Twenty years before the Hellcat existed, the Buick GNX was the supercar-beating muscle car that America loved.
As production of the Buick Grand National - and the entire G-body Regal - was winding down, Buick created a low-volume, high-powered send off with the 1987 Buick GNX. Just 547 GNXs were ever built, and the first one available for retail sale is going up for auction in January at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.
Following the first two GNXs that were retained by General Motors, Buick GNX No. 003 was started life as a car for press introductions racking up 8,200 miles before being sold as a retail car in August 1988. Its first owner sold the car the next year, and the current owner has had it ever since.
After a few years of not being driven often, this Buick GNX was put in storage where it sat for the next 20-plus years.
Coming out of its slumber, GNX No. 003 required some mechanical service and cosmetic restoration, but retained its original drivetrain... unmolested and unmodified. And the best part is that this car has just 10,790 miles on the odometer.
At the heart of the Buick GNX is a 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 officially rated at 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque, but these numbers are widely regarded as understated.
When it was new, the GNX could accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 4.6 seconds and run a quarter mile in 12.7 seconds; both times were faster than a Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 911 Turbo (930)!
Buick GNX No. 003 will hit the auction block in January where it will be sold with no reserve. The GNX may have been a sleeper in its day on the street, but there's no hiding from today's collectors. In 2015, a GNX No. 385 sold for $165,000 with 362 miles on the odometer, and earlier this year, the final GNX (No. 547) sold for $220,000 with just 68 miles on the car.
With these numbers, it will be interesting to see what the hammer price will be for GNX No. 003 considering its unique pedigree and its restoration and higher miles.
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