It’s not every day you see a Buick Grand National – especially one with less than 100 original miles
Back in the 1960s, American manufacturers were all known for making great muscle cars. Icons like the Mustang, Camaro, Challenger and Charger were all born during this period. However, several other brands also had some badass offerings in their stable. Under GM’s wing at the time were Oldsmobile with the Cutlass 442, Pontiac with the GTO, and even the Buick Skylark. By the 1980s though, that was largely all over. The 1970s oil crises wreaked havoc on big-engined, massively powerful coupes. It paved the way for boring, humdrum, front-wheel drive platforms bearing once great names.
The Skylark, for instance, moved more and more toward a wedge-shaped, soulless econoboxes with flaccid four-cylinder and V6 engines. A far cry from the previous decades. That is, until the Regal Grand National came along.
In 1982, a Michigan firm named Cars and Concepts retrofitted a couple hundred Buick Regals with styling elements to commemorate NASCAR’s Winston Cup Grand National Series. To that end, they gave the car a fitting name: the Buick Grand National. And now, this 1987 example is up for auction on eBay right now, with several rabid bidders vying to own what’s probably the lowest mileage example out there right now.
This 1987 Grand National was never even registered
Over the next few years, some big changes overtook the Grand National. For instance, they were all painted black from 1984 onward. Finally, by 1987, the Grand National’s final year, the 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine pumped out 245 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torque through a four-speed automatic transmission. That’s respectable performance even by today’s standards.
If you wanted a shot at this murdered-out Buick – and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t? – chances have been relatively few and far between. Especially given this car’s heritage, with just forty-nine original miles on the clock. Purchased in Colorado, the original owner picked it up from a delivery truck at an abandoned Air Force complex he owned, stored it for 12 years, then drove it out again when he sold it.
From there, the car moved to Idaho, where the second owner also appears to have stored it for a long time, before the current seller’s brother picked it up and brought it to San Marcos, Texas. Despite how many miles this car has traveled on the back of a transport, it’s only traveled 49 miles under its own power. It still has the plastic wrap on the steering wheel and the seats, for goodness’ sake. You can’t get much more pristine than that.
The car originally sold for just over $41,000 in today’s dollars
Back then, this car was fully optioned and sole for $18,954 – or just over $41,000 in today’s money. It also included factory T-Tops, another unmistakable ’80s feature, a 342 Positraction limited-slip rear end – pretty much everything except the digital speedometer option.
At time of writing, this car’s up for auction on eBay with a bid of $73,600. There’s 12 hours left, so if you’ve always wanted a pristine Grand National, time is of the essence. This “barn find” is going for about $20,000 over other nearly-mint examples. But really, when are you ever going to see a car like this with less than 50 original miles ever again?
