The Buick Grand National is a prime collector’s item because it’s a cool version of a common car, it’s historically unique, and it’s pretty much universally respected by enthusiasts. An ’87 GNX is particularly special, and one’s getting auctioned off right now. With eight miles on its odometer.
As I write this there’s one day left in the auction, which ends Friday afternoon, and the price stands at $113,000.
A similarly sweet one sold for $97,500 back in 2014. In 2015, Barrett-Jackson set a record of $165,000 for one with 365 miles on it. And last year, somebody paid $220,000 for the last one ever built.
But something tells me that this car’s single-digit odometer reading is going to make spendy folks want to do crazy things. I’m not going to lie–I think this auction might be one of the most fun things to watch this week. If you’re into that kind of thing. (I’m guessing yes, you are, since you clicked this article.)
Then again, earlier this year, a very tidy one with less than 100 miles on it sold in the $65,000 neighborhood, which sounds like a steal after reading those other prices.
Anyway, if you’re playing catch-up and wondering why the hell anybody would spend so much money on an old Buick, I’ll refer you back to my first few sentences. If you really want to dig into what makes the Grand National special you should check out Andrew Filippone Jr.’s movie Black Air, or at least the panel discussion about it from the 2013 Jalopnik Film Festival.
But to condense the legend into a few lines, the Grand National is badass because it’s a factory sleeper. It’s got a powerful, tunable six-cylinder turbo where its contemporaries all had big V8s. Its body design would have been one of the most common on American roads when this car was new, yet the Grand National still managed to stand out.
The Grand National was like the everyman halo car, if that makes sense. The 1987 GNX version in particular was the fastest and final iteration.
I’m pretty sure the one that’s for sale right now has to be the lowest-mileage example left on Earth. So like I said... this sale could be pretty interesting to watch.
Hat tip to loki36963!