1987 Buick Grand National

“The hulking black Grand National will scream from 0 to 60 mph faster than any other car made in America. Is 4.9 seconds fast enough?” when Car and Driver posted a 13.9-second quarter mile time during a late 1986 track test, the performance world took notice. The Grand National’s turbo V6 outran domestic V8s and exotic V12s alike, and was crowned the quickest American performance car of 1987.

Buick’s 3.8L V6 combined high-tech Bosch sequential fuel injection, a distributor-less ignition system, an air-to-air intercooler, and a Garrett turbocharger making 12 pounds of boost to create the kind of neck-snapping thrust not seen since 1970s big blocks. And its sturdy perimeter frame and well-optioned interior made it a comfortable place to commute — or win a drag race. The intercooled 1986–87 Turbo Buicks were instant legends, and nearly 40 years later, that legend has only grown.

This example was originally delivered to Faist Morrow Buick Olds Chevrolet in Chelsea, Michigan, where it was reportedly bought new by a GM employee. Its second owner acquired it in 2006 and refinished its body and completed some of the modifications listed below. Current family ownership began in October 2010, and the car is said to have only been driven a few hundred miles in that time.