Few cars attain the mythical status enjoyed by the Buick Grand National. Based on GM's rear-wheel-drive G-body, the sinister black two-door was something of a sleeper back in the day, but that's partly why it became a legend. This particular car is literally the end of that era, and it will have a new owner in January 2022 when it crosses the auction block with Barrett-Jackson.
By literally the end, we mean this is the last Buick Grand National ever made. According to Barrett-Jackson's auction listing, it rolled off the line at GM's Pontiac assembly plant in Pontiac, Michigan on December 11, 1987, and it stayed with the same owner ever since. The car is reportedly in like-new condition, still wearing its pre-delivery plastic on the interior and showing just 33 miles on the odometer. Clearly, the buyer knew this car would be something special.
For that matter, the workers building the final Grand National also considered it special. A couple of signs went with the car down the assembly line, and many workers autographed various parts both under the hood and under the car. Some signatures with dates and even times are clearly visible on engine components, and those old signs are still with the car as well.
The original window sticker is still on the glass, original build sheets are included, and autographs on the car include current GM President Mark Reuss. Per the photos, the car indeed looks brand new as one would expect with just 33 miles in a climate-controlled garage. That is, except for a small crack in the plastic trim on the steering wheel but hey, it was General Motors in the late 1980s. That could very well be a factory-installed crack.
What made the Buick Grand National so special? Its turbocharged and intercooled 3.8-liter V-6 pumped out 245 horsepower at a time when the Chevrolet Corvette offered 240. Meanwhile, lower-level Buick Regals with the same exterior styling offered modest V6 or V8 engines rated well below 200 hp. The same goes for the Regal's platform siblings, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Only the extremely rare Buick GNX – another Regal derivative that was a Grand National on steroids – could claim a higher output in GM's production car stable.
This isn't a GNX, and with over 20,000 Grand Nationals built in 1987, it's not a hard car to find if you really want one. However, we've seen low-mile GNs sell for over $100,000, and with this one still wearing delivery plastic and being the very last one of them all, who knows what kind of bidding war could erupt.
Look for this special Grand National at Barrett-Jackson's 2022 Scottsdale auction, running from January 22-30 in Arizona.
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