1987 Buick Regal GNX

Muscle car powered by 1987 Buick Regal GNX engine family.

Exact-year museum-displayed GNX retained as the program baseline for the black coupe body, grille, functional fender vents, flares, GNX mesh wheels, staggered tire stance, spoiler, glass, and trim; the display setting and current condition remain subject-specific.

Program 547 numbered Buick/ASC-McLaren GNX conversions

Engine Intercooled 231-cid turbo V6, 276 hp and 360 lb-ft

Transmission GNX-prepared 200-4R four-speed automatic

Rear chassis 3.42 limited-slip axle with torque arm and Panhard rod

Original MSRP $29,290 including the $10,995 GNX package

Story

1987 Buick Regal GNX

The 1987 Regal GNX family combined two-door five-passenger notchback coupe with numbered GNX conversion program configurations. This page keeps those factory choices together without treating an engine, stripe, badge, or trim package as a separate car identity.

Engines and transmissions

The GNX began with the intercooled 231-cubic-inch LC2 architecture and received a faster-responding turbo, revised intercooler, low-restriction exhaust, GNX controls, and transmission preparation. Buick advertised 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft. Period test estimates must not replace that factory rating, and later turbos, front-mount intercoolers, injectors, chips, exhausts, transmissions, or boost changes must be labeled. Transmission, induction, cooling, exhaust, axle, emissions equipment, and dates must match the selected engine path.

Chassis and brakes

The GNX retained the Regal's independent coil-spring front but used a conversion-specific rear location system. A longitudinal torque arm ran from a new crossmember to a special differential cover, while a Panhard rod located the live axle laterally. The 3.42 limited-slip axle, staggered 16-inch tire package, steering, brakes, and every GNX bracket and mount must remain tied to one car's program and service evidence. Brake, steering, spring, damper, axle, ratio, wheel, and tire equipment varied by configuration and must be reconciled to factory and car-specific records.

Body, trim, and proof

Start with VIN or serial, body tag, title, shell, and ownership history. Then reconcile drivetrain, chassis, protected finish, cabin, trim, dates, and records. Replaceable badges, stripes, wheels, or a swapped engine cannot establish factory configuration.

Exact-subject rear three-quarter view retained for the deck-lid GNX badge, spoiler, lamps, bumper, widened wheel openings, rear wheel and tire, roof, glass, and body proportions; auction context and current condition remain subject-specific.Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Specs

Car type: Muscle car
Seats: 5
Body: Two-door five-passenger notchback coupe
Engine: 1987 Buick Regal GNX engine family
Horsepower: 276 SAE net hp at 4,400 rpm and 360 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm
Torque: Configuration-specific factory rating follows engine, induction, emissions equipment, and transmission
Carburetion: Sequential-port electronic fuel injection with GNX-specific turbocharging and air-to-air intercooling

Equipment

One of 547 numbered Buick/ASC-McLaren GNX conversions
276-hp, 360-lb-ft GNX-developed intercooled turbo V6
Prepared 200-4R automatic and 3.42 limited-slip axle
Torque-arm and Panhard-rod rear suspension
Fender vents, flares, black 16-inch mesh wheels, GNX badges, and Stewart-Warner gauges

Linked Parts

Price history

Values

Nominal dollars from original price sheets, auction archives, and approved value references.

Original Price

Base MSRP $29,290

1987 Buick GNX final MSRP (1987)
Registry-reported final MSRP including the GNX package, before taxes and dealer markup; serial-specific window stickers remain controlling.
GNX Collector Status & Valuations
Option price $10,995

Buick GNX conversion package (1987)
Registry-reported GNX package amount applied to the selected Grand National before destination, taxes, dealer markup, and car-specific charges.
GNX Collector Status & Valuations

Values move with paperwork, originality, options, condition, venue, and body style. High bids and guide values are labeled separately from completed sales.

Reference records

Options, Colors & Components

Source-backed details for trim, chassis, production, and authenticity.

Engine Details

GNX intercooled turbo V6 231 cu in (3.8 L); sequential-port fuel injection; 8.0:1 compression; GNX turbo, intercooler, exhaust, and electronic controls; 276 SAE net hp at 4,400 rpm and 360 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm · Required GNX powertrain · engine assembly / specification
GNX turbo and intercooler system Ceramic turbine wheel, revised turbo housing and seal, revised intercooler core, charge plumbing, wastegate controls, sensors, fuel system, and GNX calibration · Required ASC/McLaren conversion hardware · engine assembly / specification
GNX engine controls and exhaust GNX-specific engine-control programming, boost strategy, low-restriction dual-muffler exhaust, emissions equipment, cooling, and fuel-delivery system · Required conversion path; period test estimates are not factory ratings · carburetor / specification

Transmission

Factory transmission GNX-prepared Turbo Hydra-Matic 200-4R four-speed automatic with overdrive, revised valve body, converter, calibration, and cooling

Options

Engines and Induction summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

GNX Buick GNX conversion program standard · performance · Registry record, VIN, SPID, conversion number, factory documents, ASC/McLaren hardware, dates, and ownership history must agree; added GNX parts do not establish identity.
GNX-POWERTRAIN GNX turbo, intercooler, controls, exhaust, and prepared 200-4R standard · performance · Every conversion-specific component, calibration, stamp, date, service replacement, and record must reconcile to the numbered car.
GNX-CHASSIS GNX torque-arm rear suspension and staggered wheel-and-tire package standard · performance · Crossmember, torque arm, differential cover, Panhard rod, axle, wheels, offsets, tires, flares, dates, and records define the original system.
GNX-INSTRUMENTS Stewart-Warner analog instrument cluster and numbered dash plaque standard · performance · The full cluster and plaque must agree with the Registry, VIN, documents, wiring, dashboard, and conversion hardware; either can be reproduced or transplanted.

Paint

Exact-subject front three-quarter view retained for the GNX grille badge, lamps, air dam, hood, fender vents, flares, black mesh wheels, tire fit, mirrors, and stance; auction markings and current condition belong only to the photographed car.Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

19 Black factory · solid

Production

Transmissions summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

1987 Buick GNX production conversions total · 547 · documented

Authenticity

Rear Axle and Ratios summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

GNX Registry, VIN, SPID, and conversion number Registry-confirmed 1987 GNX whose VIN, SPID label, numbered dashboard plaque, ASC/McLaren records, title, body, and ownership history all agree · GNX Registry certification, windshield VIN, trunk-lid SPID label, dashboard plaque, body and frame evidence, title, warranty records, and ownership chain · fraud detection
GNX engine, turbo system, and prepared transmission GNX-numbered-car-supported LC2 with conversion-specific turbo, intercooler, controls, exhaust, cooling, fuel system, and prepared 200-4R hardware · VIN and SPID, engine and transmission stamps, turbo housing and wheel, intercooler, charge plumbing, ECM calibration, injectors, exhaust, converter, valve body, cooler, dates, service and conversion records · numbers matching
GNX rear suspension, axle, wheels, tires, and brakes 3.42 limited-slip axle with GNX cover, crossmember, torque arm, Panhard rod, lower links, bars, brakes, 16x8 wheels, offsets, and staggered tire application that agree · Frame crossmember, torque arm, differential cover, Panhard rod, axle housing and carrier, links, springs, anti-roll bars, brake hardware, wheels, centers, tires, dates, and service records · date correctness
Black finish, GNX exterior, instruments, and documents Registry- and record-supported black finish, correctly formed vents and flares, GNX identification, Stewart-Warner cluster, numbered book and plaque, window sticker, and cabin equipment · Protected paint, body and trim mounting, vents and flares, wheels, dashboard, gauges, plaque, GNX book, window sticker, jacket provenance, invoice, service, restoration, and ownership records · trim correctness

Still Researching

production The 547-car total and number range are documented, but public sources do not expose a complete audited VIN-by-GNX-number ledger or splits by dealer allocation, option, assembly date, conversion date, destination, warranty disposition, or surviving status.
paint colors Black is the documented production finish, but no reviewed public source reconciles every paint formula, supplier, assembly and conversion touch-up, panel, plant, production date, repair, and restoration boundary.
interior The gray and black cabin, Stewart-Warner instruments, and numbered plaque are documented, but the complete trim-code, supplier, instrument-part, calibration, comfort-option, audio, conversion-date, and running-change matrix is not publicly reconciled.
authenticity markers Public model references cannot establish one survivor's Registry identity, original body, conversion hardware, engine, turbo system, transmission, axle, suspension, brakes, wheels, finish, cabin, plaque, documents, mileage, or component dates.