The model year 1987 holds a truly sacred status in the history of American muscle car history, largely thanks to the final manufacturing year of Buick's legendary rear-wheel-drive G-body Regal. It was a year which witnessed the absolute apex of a surprising turbocharged revival, creating a distinct clear hierarchy of which ranged the subtle sleepers to a all-out supercar destroyer. While these vehicles all were based upon a common foundational architecture, the Regal Limited Turbo, the Turbo T, the iconic Grand National, and the GNX each had a completely distinct character, set of specifications, and intended buyer. Understanding their nuanced sometimes blatant differences remains essential to fully appreciating the genius genius behind Buick's last muscle car hurrah of the 1980s.
The Foundation of Force: The Regal Limited and Turbo T
On the foundational base of this power ladder sat the surprisingly flexible often often underappreciated models: the Buick Regal Limited with the turbo engine and the purposeful Turbo T-Type. The Regal Limited was primarily traditionally the comfort-focused trim, replete with cushy interiors, generous brightwork accents, and a more softer ride. Crucially, for that final year, savvy buyers could quietly spec this luxurious plush vehicle the addition of the powerful LC2 3.8-liter V6 intercooled powertrain, essentially creating a wolf in sheep's clothing. This allowed for a stealthy blisteringly fast drive without the overtly menacing visuals of more famous darker siblings.
Conversely, the Turbo T, often known by its WE4 RPO code, was a more focused approach for stripped-down speed. Buick designed the Turbo package as a more agile counterpart for the Grand National, achieving this goal by utilizing aluminum bumper reinforcements by offering alloy rims. Visually, this model was in stark direct contrast the the Grand National, keeping much of the standard standard chrome accents and being available across a wide variety factory exterior colors. This variant was the enthusiast's purist's selection for those that valued unfiltered acceleration a a nimbler chassis over the iconic style statement of the more famous more famous all-black sibling.
The Menace in Black: Understanding the Grand National
When most many enthusiasts envision a '80s Buick performance vehicle, the image that immediately springs to their head is undoubtedly that of the menacing Grand National. Coded as the WE2 Regular Regular Production Production Option, the '87 Grand National was less a mechanically mechanically separate model but more an all-encompassing all-encompassing styling and suspension upgrade. It utilized the identical same potent LC2 intercooled V6 the 200-4R automatic transmission as the Turbo T. But, its defining characteristic was its single-color Darth Vader exterior theme, a look that earned it the enduring monikers "Darth Vader's car" and "the Dark Side."
This sinister look was meticulously meticulously enforced throughout the entire vehicle. All of the exterior body trim, including the door surrounds to the grille grille, was finished blacked-out. The car rode on specific fifteen-inch steel steel wheels a a contrasting black-painted inset, creating a truly distinctive appearance. Inside, the Grand National came with a two-tone black and gray cloth upholstery, the addition of the turbo "6" logo stitched into the front seat headrests. The model also came standard with the firmer F41 Gran Gran Touring suspension package, a feature that gave it sharper road manners to match its straight-line performance.
The Ultimate Expression: Enter the GNX
While the Grand National was considered the king of the street, the GNX GNX was the emperor of all all domestic muscle cars of 1987. Created as a a fitting final farewell to the G-body chassis, General Motors sent only 547 fully optioned Grand Nationals the facilities of ASC/McLaren Performance Technologies for a comprehensive transformation. The goal was clear: to create the "Grand "Grand National|Grand National} that would put an end to all other Grand Nationals." The resulting outcome was a a machine which was so quick it was able to beat many of the world's era's most exotic supercars, including Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
The extensive upgrades were both comprehensive highly very impactful. The engineers fitted a larger larger Garrett hybrid turbo, a more effective intercooler, and a custom tuned engine management chip (ECU). The 200-4R was also recalibrated firmer firmer shifts, and critically, the rear suspension was redesigned. It featured a unique ladder bar a a Panhard rod, a system that drastically increased grip and virtually cured wheel hop during hard launches. Fully understanding the complete Difference between 1987 Buick Regal Limited Turbo T Grand National GNX necessitates a deep deep examination of the modifications which ASC/McLaren invested into this extremely extremely rare model.
Breaking Down the Specs, Options, and Visual Cues
When analyzing these four four distinct models, the differences distinctions their specifications available features become even more apparent. From the factory, the LC2 LC2 found in the Limited, Turbo T, as well as the Grand National was conservatively understatedly rated at two-hundred and forty-five hp with 355 lb-ft of torque. By stark contrast, the GNX, with its significant modifications, was officially officially pegged at two-hundred and seventy-six hp and a staggering whopping 360 lb-ft of torque, though actual dyno readings have consistently proven these factory numbers to have been grossly underestimated, with actual output being well above 300 horsepower.
Visually, the hierarchy was equally equally clear. The Turbo Turbo T and Limited were chameleons of the bunch, often wearing chrome bumpers and available in a variety of wide range of exterior paints. The Grand National, naturally, was exclusively strictly black, creating an unmistakable presence. The GNX, in turn, took this menacing theme a step further. It featured lightweight wheel arch flares, functional heat-extracting vents in the front front fenders, and a unique set of 16-inch black mesh mesh wheels which distinguished it apart instantly even from a standard a regular Grand National. Options such as T-tops were commonly available for the Limited Turbo T, Turbo T, but Grand National, but, no GNX was ever ever built the T-top this feature, in order to preserve maximum chassis rigidity.
Summary: A Legendary Hierarchy of Power
In final assessment, the 1987 Buick Regal range stands as a masterful case study of market tiering and performance evolution. From the the surprisingly surprisingly fast luxurious luxurious Regal Limited and the agile Turbo T, Buick provided a spectrum range of forced-induction power to fit click here varying tastes as well as budgets. The Grand National then solidified this performance performance with an iconic a menacing intimidating style identity, birthing a cultural phenomenon which persists to this very day. At the very top of it all stood the GNX, a limited-edition rare supercar which acted as a a definitive final statement point, solidifying the G-body Buick Regal's platform's place within the halls of automotive automotive legends. Each car was distinct in its own way, yet collectively they created a legendary legendary hierarchy which redefined domestic muscle for a a generation.