The year 1987 occupies a sacred status within the annals of American muscle car lore, largely due to the final production run of Buick's venerable rear-wheel-drive G-platform Regal coupe. This was a year which saw the apex of a surprising turbocharged revival, creating a distinct distinct hierarchy of models that ranged from subtle sleepers to a uncompromising supercar destroyer. Although these vehicles all were based upon a common foundational chassis, the Buick Regal Limited Turbo, the Turbo T-Type, the Grand National, and the mythical GNX each possessed a completely unique personality, set of specifications, a unique intended audience. Deciphering their nuanced and blatant differences remains essential for fully appreciating the genius brilliance behind Buick's final muscle car hurrah of the decade.
The Turbocharged Starting Points: Regal Limited and the Turbo T Package
At the base of this performance ladder sat the surprisingly flexible often often underappreciated variants: the Regal Limited with the turbo option and the purposeful Turbo T. The Regal Limited was primarily traditionally the brand's luxury-oriented package, featuring cushy seating, generous brightwork trim, a a compliant suspension. Crucially, for 1987, astute buyers could discreetly option this plush coupe the addition of the potent potent LC2 3.8L intercooled powertrain, essentially birthing a true wolf in luxury attire. This permitted for a a blisteringly fast experience sans the aggressive overtly menacing styling of more famous darker siblings.
On the other hand, the Turbo T, sometimes identified by internal WE4 RPO code RPO code, represented a more more purpose-built approach for lightweight speed. The manufacturer designed the WE4 T as a a lighter more agile alternative for the heavier Grand National, attaining this through utilizing lightweight aluminum bumper reinforcements by offering alloy wheels. Aesthetically, it stood in direct contrast the all-black Grand National, keeping much of the standard standard brightwork accents it was being available across a wide variety factory body colors. This variant was essentially the enthusiast's enthusiast's selection for those that valued raw acceleration a a slightly more responsive feel above the iconic unmistakable style presence of more famous more famous all-black counterpart.
The Menace in Black: Understanding the Grand National
When most most enthusiasts think of a '80s Buick performance car, the vision that instantly springs to mind is undoubtedly the the Grand National. Designated as the WE2 Regular Production Production Option (RPO), the Grand National was fundamentally less of a mechanically separate model but more an all-encompassing all-encompassing appearance and suspension upgrade. It utilized the identical same potent LC2 3.8L intercooled V6 engine the 200-4R transmission as the Turbo T. But, its unmistakable trait was its its single-color all-black paint theme, a look that gave it its enduring nickname "Darth Vader's car" and "the Dark Side."
This sinister sinister look was meticulously meticulously applied throughout the entire entire car. All of the body trim, from the window surrounds and the grille front grille, was blacked-out. The car rode on unique 15-inch chrome-plated steel wheels with a black center section, lending a truly truly memorable look. On the interior, the Grand National came with a dual-color black and grey fabric interior, with the signature turbo "6" emblem stitched on the front front seat headrests. The model also was equipped with the firmer F41 Gran Touring suspension package, which gave it sharper road manners to match its accelerative performance.
The Ultimate Expression: Enter the GNX
If the Grand National was the king king of the street, the GNX was nothing less than the emperor pinnacle of all American American muscle cars in 1987. Developed as a a final send-off to the G-body chassis, General Motors sent just 547 fully loaded Grand Nationals to ASC/McLaren a a radical radical transformation. The objective was simple: to build the "Grand National|Grand National} that would end all other Grand Nationals." The resulting result was a a machine machine that was so incredibly quick it was able to beat most of the world's era's most exotic supercars, such as Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
The upgrades were both comprehensive highly highly impactful. ASC/McLaren fitted a larger more efficient Garrett ceramic-impeller turbocharger, a more effective intercooler, a a custom tuned engine control management unit (ECU). The transmission 200-4R was also beefed-up firmer firmer gear changes, critically critically, the entire rear axle setup was completely redesigned. This new setup featured a unique longitudinal torque bar and a Panhard rod, which drastically improved traction virtually completely eliminated wheel hop during hard launches. Fully appreciating the full Difference between 1987 Buick Regal Limited Turbo T Grand National GNX necessitates a deep examination of the modifications that ASC/McLaren poured into this extremely very rare vehicle.
Breaking Down the Specs, Options, and Visual Cues
When directly comparing these four four distinct variants, the differences in performance figures and options become all the more more apparent. Officially, the LC2 LC2 found in the Limited, Turbo T, as well as the Grand National was conservatively rated at two-hundred and forty-five horsepower with 355 lb-ft of torque. In dramatic contrast, the GNX GNX, with its significant modifications, was officially pegged at two-hundred and seventy-six horsepower a massive a staggering three-hundred and sixty pound-feet of torque, though real-world dynamometer tests have since consistently shown these figures to be wildly underestimated, with actual power being well over three-hundred horsepower.
Visually, the progression was equally just as clear. The Turbo Turbo T the Limited were the sleepers of the bunch, frequently wearing bright accents and available a a full palette of exterior colors. The Grand National, naturally, was strictly black, creating an unmistakable presence. The GNX, in turn, took this dark dark persona even further. This model featured composite wheel arch flares, functional heat-releasing vents on the front front fenders, a set of a style of sixteen-inch black cross-lace wheels that distinguished the car apart immediately website from a standard a Grand National. Features such as removable roof panels were commonly available for the Limited Turbo T, and Grand National, but Grand National, but, no GNX was ever officially produced the T-top this option, in an effort to maintain maximum chassis stiffness.
Summary: A Legendary Hierarchy of Power
In the concluding assessment, the 1987 1987 Buick Regal lineup represents a masterful masterful case study of market segmentation and brand evolution. From the the surprisingly unexpectedly fast and luxurious Regal Limited Turbo and the lightweight Turbo T-Type, the brand provided a spectrum range of turbocharged power to suit different tastes as well as priorities. The Grand Grand National subsequently solidified this power with an iconic and intimidating visual identity, creating a cultural phenomenon that persists to this day. At the very top of it hierarchy was the GNX, a rare supercar which served as a a final statement point, solidifying the G-body G-body Regal's status within the pantheon halls of performance legends. Each model model was special distinct in its own way, but together they formed a unforgettable hierarchy which defined American muscle for a a generation generation.