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The Buick GNX was one of those rare answers that put a big middle finger to the auto industry at the time. Not only did it not get love from a lot of designers and lead engineers over at Buick, but it also came out in a time where nobody focussed on muscle and might. Unfortunately for the nay-sayers, this thing was awesome.

Before the ’80s: Muscle

Muscle cars were HUGE. Even today, the re-imaging and structure of the muscle car industry have made them a prominent feature on the road. From the emergence to the Mustang in the 60’s to the Pony races soon to follow from Chevy, Dodge, Plymouth, and Pontiac, muscle cars were in. This was, unfortunately, halted in the late ’70s when stricter emissions policies and safety ratings became the focal point for consumers. In an almost overnight experience, the muscle car went from everyone’s favorite to something of a by-gone era.

Before the Buick GNX: Pontiac Tries to give Muscle The Last Hoo-Ra

In the late ’70s, the automotive industry was taking a hit by both oil embargos and emissions standards. The companies who stayed alive were Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Pontiac – just to name a few. Their variations of muscle would go on to continue the race where others had dropped out. At the time, though, it looked grom for the standard muscle car and Pontaic Decided to go out with its own form of “bang”.

Pontiac CAN-AM: The Original Goodbye

The Pontiac CAN-AM was the tried and true tribute to the muscle car and everyone loved it. Basically they put as big of an engine as they could into it, threw it on the body of a Grand-Am, put some sweet designs on it and shipped out over 1200 cars. It was Pontiac’s goodbye. But for a company like Buick, they never had that moment for any of their cars. They stook with coupes and sedans. This lasted until 1983.

The Buick Grand National: 1983

The introduction of the Buick Grand National was supposed to be a car that had a lot of power for the average consumer. Well, they wanted to go further than that. Or, at least they didn’t expect to. At first, the car was simple. It had approximately 125 horsepower V6 under the hood, but through the next 4 years, it would grow into something that even the Corvette would have a problem with.

The Dying Call of The Buick GNX was a Battle Cry

By the end of its run in 1987, Buick wanted the car to go out as loud as it could. They ran a partnership with Mclaren and upgraded the standard GN with high-end racing specs. The Last of its kind, the GNX (the X standing for Experimental, not Extreme) would go on to show off how fearsome it could be. With an all-black and sleek powerful design, it did away with the rounded out fastback that came out a decade prior. This guy was lean and mean and totally looked like Darth Vader. Buick developed 557 of these bad boys, and you can maybe find one mint condition for just under $200k. It was featured in The Fast and the Furious 4 where Dominic Toretto drives it to steal oil tankers and the thing simply rips. The Buick GNX was the true way to go out with a bang.

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