Buick Grand National

The Buick Grand National was a high performance edition of the Buick Regal that took its name from the stock car racing series in which Buick took part. The name appeared in 1982 on a special edition of the Regal, most of which did not have the 3.8 litre turbocharged V6, though it was optional. After two years away the model returned with the fuel injected turbo V6 as standard equipment, rated at 200 horsepower and painted black, and in 1986 an intercooler raised output to 235 horsepower. When production ended in 1987 Buick built the GNX as a collector's tribute, developed with McLaren, with 276 horsepower. Described by the French article as the most powerful car on the American market in 1987, it could cover the drag strip in 13 seconds and helped reinvent the muscle car.