This ’80s Turbo Buick Is A Faster And Cheaper Grand National
When Kendrick Lamar crouched on the hood of a black-on-black Buick at the start of Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show, phones started ringing. If the Buick GNX was a pretty desirable post-’60s muscle car before the performance, then everyone wanted the keys to one by the time the second half started.
It’s not really surprising. The Darth Vader aesthetic of the GNX and slightly lesser Grand National make them instantly recognizable, while the turbocharged performance made these affordable ’80s warriors some of the fastest cars on the planet when new. Black turbocharged Buick fever went into the stratosphere, thanks to Lamar’s performance, but could it be that collectors are actually looking in the wrong place? Is there another turbo Buick from the ’80s that is a smarter buy than even a Grand National?
The Grand National Was The Unlikely Cult Hero Of The ’80s
On the face of it, the 1978 Buick Regal didn’t have that much going for it. The car arrived squarely in the middle of the Malaise Era, when American fast cars had been rebooted as just cars, and the 3.2-liter V6 in the standard car offered a measly 90 horsepower in a fairly uninspiring package. But Buick was looking into a technology that had disappeared long before from the market but was catching on in Europe.
Turbocharging may have been pioneered in the USA with the Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder and the Oldsmobile F-85, but Buick was the lonely carmaker that decided to have a look at this tech again. By bolting on a turbocharger to the 3.8-liter V6, the Regal was suddenly a lot more interesting, with the Sport Coupe squeezing another 60 hp out of the V6. A more powerful 180-hp Regal Turbo T-Type arrived in 1983, and clearly someone at Buick realized that they were on to something. The Grand National of the following year was nothing short of a game changer.
The Grand National Was A Giant Slayer
By the time the Grand National appeared in 1984, the boosted V6 was producing 200 hp, which was roughly equivalent to 100 Malaise Era muscle cars tied together. The Grand National introduced the stealthy all-black exterior, which was no doubt a subliminal nod to Knight Rider, which had premiered on NBC on September 26, 1982. Coming in at around $14,682 (roughly $1,282 more than a T-Type), the Grand National offered supercar-humbling performance for peanuts. You could buy three Grand Nationals for the price of a Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole and still have change for a base Chevrolet Chevette. To harden its performance credentials, the Grand National had a different rear axle ratio and a reworked suspension.
In 1987, Buick went all in with the supercar-killing GNX model, calling on ASC/McLaren to blueprint the engine, add a new chip for the turbocharger, and include a sequential fuel injection system. The result was a 276 hp monster. The problem was that only 547 GNXs were produced, selling for $29,900, which made it more expensive than a Porsche 944 and in the same ballpark as the groundbreaking Audi Quattro Turbo. Obviously, both the GN and GNX have achieved cult status, with prices to match (more on that later), but was there a better Regal lurking in the background that was a better buy then — and now?
The Buick Turbo-T Had A Secret Weapon
The turbo tech at Buick was going from strength to strength in 1986, with the company’s engineers getting 235 hp out of it with an intercooler, upgraded plenum, alterations to the upper and lower intake manifolds, and changes to the EFI programming. Then, in 1987, the unit was up to 245 hp. These were seriously quick cars, but Buick quietly introduced a package that would make the turbo Regal faster still.
Appearing on the option list in mid-November of 1986 was the Turbo-T package, known by order code WE4. Essentially, this was a Grand National, just a bit lighter. The WE4 benefited from aluminum wheels rather than steel GN wheels, the absence of a rear spoiler, aluminum brake components, bumper supports, and the removal of a few other pieces of non-essential equipment. The interior was now decked out in all gray, and it benefited from a Gran Touring suspension package. There were no power windows or seats, only power locks. This is the Buick Regal’s forgotten GT3 version — well, kind of. The best part was that the WE4 package cost $279 less than the Grand National (WE2) package.
The Turbo T WE4 Was Faster Than The Grand National
These blacked-out Buicks aren’t just fast cars for the ’80s, they are phenomenally quick even today. One magazine got a 4.9 second run to 60 mph out of a Grand National, running the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 98 mph. The more powerful GNX hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 102 mph. The only car that would go quicker at the time was a scary Porsche 911 Turbo. There are no outright acceleration figures for the rare Turbo T WE4 option, but unofficial sources say that it was 50 to 100 lbs lighter than a GN, which, if true, is not far off the difference between a 911 GT3 and a regular Carrera. In its day, you could expect the Turbo T to have a slight edge on a standard GN.
Why The Turbo-T Was Forgotten
The Turbo-T was always a kind of in-the-know option, not really getting the same kind of attention that the Grand National and GNX enjoyed. The fact that it was launched at the end of 1986 meant it was only around for barely a year before the Regal was completely redesigned as a front driver. While Buick sold 20,193 Grand Nationals and 547 GNXs, it only made 1,547 of the affordable and fast WE4 Regals. The bottom line is that while Buick had successfully reinvented itself as a more sporty brand with these smart Regals, it still had a large fanbase who liked upscale fittings and comfort. A stripped-out, cheap Regal just wasn’t what that many customers were likely looking for.
The Turbo-T Is A Bargain Compared To The GN
The good condition price of a 1987 Buick Regal T-Type Turbo WE4 in 2026 is $29,100. This car is also riding the wave of interest created by Lamar at the Super Bowl, apparently increasing in value from $26,400 since July 2025. But that is still pretty affordable. Considering it is largely the same car as a Grand National, just without the name, it is surprising how much cheaper it is. A good condition GN goes for $41,100 — more than $10,000 more than a WE4. Buick GNX prices are naturally on another planet, with cars in the same condition going for $130,000, skyrocketing up from $106,000 a year ago. Sure, the Grand National and GNX names define this era when American fast cars were finding their groove again, but if you are more into driving than name-dropping, the Turbo T could just be the one for you. Then spend the extra $10,000 on a nice used Mazda Miata or a BMW E36 convertible, and you are living in two-car-garage heaven.
Sources: Hagerty, Buick
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