they tried to outlaw them!................Tom.

 

[DakRatFink]

I heard something about that too........Those bikes were so fast in the first year of production that 1 in 4 owners died............Heard they tried to outlaw them!................Tom.

Actually there are similar urban legends regarding the Grand Nats. There were supposed X number of the last run of GNXs that the government bought with no top speed governors installed on them, for secret service and federal agents and such to use.
There may actually be a grain of truth behind the Buick legends.

 

[Fire-medic]

Actually there are similar urban legends regarding the Grand Nats. There were supposed X number of the last run of GNXs that the government bought with no top speed governors installed on them, for secret service and federal agents and such to use.
There may actually be a grain of truth behind the Buick legends.

I also mentioned that in post #1.:biglaugh: As I recall, I think it was in Ward's Auto World.

 

[85 MAX-fan]

I clearly remember walking into Castle Buick when the GNX came out only to see a sticker of 86 THOUSAND+ for that thing on the show room floor. Obviously they wanted a bit over MSLP for it. The press had jacked up a buying frenzy, no wonder there were extras to be bought later.
Street racing back then meant early metal worked (cheaply) to get to the 12's or 11's and sometimes 10's. A few of my local contacts went the Buick route, one, a GN worked to cut low 12's/high 11's got its ass handed to it on the street in Chicago on a hot summer night back in the day by my 400CI Bird. Heat was the turbo'd GN enemy and I would always procrastinate after leaving the hot rod hang out to make sure the Buicks were hurt and slowing down before I ran them. They fell like flies. On the strip they would ice down the intake and hope to run stone cold before the tree came down.
The second, had been EXTENSIVELY worked to get deep into the 10's. I saw it personally at the Grove one night. He had a FORTUNE in that thing. A local hard ass with a straight up big block Nova cleaned his clock. The inside word was the Nova ran 9's through the muffllers on street legal tires. I bet he had less then 1/3rd the investment to take the money.
I love the Grand National mystique, but the reality was less then the legend the magazines pumped up. Stock high 13's was really slow 14's in the heat.
The good old days.

 

[TnVmax]

I had a '87 Turbo-T Limited (1 of 1,045) for over 12-years, and loved it.
This thing was almost a real sleeper, white, chrome bumpers, opera lights on the B-pillar, chrome rocker panels, big leather power seats, power sunroof, etc.
(I also had a '72 GS-350 convertable & '72 GS-X 455 Stage-1 clone).
I think it's funny how everyone has a "kill" story of how a lightweight Mustang, 2-seater Vette, beat a 3800 lb BUICK sled.
But, for comfortable street cruiser, it had it down pat.
One of my favorite "kill" stories is on the interstate headed to the Grand Run car show, there were 4 teal '93 Cobras in a row in the right hand lane.
I was slowly passing traffic in the far left lane.
The way the Cobras were lined up, the leader appeared completely stock, the 2nd had flowmasters, 3rd had who knows what, but I saw a huge tach & shift light, and the last one had long tube headers hanging down, and a tall cowl hood.
The leader comes out into the middle lane, and we go at it, of course I put him down with ease. The 2nd comes out, same outcome. The 3rd one comes out, it took a little longer to pull away, but the Buick did it.
Now I'm worried, the intercooler is heat soaked, and here comes "killer". We hit it and stayed close together, but I slowly put my passenger door by his front bumper when he gave up.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these are the baddest cars out there, but, for the luxo-cruisers they were for their time, the Buick club's moto: "Fast With Class" held true.
I now drive a Convertable Mustang California Special with a Roush Supercharger, and I like it also, but, it will never be anything like the GS or GN.

 

[Fire-medic]

Anyone know what Carrol Shelby called the "California Special?" I mean the 1st generation.

 

[TnVmax]

Anyone know what Carrol Shelby called the "California Special?" I mean the 1st generation.

Poor-Man's Shelby?

 

[sal98]

I also have a soft spot for these cars. I took my driver's training courses in the summer of '85 and I turned 16 at the end of August, so I had to wait a minimum of 30 days after receiving my driver's permit to go get my license. Meanwhile my dad started looking for a new car that summer (wanted to trade in the POS Pontiac Phoenix that he bought in 1980) and he was seriously considering a Monte SS. I begged and begged him to go look at the Buick Grand National. He finally relented and went to the local Buick dealer, but they didn't have a GN, so he test drove a T-Type that they had on the lot... and loved it immediately. He special ordered a GN a few days later.

After over six weeks of waiting it finally arrived and he brought it home. I got my driver's license the week before and after having the car for only five days he let me take it with NO SUPERVISION on a hot summer Saturday night to cruise the streets with my friends (NO... nothing bad happened). To this day I can't believe he let me take that car out by myself after less than a week (he made my older sister wait MONTHS before he let her take the POS 4-banger Phoenix out by herself) and I thought I was the coolest/baddest/fastest MF'er in town the rest of the summer driving that car (even though I never raced anyone the reputation of the GN was enough). Loved that car (the chicks loved it too :biglaugh.

He sold it with less that 50K miles on it in the fall of '01 and I was VERY tempted to buy it, but I had just sold my '67 Camaro RS the month before and I was on the hunt for... you guessed it... a VMAX. I don't regret my decision to purchase the '98 gen1 (that I just sold last June), but a small part of me really wishes I had that car now.

Scott