2015 Grand National & GNX.

[472 R/T SE]

My buddy had a Buick T-type.  He taught me what I know about the Grand Nationals & GNX, which isn't a lot but enough that I really wanted to buy his T when he let it go.  It was gonna be a temp. daily driver but my wife hated the looks of it.

Anyhoots, GM is bringing them back.  Pretty aggressive looking rig.  I like it.



http://myclassicgarage.com/social/posts/17290-2015-buick-grand-national-and-gnx?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=WeeklyEmail&utm_campaign=2013WeeklyEmail



"2015 Buick Grand National and GNX: Two Storied Nameplates Return

Buick wasn't always synonymous with retirement and long naps. During the dark days of the mid-1980s, Buick was GM's sunny spot for quick cars, racing prowess, and advanced technology such as in-car cell phones and touch screens. To turn fundamentally bad V-6s into viable V-8 alternatives, Buick engineers developed sequential electronic fuel injection, distributor-less ignition, and ceramic-impeller-wheel turbos.

Feeling its oats in 1984, Buick created "We Brake for Corvettes" bumper stickers celebrating an epic intramural victory: Buick's Regal Grand National could outgun Chevy's two-seater in the quarter-mile. In 1985, Indy cars powered by turbocharged Buick V-6s qualified 1-2 at the Brickyard. To seal the deal, Buick built a run of 1987-model turbocharged and intercooled GNXs; in our May 1987 issue, one proved capable of a 4.7-second 0-to-60-mph sprint and ran the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 102 mph. (C/D's test results for a 1988 Corvette: zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds, the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 95 mph.)

To put an end to the long, dull interlude that followed that era, Buick is resuscitating its two revered nameplates. The 2015 Grand National and GNX sedans will ride on GM's new rear-drive Alpha platform, which was introduced with the Cadillac ATS and is earmarked for the sixth-generation Camaro and the third-generation Cadillac CTS.

Like the ATS, Buick's GN will offer the choice of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four (currently rated at 272 horsepower) or a 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 321 horses in the ATS. The wicked GNX, available only in the official shade of evil (black), will be powered by a twin-turbo ­3.6-liter V-6 that should be good for 400 horsepower. The transmission roster will include manuals for the turbo engines and automatics across the board. The eight-speed Hydra-Matic due in 2014 should serve nicely here.

Even without the V-8 engines that are reserved for Camaros and Cadillacs, these Buick sports sedans should be capable of serious performance. By that we mean tire smoke on demand, near-neutral throttle-down handling, and acceleration figures that raise eyebrows in Bavaria. In the likely event Buick throws all-wheel drive into the mix, its new warriors will take the fight to Audi.

Family dynasties in the GM org chart reveal why Buick's hot rods easily won approval: Lloyd Reuss was Buick's general manager in the early 1980s when the Grand National and GNX seeds were planted. His son, Mark Reuss, a teenager back when Buicks ruled, is now the current president of GM North America. That infusion of fresh Reuss blood is bound to revive the brand's performance arm.

~ Don Sherman, Car and Driver"

[bill440rt]

Hood looks AAR inspired. 

[69 OUR/TEA]

As an owner of a 69 Charger,and an owner of 2 87 Grand Nationals,the Charger came back as a four door,the new GN coming back also as a four door.As for the "new" GN, YUCK !!!!!!
I went with.....
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[472 R/T SE]

You know what, that didn't even register with me.  I had to study the lines again.

I think if I had the pick, it'd be a GN.  I like the murdered out black look but in the NW that color gets destroyed.  In the spring we have showers roll through, stop, & the sun is out immediately drying over & over.  My wife & I's rigs' are '05s' & the glass is etched.  White & road grime gray are very forgiving more so gray. 

I                             I
\/ Our 3rd gray rig. \/  Those are my funky arrows pointing down.  I do love the ass end of "that" car in your avatar.

[JB400]

 They must be building these for the Chinese.  Buicks are big over there.  Unless they're looking to share parts with the SS or a Cadillac.

[Cooter]

Hideous.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Ugly. I'd rather have the new 2014 SS Sedan, if anything. Then again, probably a new Charger before that, right after a new Ford Interceptor Sedan 

[69 OUR/TEA]

What was an awesome sight,was in 1987 seeing the GN's lined up on the dealers lots,and a GNX in the showroom !!!!!
I test drove the new /current Verano and Regal in both versions,turbo and non-turbo.Nice cars,but just wasn't enough WOW factor for me to pull the trigger on one of those.And knew then that the return of the GN was coming,but knew it wouldn't be for me either.
Is the Buick crowd gonna slam the new 4 door GN's and GNX's as the Mopar crowd slammed the 4 door new Chargers ??

[TruckDriver]

yukkkkk 

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

What was an awesome sight,was in 1987 seeing the GN's lined up on the dealers lots,and a GNX in the showroom !!!!!
I test drove the new /current Verano and Regal in both versions,turbo and non-turbo.Nice cars,but just wasn't enough WOW factor for me to pull the trigger on one of those.And knew then that the return of the GN was coming,but knew it wouldn't be for me either.
Is the Buick crowd gonna slam the new 4 door GN's and GNX's as the Mopar crowd slammed the 4 door new Chargers ??

Having owned an 87 GN, I don't think I could pull the trigger on the "new" one. Not the same spirit. Same w/ the Dodge Charger. I'd buy another Crown Vic CVPI, first.

[472 R/T SE]

XS29L9Bxxxxxx, it seems I've never seen any pictures of your Charger.   

[1974dodgecharger]

they kept the same spirit in the challenger though...so they obviously know whats up.

What was an awesome sight,was in 1987 seeing the GN's lined up on the dealers lots,and a GNX in the showroom !!!!!
I test drove the new /current Verano and Regal in both versions,turbo and non-turbo.Nice cars,but just wasn't enough WOW factor for me to pull the trigger on one of those.And knew then that the return of the GN was coming,but knew it wouldn't be for me either.
Is the Buick crowd gonna slam the new 4 door GN's and GNX's as the Mopar crowd slammed the 4 door new Chargers ??

Having owned an 87 GN, I don't think I could pull the trigger on the "new" one. Not the same spirit. Same w/ the Dodge Charger. I'd buy another Crown Vic CVPI, first.

[rt green]

looks like a bmw.  isn't anyone original anymore?

[odcics2]

New 4 door Chargers outsell the old 2 door Chargers.  (66-74)  Times and tastes of the buying public change.    

[myk]

Cool car, but doubt they'll sell enough of 'em to keep it around for more than a year or two...

[bull]

New 4 door Chargers outsell the old 2 door Chargers.  (66-74)  Times and tastes of the buying public change.    

Hmmm. I wonder if any other factors might come into play here? Four door Camry sales dwarf the sales of the 2013 Charger so it must be cooler than both it and a 68 Charger.

[Ghoste]

Not to mention that the buying public is larger and when they sold classic Chargers there were other choices from Dodge (Coronet, Polara, Monaco).  Today if you want a mid size family car from Dodge you get ONE choice no matter how many doors you want.

[myk]

New 4 door Chargers outsell the old 2 door Chargers.  (66-74)  Times and tastes of the buying public change.    

Hmmm. I wonder if any other factors might come into play here? Four door Camry sales dwarf the sales of the 2013 Charger so it must be cooler than both it and a 68 Charger.

Rental fleets, public service vehicles, etc.  The 2nd and 3rd Gens were never employed in this manner AFAIK.  I bet if we take fleet purchases away from modern Charger sales the gap might not be so wide...

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

New 4 door Chargers outsell the old 2 door Chargers.  (66-74)  Times and tastes of the buying public change.    

Hmmm. I wonder if any other factors might come into play here? Four door Camry sales dwarf the sales of the 2013 Charger so it must be cooler than both it and a 68 Charger.

Rental fleets, public service vehicles, etc.  The 2nd and 3rd Gens were never employed in this manner AFAIK.  I bet if we take fleet purchases away from modern Charger sales the gap might not be so wide...

Exactly, and there are many more cars sold today, anyways, than were sold 40 years ago 

[Silver R/T]

Its ugly looking but I wouldn't buy 4 door car in near future so I don't care, most cars nowadays are ridiculously overpriced and over-engineered.

[TUFCAT]

I like it!

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

XS29L9Bxxxxxx, it seems I've never seen any pictures of your Charger.  

Want to see pics of the CVPI which I sold?

Pics of that car would be more relevant than any of my other vehicles  

Sorta looked like this one (file photo):

[myk]

New 4 door Chargers outsell the old 2 door Chargers.  (66-74)  Times and tastes of the buying public change.    

Hmmm. I wonder if any other factors might come into play here? Four door Camry sales dwarf the sales of the 2013 Charger so it must be cooler than both it and a 68 Charger.

Rental fleets, public service vehicles, etc.  The 2nd and 3rd Gens were never employed in this manner AFAIK.  I bet if we take fleet purchases away from modern Charger sales the gap might not be so wide...

Exactly, and there are many more cars sold today, anyways, than were sold 40 years ago 

Yeah, a lot more people in the world buying cars.

BTW, here's a graph that shows sales over the years.  Maybe someone, somewhere can break down the sales by type, such as rental, civic agencies, etc.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

...this is what I'd buy, which coincidentally, is for sale:

[bull]

BTW, here's a graph that shows sales over the years.  Maybe someone, somewhere can break down the sales by type, such as rental, civic agencies, etc.

I've never understood that 1973 number. Boggles the mind.

[myk]

Yeah you'd think '72 and '73 would be switched...

[bull]

But then I don't understand the 06-08 years either. Actually, it does make sense when you take everything into consideration. More buyers, fewer choices in the full size passenger car lineup, drivers who lease and/or just don't hang onto their vehicles very long, fleet/taxi/rental/police car sales, etc. Actually, in that light you'd think the 06 and up numbers would be huge by comparison but the 2nd and 3rd gen numbers look just as strong if not stronger.

[6spd68]

As an owner of a 69 Charger,and an owner of 2 87 Grand Nationals,the Charger came back as a four door,the new GN coming back also as a four door.As for the "new" GN, YUCK !!!!!!
I went with.....
<<<<<<<<

Both are YUCK, you just own a Chrysler 300 with a body kit 

Not trying to take a shot at ya, I just hate the new Chargers so very very much...

[myk]

Lol, hey Our/Tea let's see that new Charger of yours...

[69 OUR/TEA]

Not to get into a long story,but my family (stepfather,mother,wife,two daughters,and two nieces)were in our caravan this past July on the highway and was hit on  the right side and shoved into and in front of a tractor trailor on the left by a lady that went unconscious at the wheel.Wiped out our van,but most of all everyone was fine and walked away without a scratch.
Had a rental new Charger,liked it a lot.My wife always liked them,and when the new,2011 and up style came out she really liked them.We had no reason to buy one ,but now with the van wrecked,a new car was in the market.With the big incentives,and who my wife works for belong to a program that you get the car for 1% below invoice,it took off nearly $6k of the window sticker.
We went with the Road and Track model R/T.She loves it,a fun car to go out in,roomy,power,handling,options,and gets 27.3 on the highway.
A lot of people hate the new Chargers,I like them a lot now especially after owning one.Those who say they can't stand them,drive one ,it might change your mind.Had a new Chally R/T in 09,sold it in 7 months.Charger is a lot better.
NTM,we wanted a car,what else would most recommended??Hey,it's a Dodge and I kept it American.

[Baldwinvette77]

the current charger is much better than 99.999% of other cars made today... but for the money.. i'd rather buy a burnt out, rusty, lawn ordainment of a 2nd gen  i'd enjoy owning it more.. but thats just me 

[MRCHARGER]

I've had the baddest of the bad when it comes to a 68 charger. Triple black 5 speed manual w/OD. 4:10 gear. 440 with enough mods to make it to 500hp. But I enjoy my 2013 R/T more than the 68. I beat it, I rag it, I rod it for more power. Its fast and is comfortable and drives like a race car. Park at the front of the lot and I'm not afraid to scuffle in traffic. It gets the fam to applebees in style and the kids love when they're thrown into their seat back when I string up that Hemi.

[bill440rt]

Very nice, Paul!

We're keeping our minivan for a few more years too, but my wife has been drooling over the Daytona editions. Looks like for '14 they're not making them, at least on Dodge's website.
If the front end redesign for '15 is anything like the artist renditions that are floating around, we'd definitely consider one.

[myk]

Not to get into a long story,but my family (stepfather,mother,wife,two daughters,and two nieces)were in our caravan this past July on the highway and was hit on  the right side and shoved into and in front of a tractor trailor on the left by a lady that went unconscious at the wheel.Wiped out our van,but most of all everyone was fine and walked away without a scratch.
Had a rental new Charger,liked it a lot.My wife always liked them,and when the new,2011 and up style came out she really liked them.We had no reason to buy one ,but now with the van wrecked,a new car was in the market.With the big incentives,and who my wife works for belong to a program that you get the car for 1% below invoice,it took off nearly $6k of the window sticker.
We went with the Road and Track model R/T.She loves it,a fun car to go out in,roomy,power,handling,options,and gets 27.3 on the highway.
A lot of people hate the new Chargers,I like them a lot now especially after owning one.Those who say they can't stand them,drive one ,it might change your mind.Had a new Chally R/T in 09,sold it in 7 months.Charger is a lot better.
NTM,we wanted a car,what else would most recommended??Hey,it's a Dodge and I kept it American.

You don't have to justify yourself to me.  If I had the cabbage, I'd get one like yours but in orange instead and park it right beside my '69.  Is the "road and track" package the top of the R/T line? 

[69 OUR/TEA]

4 Models in the lineup,from bottom up: R/T, R/T Plus,R/T Road and Track,and the highest model R/T Max.The Road and Track is the only one with the blackout grill w/heritage R/T badges.Don't quote me,might only be the one with ventilated seats to,and the 3.06 rear axle.

[myk]

4 Models in the lineup,from bottom up: R/T, R/T Plus,R/T Road and Track,and the highest model R/T Max.The Road and Track is the only one with the blackout grill w/heritage R/T badges.Don't quote me,might only be the one with ventilated seats to,and the 3.06 rear axle.

I checked out the "build your Charger" site; I had no idea so many little options are available that it's mind boggling...

[SRT-440]

I'll just stick to the GN I have. 

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