The Legend: Turbo Buicks
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- čas přidán 4. 01. 2010
- The Smoking Tire heads out to Fontana, CA for a drag strip meetup with the guys from TurboBuick.com and learns about the one-time "fastest car in America," the Buick Grand National.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
The best statement on this whole video was when he says something along the lines of "this car has no boundaries, just look at all the people we have here. Every race... We just all share the same love.. etc"
What the entire car culture should be. Sharing the same passion!
Adrian Gooden: That is very true. Unfortunately, it seems that car culture is often reduced to a massive Ego battle. Not unlike a Soviet era May Day big-dic-missile parade!
I don't know anybody that just don't love these. Everything about these car's are beautiful. I had a really really close friend who owned a gorgeous 1987 19 thousand mile all original one. Just with tires and a fuel pressure reg and a chip and a tranny done by Art car it ran a 12:04 @ 104 MPH. I had a new 93 Fox body Mustang Gt at the time all red no sunroof 5 speed car. We were both doing are cars up they were in pieces, motors, suspension you name it. We were both 21 years old and did a ton of street racing. He was dating my sister and one night he went fishing and was coming home late. He always could fall asleep at the drop of a dime. Well he fell asleep behind the wheel and died in his winter beater we all had em. We all had hot cars and winter beater boxes. He was such a Grand National nut and a good friend and KID! Every time I see these cars I can't help to think of my good friend Josh. His mom wanted me to have his car and finish it but I just couldn't! I couldn't even look at it, and I never did either. I eventually finished my car off with a Vortech S-trim and a ton of other parts to run a 10:58 @ 128. I love cars and for a lot of us there really in our blood. I love the Grand National and I'll always have a love for them for the rest of my days.
im sorry for your loss and i hope one day you can finish it in his honor
Your friend's mom offered you a GN and you said no? You are a fucking moron.
I felt your story . Sorry for your loss
JC B Thanks for your story, I too own a 87 T all black . My friend who used to work on my 1st one ( I’m on my third ) . Years went bye we fell out of contact. When I bought this one I thought I would just ride past his place, when I did there he was sitting on his porch having a cigar. I stopped and he said “when I saw that car I thought of you immediately “. I told him when I bought it I thought of him .(A good mechanic is hard to find . ) I guess my story was going along the same line a car , a person, memories . I was so happy I bought this car and found my friend again. Well as life would have it he died, lung cancer, FN cigars . Cars do carry a spirit . I wish you would have kept that Buick you would have given it more love. Your post brought back memories of street racing in the 90’s, ironic you would be friends usually Mustang crowds only raced the Buick boys . You I’m sure were a good friend. Let’s hope god let’s us keep our cars in heaven .🙏
Thanks for sharing that story!
Just the stance alone on the GNs is mean.
One of my all time favorite cars.
I'm 99% sure the engines have different internals and you can't just "strap a turbo" on a cutlass and have the same thing. You need lower compression pistons, and different heads. Or, you need to run less boost....You could probably make yours as fast as a stock GN, but not a crazy fast one without internals.
"the cap on the radiator, that's stock" lol
Matt does a great job as an interviewer, respectful and not pandering. Great job dude.
Matt - Great video, I own a 1987 GN and always love seeing videos and articles on it. Keep up the good work.
Buick needs to make a new grand national ASAP
It's a nice suggestion but the way cars are made today it would probably be an embarrassment let the legend live don't kill it
dreday b I couldn’t of said it better 👍
Just like they killed the Nova
The host seems impressed by 17 of these cars at this meet. The 3-day Buick GS Nationals held iat Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY just celebrated its 41st Anniversary this year (2022) and hundreds of these T-R's attend along with just as many 1968-72 GS's. It's always been the granddaddy of all Buick hi-perf. meets. The fastest Buicks in the world race there. A helluva Buick car show, too. Hats off to GSCA Founder Rich Lasseter for for keeping the Buick faith alive all these years. He also has a GNX # 489 sold to him directly from Buick corporate for the dealer price of $25K.
suspension is called 4 link with a torque arm ... ceramic blade turbo better intercooler and better chip in the 547 GNX's
scott smith the turbo on the ACS/McLaren built GNX turbo was ceramic as the original in the Grand National was however it was larger. They ran headers with a true dual exhaust and 16 inch wheels also
Watching this now, you were young. You came a long way!
Sounds good. Alpha platform means RWD, and the twin-turbo v6 makes good power. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Raced a 70-something guy and his elderly wife from a dig in his GNX this afternoon. It was purty. And purty loud. Definitely built up. He tore me apart in my little Saturn Ion with the SS/NA 2.4L LE5 motor. Even in tuned mode, I'm still at 12.5 lbs/hp, and that's what those were running stock back then. Amazing cars.
Not at the moment, but hopefully soon. I'll be sure to let you guys know, don't worry :)
The only car that will make my heart race by just looking at it. Someday....
wow, going to the heart of fontucky. matt, you're the best
Great Video . Thanks Matt
Ive lusted after one of these since they were new
i like how you guys actually show the times.
it grows really quick, but obviously this episode was shot a couple months ago, and the promo at the end was shot this week.
Sweet video!!!
Thanks guys!!!
Love the t types!!!!
I purchased the WE4 from Lee back in 2019. Had Lou Czarnota work on it for a month and have continued to keep making it better and better. Its a really nice car now.
the '87 gn was the fasted american made car until the '91 vette, and the vette beat it by like 1 mph.
@1-UP are you sure!?
@Let Love Fly Free Hell nall...that Fiero was so slow straight SLUG
@Let Love Fly Free Trust me it was a SLUG...my brother had one the GT AM6 and he got smoked by our neighbor 1986 Thunderbird turbo coupe pretty bad
A buddy of mine had one in school back in the early 90's. It was a beast of a car for a teenager. We simply called it the nash. I had a 72 c-10 with a built up SBC and we were supposed to run em but never got a chance because something on the turbo broke and he had to garage it. I think he ended up selling it. Still, I love those GN's.
Still loving my Turbo 6 , Road tripping to Leclaire Iowa . Checking out the American Pickers.
UGH i need and love to have one of these Regals
I like the turbo Buicks. Fun oddities.
we are making a new one, working on having a new intro/theme song every 3 months to keep it interesting.
I wish Buick was still making cars like the GNX. Instead my family's stuck with the ultimate retirement home car - the 2000 LeSabre. lol it's a very comfortable car, though. Really easy to drive. Awesome stuff, Matt. I'm really glad I found your new show
Great video, Thanks!
The GNX also used the black cross-laced 16X8 GTA Trans am wheels, but they used 4 front wheels because the backspacing was different from front to rear. I installed 4 front GTA wheels on my old 1980 Turbo Trans am Pace Car back in the day and it looked so good. You have to use the fronts only on G-body and 1st and 2nd gen F-body cars. Unlike 3rd gen F-bodies. My favorite factory wheels ever made. They are extremely lightweight as well. 20 years ago I had 4 sets of those GTA wheels. 2 black sets and 2 gold sets. Sold them all sadly. Wish I had kept at least one set damnit.
Here's a set of the black GNX wheels on my turbo Trans am back in the day. (actually they are just 4 front GTA wheels) they are sharp wheels though czcams.com/video/iKEjgyYmZGk/video.html
awesome episode
There was a time the Buick Regal was faster than the Corvette. I think it's important we remember that time, especially given the news of the return of the turbocharged Buick, the Regal GS.
You should try getting Lou Czarnota in an interview! He's down here in Lake Forest and still builds GN's
To this day I pull up to GN's with care when I see em on the street & as a kid it was the 1st street car I ever saw run 9s.. still gives me chills
yes, they are back on 18th, short hiatus
THAT SENTRA ❤️😍
I didnt even realize these older buicks have the same displacement as some of the more modern grand prix, monte carlo, regals of the early 2000. The only difference is the drivetrain platform, now they're all FWD V6 3800's. Gotta love how these cars existed with fuel injection/turbocharged back in the 80's.
When these were built they were faster and handled better than the Corvette of these years .And yes the did out handle the Vette cause I still have the car and driver article on the test they ran.And the Grand National X really put the hurt on the Chevy boys Vettes and Camaros
I owned a very stout 440 Magnum Golden Commander Interceptor in a 72 Demon which was a modified super stock and these Grand National Buicks Though never beat me to lights. stayed with me going through them. There was no car lengths it was inches and feet and two to three feet to be exact. Those Grand Nationals were and still are really. wicked automobiles. I have a 69 Road Runner now and its the same thing never ahead of me but door to door all the way down. the track.And no Corvettes in sight except in the rear view mirror .
No, they didn't handle better than the Vette. They were just faster than the Vette. The Turbo Trans Am is better at handling though.
dougslittlediesel that wouldn't be hard to do considering 80's vettes are complete garbage
I love the Grand National. Still one of those cars I want to own before I die. This car gives me hope that my 3.0L with a forged bottom end can make big power with the Precision turbo I'm working with. ;)
Awesome vid thanks!
yup my dad had 3 grand national's all three were stolen gutted and found trashed. traded a zl1 90s (i cannot remember the year) for a t-type Buick and it spun a bearing and blew the trans and it was nothing but a POS. sucks i wasn't born to ride in the gn's but i was born when he had the turbo t-type and man that thing was cool.
Headline news on all the major blogs today is the return of the Buick Regal GS at the detroit auto show, powered by a 255 horsepower, turbocharged engine with a manual transmission and all wheel drive.
I really hope to own one of these sometime in my life.
Great video.
The 87 was NOT a T-Type. It was a Turbo T Limited.
GNX also have a special ceramic turbo impeller that vastly decreased spool up time. GNX owners have been know to remove them and install a regular GN turbo since they’re irreplaceable.
Exactly...and it's a great time to do it.
Two of my most reliable cars were a 96 Regal Limited with the series 2 3.8L and a 95 Lesabre with the series 1. Everything fell apart except that engine. And you still see them on the road today with 200K + miles. One of the best (reliable and fuel) engines GM every made in my opinion. I could get 30mpg on the highway in my lesabre at 70mph.
Such neat cars.
Thats true. At the same time I think the 80's as a whole were a time for slow cars.
The auto makers got hung dealing with popping out of the fuel shortages.
So MPG rules put a brick in one pocket.
Then the DOT put a brick in their other pocket with all the crash testing rules that came about pre airbag.
With that we saw heavy cars that needed to sip fuel.
So they cut the pounds and got better MPG with a V6. then gave it power via the turbo. One of the few fun combo's from the 80's.
awesome hat at the end ^^
3:03 there is a story behind the car, ex corvette head didn't get a raise n quit chevy, got hired @ buick and built this to get back. he called in his racing experience from the american racing circuts already using turbo tech, pretty trick. its the american supra. 2 years in a row was enough for GM to step in and end the car after 87 because of the 40+ year tradition of the vette being the fastest GM car. After the goes back back to vette, with the raise as the story goes. Vador was born
It's a two-fold argument. The Buicks were relatively fast for the time, while the F-body cars and Corvettes were particularly slow in the 80's.
Dad still has his 87' turbo t and man does it fly. 60mph in 2.9 (obviously not stock haha)
I heard somewhere that they stopped making Turbo Regals and Grand Nationals because they were faster than the Corvettes at the time. GM never wanted to make anything faster than the Corvette. Anyone else hear that?
Hey Matt, did you serve in the Navy?
Buick should make a new Grand National.
Whats the name of the song, used in the intro? :)
it was from my popeye haloween costume.... we shot this October 31st, but I I didn't go full dress for the episode....
great video documentary of Grand Nationals (turbo Buicks). Keep up the great work.
Also the theme song is good and do you know what is happening to FLD?
New for 2015, the Buick Regal Grand National, featuring a LTG 2.0 L ecotec making 272hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Sound good to you?
They could use the engine presently being used in the parent car to the Chevy SS. The performance wing of Holden, HSV have a version of the VF Commodore aka Chevy SS they build specifically for their GTS model that pumps out 580 horsepower. The only challenge will be getting an air intake big enough to keep it cool
5:10 ladder bar that lifts the rear end under heavy launch. You'll see that sucker raise up to counter wheel hop.
Nice Vid
Well Done.
I never saw 28/29 MPG highway on my GN. Maybe I didn't stay out of it enough :)
Thanks man! Yeah, I've got a '74 Camaro for now as a weekend driver, but I'm looking for a daily driver. I'll look around for a t-type and just paint it black. I hope to own that, a '68-'72 El Camino, a '70 Challenger, a '69 Nova, and a '70 Roadrunner someday...
I was about to comment on how this feature didn't ask the critical questions. Questions like "will it drift?" Then I got to the plug for the Carbon Fiber Club at 9:13. Way to make commercials more palatable.
they will be, in 2015 on the redesigned regal with a twin turbo V6 makin 420hp from the brand new 2013 CTS-V v6
the turbo setup should be able to bolt up the same way on my car like the grand nationals tho right?
I came up on the chance to buy a t type and I don't regret one thing I love my car it's completely stock engine wise but man I love cruising the streets and surprising kids in their ricer cars when they try and race me
amazing!
great in HD! wow!!
lee and reggie WADDUP!!
darkside
I always liked the car. It's a good sleeper...
Wounder what they run for a turbo 62mm?
matt u have the greatest job in the world
*QUESTION*
Whats the diffremce between a regular turbo, and a turbocharger ?????
jeez, everyone takes it so personally. I don't know who your husband is, or why we cut his run (if we even shot it in the first place), but if we did cut it, it certainly wasn't because of his ported cylinder heads. We do the best we can, we can't be everywhere at once.
@a73formula Isn't a sedan a 4 door? The GNX's were 2 doors and in the issue I'm referring too didn't separate the cars in to any categories. It was simply the lowest 0-60 time for a "U.S. street legal ,production" car that Car and Driver tested for the year. Again... only what Car and Driver has tested for that year.
damn i love the gnx, i want one so bad
@TWill16 Oh yah it should, but u might have a few things in the way that u might have to relocate.
gotta say...the Gnx looks good stock....plenty of power and still very fast...I like it
we talk about all kinds of different cars, not just exotics. Usually sports cars, but every car can't be a $200,000 car.
Hey Turshin, in what lifetime was a 1986-87 Ford Super Coupe faster than a Grand National or a Turbo T-Type?
Show me one link - thanks
vrholdings 84 i think through 88 were the 4banger turbo coupes, super coupes were 89-90 something
+magnificent10304 i think the 86-87 GN's were faster than both the turbo and super coupes
Dude what kind of car was at the end burning out?
I wanna see more of Doug's Chevelle!
Cool cars :)
@TWill16 It might be the same size engine. but its not the same internals.
I want one too!
and 23 years later, if it doesn't, it should be embarassed with itself.
Ya, they also leak oil too, but I want one real bad.
Beautiful car that can't be kept outside for fear of thieves. lol
i got a stock v6 3.8 231 in a 85 cutlass supreme...its the same one that comes in the grand nationals...im going to turbo mines =)
Don't quote me on it, but I think one is in the works. Turbo four or twin turbo V-6 I think?
And also the Spirit too!
GM was not the only ones to play with turbo's, after turbo's entered the car scene iron block v8's were not the only thing dominating the track any more.
You could put a golf cart motor in a gbody and I would still love the shit out of it.
Check out my 87 gn. We got about 7 gn and one t type 86 or better. When is the next gn car show?
Ken Duttweiler is the Buick Turbo God!!!