Car Feature: Original-Owner 1987 Buick GNXBy Brian Lohnes Posted 05/28/09
You’re going to get familiar with the names Gary and Pam Beineke. We invaded their privacy to shoot and video several cars from their way awesome collection, and we’ll be featuring those cars in coming weeks. Most are cars that the couple built from scratch, but there’s one that they just picked up along the way. That’s this one, a 1987 Buick GNX that the couple bought brand new back in 1987 and has held on ever since.
Ironically, every other piece in their collection is a Mopar product, but this Buick holds a special place in their hearts. As one of only 547 ever produced, there are plenty of reasons why.
The GNX was basically the parting shot fired by Buick when it came to be known that the Grand National would be dead at the end of 1987. Buick teamed up with ASC/Mclaren to design a package that would totally optimize the drivetrain and upgrade the suspension of the car to levels previously unheard of in factory cars. The name was an homage to the legendary GSX moniker that was used on the highest performing Buicks from 1970-1972. They used 455ci to shred tires, this car used less than 250 to haul the mail.
The devil is totally in the details, so click here to see the gallery that’s loaded with photos and captions that spill the beans on this pinnacle Buick.
Oh yeah, right below there’s also the kickass video of the 8,000-mile original shredding tires. The ones it rolled out of the factory on.
Comments + Post your comment!
Written by antmnte
May 28 2009
These cars are just awesome. There was one in a Buick dealer here in CT that sold a few years ago for 100grand.
It had ten miles on it and it pops up on ebay from time to time the guy that bought it want 115,000.THey came
with jackets too. GM should build these today, perfect car for now, good mileage great performance and it still looks
great.
Written by Turbo Regal May 28 2009
I remember toward the end of 1987 at our local Buick dealer, Tony Moore, seeing 25 Grand Nationals lined up like soldiers across the front of the dealership and seeing 2 - GNX's inside.
They wanted $75K for each one of the GNXs.
Written by Not A Duster
May 28 2009
I could not own a car like that and just leave it sit idle on jackstands.
One of the very few automotive bright spots in the 1980's IMO.
Written by tiresmoke!
May 28 2009
Man.....those cars were bad to the bone when they were new......22 years later, still the same.
Give that guy a high-five for me, enjoying that car as the folks that built it intended.
Written by STOVEBOLT6 May 28 2009
GM provided a parts catalog insert for the GNX specific pieces. The VIN had to
be submitted with an order for any of those parts. As for the muffler smashing,
Chevrolet did a similar"process"on the '83- '87 Monte SS muffler and tailpipe
assemblies.
Written by Brian Lohnes
May 28 2009
Funny you should say that Scott. I was on the horn with Chad last night and he told me about a girl that went to HS with him who's dad did the same thing. He took the tires off of it and had it sitting on jackstands as well.
Even more reason that Gary is about the coolest dude around for roasting the hides off of his for our camers!
Brian
Written by Rebeldryver May 28 2009
I know I've talked about it before, but my boss at Daytech Automotive bought one new. He used his own flatbed to take it home and put it on jackstands where it sat as long as I knew him. It still had all the plastic stuff on the seats and floor and the 3.2 miles on the odometer. Although, it was titled, it never was registered. Wayne bought purely as an investment and never intended to drive it. Funny thing was that Wayne didn't buy it until the summer of 88. It sat in dealer all that year, probably with a huge dealer markup.
Written by Brian Lohnes
May 28 2009
[quote author=TheSilverBuick link=topic=12559.msg247187#msg247187 date=1243537965]
I like the small triva with the photo captions. It needed mufflers with less than 8,000 road miles though?
[/quote]
Should have been more clear there. Gary threw it up on a lift after he bought it and saw the smashed up mufflers. He thought something was wrong (as anyone would) and that's when he was told that they were supposed to be that way.
Brian
Written by TheSilverBuick
May 28 2009
I like the small triva with the photo captions. It needed mufflers with less than 8,000 road miles though?
oh man do i want one, even a standard gn cloned out... just an all around bad ass car. this kid i always see at the gas satatin gas a gnx he twined out for some reason but nice none the less... good news probaly just some kids photo shop work but there may be plans of a new gnx some tine soon http://i12.tinypic.com/2m2beom.jpg check it out if the link works. pretty cool, and modern luxury racer