1987 Buick GNX

[IcePickFreak]

that generation of cars is what me and my friends drove back in the high school. Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo. We all had the basic models...except one guy had an 85 442, another had an 88 Monte SS, I had an 81 and 87 Cutlass....But damn, those Turbo Buicks were what I always wanted.

My 87 Cutlass had the 307 w/ 4 barrel carb, and a massive 160HP!!! I did get 25MPG thanks to rear end gearing, but man was that thing a dog by today's standards (I think my beater ecotec Saturn is faster). Prior to that I had an 81 Cutlass with that wonderful 3.8L. It looked sweet in black with T-tops and sweet chrome wheels, but what a DOG. my first car...I remember it got 14MPG cause I had to drive it so hard to make it remotely fun to drive. The funny thing was, the guy I bought it from had the nerve to put glass pack mufflers on it...on a V6.

Good times!

Yeah the GM G-bodies were pretty popular well into the 90s, then they all disappeared from the roads - a lot like the fox body Mustangs (or at least you don't see them too much around here anymore, 15 years ago they were all over the place still.) I had an 84 Cutlass Supreme that I dropped a 355 SBC in along with converting it to a manual with an M-20 Muncie. Parts from an old Malibu worked great for doing the swap and it looked & worked like it came from the factory that way even though the Cutlass of that era never came with a stick. It wasn't blindingly fast or anything (especially by todays standards,) but quick enough to have a lot of fun with it back then.

 

[kevman]

So is the Monte Carlo SS from the same car? Why is that one dime a dozen and this one more valuable ?

 

[LTC8K6]

So is the Monte Carlo SS from the same car? Why is that one dime a dozen and this one more valuable ?

GM G platform (RWD)

This family consisted of:

Buick Regal (1982–1987)
Chevrolet El Camino (1982–1987)
Chevrolet Malibu (1982–1983)
Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1970-1972)
Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1982–1988)
GMC Caballero (1982–1987)
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (1982–1988) note: 1988 model known as Cutlass Supreme Classic
Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais (1982–1984)
Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser (1982–1983)
Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon (1986–1987)
Pontiac Bonneville (1982–1986)
Pontiac Grand Prix (1969-1972)
Pontiac Grand Prix (1982–1987)

There were only 547 GNx's built. They are quite unique in many ways.

For the final year, 1987, Buick introduced the GNX at $29,900. Produced by McLaren Performance Technologies/ASC, Buick underrated the GNX at 276 hp (206 kW) and a very substantial 360 lb·ft (488 N·m) of torque.[5] This was created to be the "Grand National to end all Grand Nationals." Changes made included a special Garrett T-3 turbocharger with a ceramic-impeller blowing through a more efficient and significantly larger capacity intercooler with a "CERMATEL (Ceramic/Aluminum) coated" pipe connecting the intercooler to the engine. A GNX specific EEPROM, low-restriction exhaust with dual mufflers, reprogrammed Turbo Hydramatic 200-4R transmission with a custom torque converter and transmission cooler, and unique differential cover/panhard bar included more of the performance modifications. Exterior styling changes include vents located on each front fender, 16 inch black mesh style wheels with VR-speed rated tires, and deletion of the hood and fender emblems. The interior changes of the GNX included a serial number on the dash plaque and a revised instrument cluster providing analog Stewart-Warner gauges, including an analog turbo boost gauge. Performance was measured with a quarter mile time of 13.5 seconds at 102 mph (164 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 4.7 seconds. [6] GNX #001 is the 1986 prototype currently owned by Buick and sometimes makes appearances at car shows around the US. The GNX had a ladder bar that ran from the mid-section of the car to the rear axle, so as to increase traction. This is also the reason why a GNX will actually lift the rear end up when the car is about to launch heavily.

 

[CraigRT]

I am no enormous fan of the GNX or GN, but why all the hate? It's an 87 car.. I think they're pretty cool and definitely sought after in these parts of the world.

 

[alkemyst]

So is the Monte Carlo SS from the same car? Why is that one dime a dozen and this one more valuable ?

Different power train for one.

 

[hanoverphist]

Different power train for one.

probably availability as well. i like the monte carlos as much as the gnx tho, we just werent talking montes. best friend in HS had a 75 monte with a bored 400 in it. his dad was a hot rod guy, didnt like the original engine so he replaced it. probably not the smartest thing to give a 16 yr old. especially when we had access to his racing fuel and a private air strip.

 

[RU482]

wow, according to an online inflation calculator:

$29,900 in 1987 = $59,656.55 in 2012