Buick: Grand National news
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Buick: Grand National news
I'm guessing this should be a new thread since I didn't find one for the Grand National/T-Type/GNX. If not, feel free to merge this wherever is appropriate.
http://www.insideline.com/buick/gran...-to-buick.html
SANTA MONICA, California — Buick is bringing back the Grand National, the GNX and the T-Type, three legendary performance nameplates from the brand's high times of the 1980s. All three cars will be sedans and they'll use GM's new rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform first introduced in the Cadillac ATS sedan.
That's the plan anyway, according to a reliable source who spoke to Edmunds.
As in the 1980s, the T-Type and Grand National will share powertrains and suspension calibrations, but the T-Type will be offered in a full color palette, while the GN will come in black only. Details on the exact drivetrain that will be used are still hard to come by at this point.
Buick's current turbocharged 2.0-liter has the right vibe but lacks the muscle, and the normally aspirated V6 has the guts but just doesn't feel right for these nameplates. A more likely scenario is the use of GM's long-rumored, and recently spotted, twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6. It's expected to produce between 350 and 400 horsepower, which would be more than enough power in a bad black Buick with a Grand National badge.
So what's left for the legendary GNX nameplate? How about GM's new LT1 V8? We've already confirmed that a V8 will fit in the confines of the Alpha platform, so it's not an issue of "if" it can be done, but one of "how" it will be done.
With a V-Series version of the Cadillac ATS almost certainly in the pipeline, a Buick version with a slightly less powerful V8 could be the ticket for the GNX. A six-speed manual transmission and six-speed automatic could be available in all three sedans.
Buick will also make changes to the sedan's interior and exterior to bring it into the Buick family. The size of the sedan should remain unchanged, however, (the Cadillac ATS is exactly the same size as a BMW 3 Series) and all of its subsystems such as steering, brakes and suspension will be shared with the ATS.
For those born after the Reagan administration, the Buick Regal T-Type, Grand National and GNX were essentially the quickest cars you could buy in 1986 and '87. They were powered by turbocharged versions of Buick's 3.8-liter V6 and they instantly became legends on the street and on every drag strip in America. Today these Buicks are highly valued collector cars, with prices topping out at $100,000 for one of the 547 GNXs that GM built in 1987.
One of those GNXs used to belong to Mark Reuss, the current president of General Motors North America. In fact, his dad, Lloyd Reuss, approved the original GNX when he was executive vice president of General Motors North America in the '80s. Needless to say, there's plenty of enthusiasm at the very top of General Motors for a return of these storied nameplates.
That enthusiasm can't work miracles, however, so we'll have to wait at least another year before this crop of performance Buicks even gets a mention in public. Figure the 2014 Detroit Auto Show is a good bet.
That's the plan anyway, according to a reliable source who spoke to Edmunds.
As in the 1980s, the T-Type and Grand National will share powertrains and suspension calibrations, but the T-Type will be offered in a full color palette, while the GN will come in black only. Details on the exact drivetrain that will be used are still hard to come by at this point.
Buick's current turbocharged 2.0-liter has the right vibe but lacks the muscle, and the normally aspirated V6 has the guts but just doesn't feel right for these nameplates. A more likely scenario is the use of GM's long-rumored, and recently spotted, twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6. It's expected to produce between 350 and 400 horsepower, which would be more than enough power in a bad black Buick with a Grand National badge.
So what's left for the legendary GNX nameplate? How about GM's new LT1 V8? We've already confirmed that a V8 will fit in the confines of the Alpha platform, so it's not an issue of "if" it can be done, but one of "how" it will be done.
With a V-Series version of the Cadillac ATS almost certainly in the pipeline, a Buick version with a slightly less powerful V8 could be the ticket for the GNX. A six-speed manual transmission and six-speed automatic could be available in all three sedans.
Buick will also make changes to the sedan's interior and exterior to bring it into the Buick family. The size of the sedan should remain unchanged, however, (the Cadillac ATS is exactly the same size as a BMW 3 Series) and all of its subsystems such as steering, brakes and suspension will be shared with the ATS.
For those born after the Reagan administration, the Buick Regal T-Type, Grand National and GNX were essentially the quickest cars you could buy in 1986 and '87. They were powered by turbocharged versions of Buick's 3.8-liter V6 and they instantly became legends on the street and on every drag strip in America. Today these Buicks are highly valued collector cars, with prices topping out at $100,000 for one of the 547 GNXs that GM built in 1987.
One of those GNXs used to belong to Mark Reuss, the current president of General Motors North America. In fact, his dad, Lloyd Reuss, approved the original GNX when he was executive vice president of General Motors North America in the '80s. Needless to say, there's plenty of enthusiasm at the very top of General Motors for a return of these storied nameplates.
That enthusiasm can't work miracles, however, so we'll have to wait at least another year before this crop of performance Buicks even gets a mention in public. Figure the 2014 Detroit Auto Show is a good bet.
#4
Moderator
Intriguing.
#5
Engineer
Wow, that's great...
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#8
wtf...Buick up front, Cadillac CTS silhouette, MB C-Class taillights
#9
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Perhaps this is the reason there will be no CTS-V Coupe next gen...
I'm hoping for good things.
I'm hoping for good things.
#12
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Very nice!
#13
Senior Moderator
wow. can't wait to see what they do.
photos look intriguing.
photos look intriguing.
#15
Senior Moderator
Suite
#18
Senior Moderator
^^ interior will look like the ATS, just with different branding and maybe different finishes and minor details
#19
Senior Moderator
if they put out a new model called GNX or GN, it WILL sell.
all of the boys from the 80's who swooned over these cars are grown up now and would love to go back to that part of their childhood, in a brand new vehicle.
all of the boys from the 80's who swooned over these cars are grown up now and would love to go back to that part of their childhood, in a brand new vehicle.
#21
Engineer
Now if there is a Chevrolet equivalent that is going to launch at the same time with a similar price point, then you may have a problem.
#22
Senior Moderator
G8 was a nice vehicle.
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