The model year 1987 occupies a hallowed status in the annals of American performance history, largely thanks to the final production run for Buick's legendary rear-wheel-drive G-body Regal. This was a year which witnessed the absolute culmination of a surprising performance renaissance, establishing a distinct hierarchy of models that spanned from subtle sleepers to an uncompromising asphalt slayer. While they all were based upon a common basic chassis, the Buick Regal Limited Turbo, the Turbo T, the Grand National, and the GNX each possessed a completely distinct character, set of specifications, and intended audience. Deciphering their nuanced sometimes blatant distinctions is essential for fully appreciating the genius brilliance behind Buick's final final muscle car hurrah of the decade.
The Turbocharged Starting Points: Regal Limited and the Turbo T Package
At the foundational base of this performance ladder sat the more more versatile and often underappreciated variants: the Buick Regal Limited equipped with the turbo option as well as the purposeful Turbo T-Type. The Buick Regal Limited was primarily traditionally the brand's luxury-oriented package, featuring cushy seating, generous brightwork accents, a a compliant suspension. Crucially, for 1987, astute buyers could quietly option this plush vehicle with the potent LC2 3.8L intercooled engine, essentially creating a wolf dressed in luxury attire. This combination permitted for a a stealthy blisteringly fast drive sans the aggressive overtly aggressive styling of its its blacked-out siblings.
On the other hand, the Turbo T, sometimes known its its WE4 designation, represented a decidedly focused philosophy for lightweight performance. Buick created the Turbo package as a a lighter lighter alternative for the heavier Grand National, attaining this goal through employing lightweight aluminum bumper supports and aluminum wheels. Visually, it stood in stark opposition to all-black Grand National, retaining most of the standard standard brightwork accents it was being offered in a variety of body colors. This variant was the enthusiast's purist's choice those those that valued unfiltered performance a a more responsive chassis over the iconic style presence of the more famous more famous all-black sibling.
The Menace in Black: Understanding the Grand National
When most most people think of a 1980s 1980s Buick muscle car, the vision which immediately springs to mind is that of the Grand National. Designated as the WE2 WE2 Regular Production Option (RPO), the Grand National was fundamentally not so much of a mechanically separate model and more of an iconic appearance and trim package. It utilized the exact same potent LC2 intercooled V6 and 200-4R automatic transmission as the Turbo T. But, its defining trait was its adherence to a single-color all-black paint scheme, a look that gave it its enduring nickname "Darth Vader's car" or "the Dark Side."
This menacing aesthetic was meticulously applied throughout the entire car. Every piece of the exterior body trim, including the window frames and the grille grille, was finished finished in black. The car car sat upon unique 15-inch chrome-plated steel wheels a a contrasting black-painted inset, creating a truly very distinctive appearance. On the interior, the National featured a specific two-tone black and gray cloth upholstery, with the turbo six emblem embroidered on the front headrests. It also was standard with the firmer F41 Gran Gran Touring Touring suspension, which provided it better road manners in order to complement its impressive straight-line prowess.
The Apex Predator: The Grand National Experimental (GNX)
While the Grand National was the king of the boulevard, the GNX was the emperor emperor of all all domestic performance vehicles of 1987. Created as a fitting ultimate farewell for the Regal platform, General Motors shipped only 547 fully optioned Grand Nationals to ASC/McLaren Performance Technologies a a radical comprehensive transformation. The objective was simple: to build the "Grand National|Grand National} to end all other Grand Nationals." The outcome was a a machine vehicle which was so incredibly quick it was able to beat most of the world's day's most exotic supercars, such as Ferraris even Lamborghinis.
The upgrades here were comprehensive and very effective. The engineers installed a more efficient Garrett ceramic-impeller ceramic-impeller turbo, a more higher-capacity efficient intercooler, and a specially tuned engine control control unit (ECU). The transmission was beefed-up for firmer shifts, critically most importantly, the rear suspension was completely re-engineered. This new setup included a unique longitudinal ladder arm a a transverse Panhard rod, which drastically increased grip and virtually cured axle hop during brutal launches. Fully understanding the complete complete Difference between 1987 Buick Regal Limited Turbo T Grand National GNX requires a deep thorough examination of the bespoke modifications which this partnership invested in this extremely limited-production model.
Breaking Down the Specs, Options, and Visual Cues
When directly analyzing these four four models, the differences their specifications available features become all the more more apparent. From the factory, the LC2 in the Regal Limited, Turbo T, as well as the Grand National was conservatively rated at two-hundred and forty-five hp and three-hundred and fifty-five lb-ft of torque. In dramatic contrast, the GNX GNX, thanks to its extensive modifications, was officially pegged at two-hundred and seventy-six horsepower and a staggering staggering 360 lb-ft of torque, though real-world dynamometer readings have since repeatedly proven these figures to be grossly underestimated, with actual output being well above 300 horsepower.
In terms of appearance, the hierarchy was just as clear. The Turbo T the Limited were sleepers of the group, often wearing bright accents and offered in a variety of wide palette of colors. The Grand National, of course, was exclusively strictly black, creating an unmistakable unmistakable aura. The GNX, however, took this dark persona even further. This model was fitted with lightweight fender flares, functional heat-extracting louvers on the front front fenders, a set of a unique set of sixteen-inch black cross-lace wheels which set the car apart immediately from even a Grand National. Features such as removable roof panels were widely ordered on the Limited Limited, Turbo T, and models, however, no GNX was ever officially built with this option, in order to preserve maximum chassis rigidity.
Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Buick's Turbocharged Fleet
In final assessment, the 1987 1987 Buick Regal range stands as a masterful brilliant case study of product segmentation the art of performance development. From the the surprisingly surprisingly fast luxurious luxurious Regal Limited Turbo and the lightweight lightweight Turbo T-Type, the brand offered a spectrum spectrum of turbocharged performance to suit fit varying preferences as well as budgets. The Grand Grand National subsequently solidified this performance into an iconic a menacing intimidating style package, creating a cultural automotive phenomenon that endures even this day. Crowning this all stood the GNX, a limited-edition limited-edition masterpiece that acted as a a definitive definitive exclamation mark, cementing the G-body platform's place in the pantheon of automotive performance legends. Each model was special special in its own right, but together they created a legendary hierarchy that redefined domestic muscle for a generation new era.