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Check Out This Immaculate 1987 Buick GNX With Just 55 Miles Up For Auction

June 29, 2022

4 minute read

Check Out This Immaculate 1987 Buick GNX With Just 55 Miles Up For Auction

Check Out This Immaculate 1987 Buick GNX With Just 55 Miles Up For Auction

The GNX, which stands for “Grand National Experimental,” may have only existed for one model year, but it left a lasting impact. Buick made the car for the final year of the base Grand National’s second generation in 1987. The production run was rather limited, being one year long, and they were all painted black on the exterior.

What’s even weirder is that one model has never been sold since it arrived at the dealership all those years ago, allowing it to remain in pristine condition. Further, as the Buick GNX is an older car with a limited production run, prices for a GNX today remain high.

However, one of the remaining GNX units even broke a price record at Barrett-Jackson when it was sold, going for six figures. Read on to find out more about the price of a GNX today, as well as how this particular GNX was never sold and remains so immaculate.

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Buick GNX On Mecum’s: Immaculate Down To The Details

1987 Buick GNX, front view down low — Via: Mecum

A Buick GNX broke a price record at Barrett-Jackson when it was sold for more than a quarter-million dollars. It’s worth noting that only 547 units were made overall. This particular unit was number 480, according to the plaque on its dashboard, and it sold for $275,000. It has barely been driven, accumulating a mere 8.7 miles.

It spent most of its time on display in a Texas business after it was bought from Ralph’s Buick in Mena, AR in 1987. The auctioneers even noted how the base Grand National was “crazy powerful and [GNX] takes it to the next level.” Most surviving GNX models, thanks to their age and rarity, sell between $80,000 and $150,000, whereas a base model from the same year only sells for $40,000, provided it is in good condition.

That said, once in a while, a GNX can be sold for more than $200,000, like the aforementioned model at Barrett-Jackson, though that particular model sold for far more than even the most expensive GNX sales. Other specimen like the one showcased on Jay Leno’s Garage and the current one up on Mecum for auction, would also be low mileage and mainly untouched.

Jay Leno even had an unsold GNX featured on his show, and the vehicle was still in its untouched, original condition. And yet, in all its years of existence, the GNX on Jay Leno’s Garage never managed to find a buyer. This unit somehow managed to never sell in its many years at the dealership, where it sat since it arrived in 1987. It even still has the sticker on the window with its information.

After many years of it not being sold, the dealership took out an ad in the LA Times, where they still received no bids. After the ad failed, the dealership had numerous buyers show interest and make elaborate promises, only for each one of them to back out at the last minute for lack of cash or various other reasons.

This unit has 184 miles on it, all put on by Willingham, as he was the only person who would drive it. This unit’s miles come from it being driven to car shows, as well as its time featured on Jay Leno’s Garage. The tires on this GNX are original, and so are all the engine’s inner workings, except for the battery.

Unfortunately, the air conditioning is practically non-existent at this point because the coolant has all leaked out. This unit also has its original two-tone velour interior, as well as a cassette tape player, power windows, and power driver’s seat. As to be expected, GM, Buick’s parent company, wrote Willingham’s Buick dealership a letter a few years back confirming termination of its warranty.

The GNX was only around for a year, as it began life as a variant of the base model Grand National for the final year of its 2nd generation. The GNX was a collaboration between Buick and McLaren Performance Technologies. The GNX was an additional $11,000 option compared to the Grand National base model.

The initial MSRP was $29,900, which amounts to $71,317 in 2021 pricing. Buick used the same 3.8-L six-cylinder engine in the GNX that was in the Buick Cyclone, as Buick aspired to be faster than Corvette and Ferrari at the time. A unique feature of the GNX is its torque arm, which is mounted to a rear differential cover made specifically for GNX to increase traction.

The torque arm rear suspension achieved this feat by making the body lift as the rear tires were being pushed down. The vehicle shows off a turbocharged 3.8-L six-cylinder engine and a four-speed automatic transmission, and its engine puts out 290 HP. It has vent ports on its front fenders and a cast-aluminum differential cover.

Interestingly enough, unlike the base model sporting a cross-flow muffler, the GNX has two side-by-side mufflers with two exhaust pipes. It also lacks a 3.8-L logo on its hood. This car provided many Stewart-Warner analog gauges on its revised instrument cluster.

The interior is also quite dark, showing off a dark covering on its already dark material. The fabric is two-tone with woven logos on the headrests, and the storage compartment houses floor mats. The GNX also sports badging on both the front grille and the trunk, and the wheels are 16-inch black mesh aluminum, complete with Goodyear Eagle VR50 tires.

The Buick GNX up for auction at Mecum’s has seen very few miles and has not needed restoration. It only has 55 miles, as it was rarely driven, and it was with its original owner until 2017. This model is so untouched that it has its original parts stickers still affixed on suspension and its original chalk markings throughout the vehicle. The window sticker can also be seen. Just like the models featured at Barrett-Jackson and on Jay Leno’s Garage, this GNX is in its mainly unaltered condition from when it was first relea

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