37,155 original miles. Two owners. Bolt-on modifications easily reversed with all original parts included. Incredible paint and interior, ultra-clean undercarriage, properly tuned and incredible to drive. The GN you’ve been waiting for!
This particular Grand National shows just 37,155 original miles and has had just two long-term owners (or three if you count the guy who owned it for about a month in 2002). That’s almost entirely original black paint and it wears fresh urethane bumper fillers, a notable weak spot on any GM car of the period as they tended to crumble and crack with age. No accidents, no rust, no parking lot dings, just GM sheetmetal just the way it was in 1987. And everything is black: bumpers, grille, headlight surrounds, window trim, door handles, all of it, which makes this car look menacing (as it should). Fit and finish on these cars was quite good for General Motors of the ‘80s and thanks to the low mileage, the doors swing closed with a solid THUNK, not a loose WHAP like the high-mileage pieces.
The interior is equally well-preserved, and the GN came standard with grippy cloth buckets, racy two-tone upholstery, and a center console with a T-handle shifter. A leather-wrapped 3-spoke wheel neatly ties sport and luxury together and every option was standard except T-tops: A/C, power windows and locks, cruise control, a tilt wheel, rear defroster, and more. You’ll note this car carries a vintage security system that still works with the keyless remote to deactivate the system, and there’s a VDO boost gauge neatly installed on the A-pillar, where it’s a lot easier to see than the factory bar graph. Not shown but also installed is an aftermarket Scanmaster wide-band O2 sensor that monitors boost, fuel mixture, and ignition so you can get it tuned exactly and keep it in the safe zone. Stainless elbow rests on the door panels keep the upholstery from getting worn (because you’re going to put your arm there, guaranteed) and the notoriously saggy GM headliner was recently replaced. The trunk is detailed to stock specs with its original mat, as well as the space-saver spare and factory jack assembly.
With just 37,155 original miles, the turbotcharged 3.8 liter V6 has never been damaged or removed from the car, and it remained 100% stock until about 2005 and 35,000 miles when the second owner decided he would like a little more punch. Contacting well-known Grand National expert Red Armstrong for advice, he followed Red’s instructions to build a streetable 12-second Grand National with bolt-on parts. Together the mods keep the GN’s user-friendly nature (this car actually starts and idles better than any stock Grand National we’ve ever had) but gives it wicked acceleration, particularly on the roll. It’s happy on pump gas, although a bit of octane booster is recommended just to be safe, and if you’d like to dial it back a notch all the original parts are included in the trunk. Maintenance has been borderline fanatical, with synthetic oil every 1000 miles and a recent transmission service and fresh fluid in the rear end.
Underneath, it’s easy to believe the claims that this car has only been in the rain three times in its entire life. The floors, rockers, trunk, and tire well are immaculate and aside from some very minor surface scale on the bare metal parts, it’s completely unmarked. The 200-4R 4-speed automatic transmission snaps off crisp shifts and serves up quick downshifts to get the boost into its sweet spot, and with 3.42 gears on a limited slip, it’s easy to get the power to the pavement. The Hooker exhaust sounds a little weird because it’s a boosted V6, but it’s never intrusive or loud. The suspension and brakes are stock and adequate for the car’s performance, but it’s no secret that these cars were built for straight-line work. Factory chrome wheels are the best take on the Grand National look and carry 215/65/15 Goodyear radials all around.
Documentation includes the original owner’s manual and window sticker, showing a price of $19,143 in 1987. All the factory components that were removed for upgrades are also stowed in the trunk, along with a fitted cover.
It’s hard to over-state how significant these cars were. They were only built for a few short years, then Pontiac built a one-year-only Turbo Trans Am using this engine, and then it was gone forever. That’s really a shame because the performance potential in these sturdy engines is almost unlimited. With beautiful preservation, exceptional attention to detail, and a clean pedigree, this is a great Grand National that has never been abused. Call today!
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