1984 was an important year for Buick in many ways. Sales were riding high, many new platforms were in the works with the front wheel drive compact Skyhawk and the mid sized Century being well accepted, the Olympic sponsorship they had been nurturing for over two years was to culminate that summer in the Games of Los Angeles, and they were about to introduce an iconic model that would forever change the public's perception of Buick.
By the early 80s, Buick's V-6 engine had become a mainstay across the line. The 3.8 litre version powered the midsize Regal and a slightly larger version was offered in Riviera, Le Sabre and even Electra. A smooth and durable little engine, it developed 125 horsepower in 4.1 litre trim. But hehind the scenes, Buick engineers were hard at work on the 3.8 litre engine, and in 1984 came out with a 3.8 litre turbocharged engine with sequential fuel injection that produced 200 HP. It was available in Regal and Riviera T-Type coupes and set the stage for one of the most famous Buicks of all time.
The special edition WE2 Grand National package was introduced as a limited edition in the spring of 1984. It came in one color- Black (Code 19) , with a black and grey interior featuring special Lear Siegler buckets seats with leather inserts and Turbo 6 logos. The bumpers and all bright trim were black. There was a front air dam and a black rear spoiler, blacked out wheel opening moldings, black window reveal moldings, black headlamp and taillamp bezels, and even a black standard antenna.
Every piece of trim on the car was black, the only bright being the Grand National fender emblems, the 3.8 SFI Turbo badges on the hood, the header car and edges of the black grille, and the aluminum wheels- and even they featured blacked out paint and black centers. It was Darth Buick, and people went crazy over it. Enthusiast magazines couldn't believe it was a Buick. The era of the modern Buick performance car was here, and it was all powered by Buick's amazing V6 engine, the backbone of the Buick line.
The WE2 was available only on the Regal T-Type (J47) coupe, and the 3.8SFI Turbo and Turbo Hydra Matic Transmission was the only powertrain. Additional options available included Hatch Roof (CC1), Astroroof (CF5), Cruise Control (K34) , Electronic Touch Control Air Conditioning, (C68- regular C60 Air Conditioning was standard), Rear defogger (C49), Remote Trunk Release (A90), Electronic Instrumentation (U52), Theft Deterrent System (UA6) and Lighted Vanity Mirror (D64). Many of these options, especially Hatch Roof and Astroroof were very popular with buyers.
As was the Grand National itself. All told, 2,000 1984 Grand Nationals were shipped to Buick Dealers and the car was a great image vehicle for Buick- with the V-6 at the very heart of it all. It would continue through the 1987 model year and go on to become the stuff of Buick legend.
Introductory flyer for the 1984 Grand National
Page Two of the Introductory Flyer
Grand National Fender badge
3.8 SFI Turbo says it all
Bad to the Bone
B-b-b-b-bad
1984 Grand National seats with leather facings
Only 1984 GNs have leather facings
1984-5 Grand national alloy wheels
One important footnote is the introductory commercial- George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone", recently used in the movie Christine, was licensed and adapted to introduce the Grand National. And "Bad to the Bone" became its mantra. Take a look:
There were only two major changes to the 1986 Grand National, but this was the year that changed the game. The big news of the year was the addition of the intercooler, along with other changes to the turbocharger itself, manifolds, and a resdesigned exhaust, the net of which added an announced 35 horsepower - making an official output of 235 HP at 4,000 RPM, and 330 ft. lbs. of torque at 2,400 RPM. Of course, it is long rumored that the official output was really somewhere bewteen 270 and 290 HP.
One thing was certain- the Intercooled Grand National was FAST. Ford Motor Company bought one of the first ones to race against their '86 Mustang GT. In an internal memo, they bragged about how they hoped to show Darth Buick their new louvered tail lights, but at the end of the day the Regal whipped the pony every time and Ford were forced to cry uncle. It was a memo we treasured at Buick Home Office.
Exterior changes were minimal. The front spoiler was modified slightly to allow airflow to the intercooler, and the Grand National Badge now featured a separate "Intercooled" badge nesting beneath it on the front fenders. The grille carried over but the wheels were new, Grand National now featured meaty chrome plated wheels from Motor Wheel. Retired Motor Wheel Engineer Joe Guzek tells how he took a chrome wheel formerly offered for Riviera and welded Chevy Truck rims to it. Once plated and fitted with a V6 turbo logo center cap, Buick engineers loved it and bought it for the Grand National.
A few new options joined the list for 1986. In all, a Grand National buyer could select from a list that included Hatch Roof (CC1) or Silver Glass Astroroof (CF5), Electronic Touch Climate Control (C68), Electronic Rear Window Defogger (C49), Electric Door Locks (AU3) Remote Electric Trunk Lock Release (A90), Manual Seat Back Recliner (AT6), 6-Way Power Driver Seat (WG1) Power Windows (A31), Electronic Cruise Control (K34), Front Seat reading lamps (C95- N/A with Hatch Roof CC1), Electronic Instrumentation (U52), Theft deterrent system (YA6) and even Twilight Sentinel Lamp Control (T82).
The motoring press went wild. Car and Driver tested one and recorded a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds- unheard of in a Buick! They went on to turn a 13.9 second 1/4 mile at 98 mph in a box stock Grand National. Motor Trend published a more conservative 6.0 seconds and turned a 14.68 second at 93.7 MPH, but the word was out that "Bad to the Bone" was even badder and Darth Buick was the car to beat.
Improved performance meant improved sales as well. WE2 Grand National sales were up 150% to 5,512 units, plus another 2,384 T-Type coupes. Total Regal Turbo sales were almost double that of 1985. Buick's Mighty Mouse Turbo V-6 was on a roll, and they weren't done yet. Next time we'll look at how to go out at the top of your game, plus a very special turbo surprise Buick had up their sleeve.
Our photo feature car is an excellent example. Owned by our friend, renowned Buick collector Roberta Vasilow, the all original example has only 11, 449 miles on the odometer. Thanks Roberta for sharing it with us!
The limited edition 1982 Grand National paved the way for things to come but was absent from the Buick line up in 1983, but the story was far from over. Buick engineers were hard at work on the 3.8 litre engine, and in 1984 came out with a 3.8 litre turbocharged engine with sequential fuel injection that produced 200 HP. It was available in Regal and Riviera T-Type coupes and set the stage for one of the most famous Buicks of all time.
The special edition WE2 Grand National package was introduced as a limited edition in the spring of 1984. It came in one color- Black (Code 19) , with a black and grey interior featuring special Lear Siegler buckets seats with leather inserts and Turbo 6 logos. The bumpers and all bright trim was black. There was a front air dam and a black rear spoiler, blacked out wheel opening moldings, black window reveal moldings, black headlamp and taillamp bezels, and even a black standard antenna.
Every piece of trim on the car was black, the only bright being the Grand National fender emblems, the 3.8 SFI Turbo badges on the hood, the header car and edges of the black grille, and the aluminum wheels- and even they featured blacked out paint and black centers. It was Darth Buick, and people went crazy over it. Enthusiast magazines couldn't believe it was a Buick. The era of the modern Buick performance car was here, and it was all powered by Buick's amazing V6 engine, the one that was rapidly replacing the V8 as the backbone of the Buick line.
The WE2 was available only on the Regal T-Type (J47) coupe, and the 3.8SFI Turbo and Turbo Hydra Matic Transmission was the only powertrain. Additional options available included Hatch Roof (CC1), Astroroof (CF5), Cruise Control (K34) , Electronic Touch Control Air Conditioning, (C68- regular C60 Air Conditioning was standard), Rear defogger (C49), Remote Trunk Release (A90), Electronic Instrumentation (U52), Theft Deterrent System (UA6) and Lighted Vanity Mirror (D64). Many of these options, especially Hatch Roof and Astroroof were very popular with buyers.
As was the Grand National itself. All told, 2,000 1984 Grand Nationals were shipped to Buick Dealers and the car was a great image vehicle for Buick- with the V-6 at the very heart of it all. It would continue through the 1987 model year and go on to become the stuff of Buick legend.
Introductory flyer for the 1984 Grand National
Page Two of the Introductory Flyer
Grand National Fender badge
3.8 SFI Turbo says it all
Bad to the Bone
B-b-b-b-bad
1984 Grand National seats with leather facings
Only 1984 GNs have leather facings
1984-5 Grand national alloy wheels
One important footnote is the introductory commercial- George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone", recently used in the movie Christine, was licensed and adapted to introduce the Grand National. And "Bad to the Bone" became its mantra. Take a look:
