Bought and sold several GN's and T Types. Owned one of my own for years. If I could have any car from my past back, hands down this would be the one. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
The Buick GNX is one of the most beautiful cars in history of cars. Never seen one (because I'm not American) but this car to me like a 70' Charger and the 1970 Plymouth GTX scratched deep in my head for life as cars that I fell in love with. Ideally I'd buy a Charger Hellcat if I could to daily but if I was a collector they are very definitely will be in my garage.
During the 80's I was driving a 85 Mustang GT with a few mods. My girlfriends best friend flew down to Baltimore from Detroit to visit and tells this story. She was born and raised in Detroit. Her dad always drove Buicks and told her whenever she buys a car to get top model because you get better brakes and suspension. So the first new car she bought was a 86 Buick Regal T-type. She said when she was driving the car around all these kids wanted to race her and she didn't know why. She finally went to show her parents her new car. Her dad took it out for a ride and finally decided to hit the gas. His words to her were "what the hell did you just buy" laughing his ass off. Now she knew why all the kids wanted to race her.
@@wantahertzdonut they weren't worth as much then yet, and universal has money so they didn't care, Remember, the one with the money had no idea about cars, Homie tried his best to educate them on cars.
@@Cheezus You have a better memory than me if you remember a time when GN's weren't worth much. $20k bought you a poorly running heap even in the early 2000's. Granted not huge money but that's 10x the cost of a standard issue Regal that'll do the job for a movie car. Money or no money, it's just a shame seeing rare things getting ruined. I'm not even a GN fan!
@@wantahertzdonut of course, I wouldn't wanna see any GNs go to waste but Universal didn't understand nor did they seem to care. Heck, they made Han's car Orange when it was already a beautiful red.
I was around 14-15 when this movie was in theaters. I remember my dad wasn't that excited to take me, especially after Tokyo drift (that wasn't his cup of tea). Dom comes screaming into the scene with that grand national and my dad fucking cheered and started clapping 😂👏🤦♀️
@Adrian Vegas the Escalade is for yuppies who only buy them cause they were in rap videos. That grand national/GNX most everyone knows nothing of its existence. Just look at that missile with black wheels before black wheels were cool. People buy escalades cause they're told to buy them. People buy grand nationals cause they know what's up. Typical GM to ruin it. I honestly believe after seeing GM's reputation they have people making 6 figures who want GM to fail miserably. The chevy SS is a prime example. It was introduced in 2014 (I believe) they never advertised a single commercial for it. The thing was a blast to drive. 4 door sedan. Stout V8, LS motor so you can take a piss on that SS and it grows 86 horsepower. My opinion the first edition was the best looking. The "refresh" ruined its sexy lines. The refresh made it look cookie cutter as fuck. Typical GM fashion they didnt want it to be successful so they hoped and prayed every day for its cancellation and they got their wish. GM is a bunch of fucktards
In late '76 when I went on a months-long WestPac in the Navy, I had my Trans Am long term parked in a multi-story parking garage somewhere in LA. My aunt was then active in SAG and hooked me up through an entertainment friend. Besides a few Rolls and Ferarris that I had my car parked next to for the following 7-8 months or so, much of the rest of the floor was full of Herbie bugs from the original pre-Lindsay Lohan Disney movie, a bunch of identical appearing cars with a stripe and number 53. Many of these were stunt cars, including the backward driving car you described. One I specifically remembered had a beefy-looking vertical pneumatic ram mounted inside that I was told was used in a scene where the Herbie spins in place. The guy at the garage explained what pretty much what each car was specially modified for. An eye-opening and much-appreciated intro to how much work goes into making movies for this then 19 yo.
My grandfather had a v8 buck regal and I remember it fondly . Pure black with read valure interior littered with cigarette burn holes.had he not wrecked it I would be sporting that bad boy.
I remember back in 04 going to a tile job at pizza kitchen in Beverly hills passing a gentleman in a ferrari 355 america who looked a lot like Neil Moritz. Might have been the inspiration for this.
A good friend of mine had an 83 T Type Turbo with the 3.8 liter (later upgraded to an 85 GN engine). Even back as far as I think 1978 Buick was offering cars with a carbureted turbocharged version of that engine.
you are correct, i have the ad from that year where Buick says they offer 2 of the 4 gas powered turboe engines on the market (the other two were Porsche and Saab). Buick had the Regal and LeSabre. fun fact: buick invented their 225 cid V6 off an aluminum block 215 V8 (which was later sold to Rover in Britain and also used in a Formula One race team) so it's a deep skirt or Y block design. Buick would sell it to Jeep, where it became the Dauntless V6. They'd buy it back when they needed a V6 for fuel economy, and turned it into 231 cid with a better head design. The Regal itself became a slippery body design for NASCAR teams, and Buick decided to make a celebration model that evolved into the T Type and later the Grand Nationals.
By now they aren't sleepers anymore. Beware of the 1989 Trans Am Pace car that uses the 3.8 Turbo. That's a sleeper. Everyone will think it has the 350 TPI
If only we could post pics. I bought and built an '83 GN based on this F&F car. I had the wheels, tires, boom tube, Winter's shifter, roll bar, aluminum door panels, and all. Such a fun car. I miss it dearly. This was all about a month after I ALMOST bought the movie car off of ebay. I woulda, but the seller wasn't very confidence inspiring, with his lack of communication. So.. built my own, minus the v8 LOL. Thanks for sharing this. P.S. Famoso: My home track and where I started before I got into road racing. Nostalgia x 2!
@@BurlyMammoth the 80s were not a time for fast cars to be sure. But I'd argue a decade earlier was the actual "worst," i.e. the fastest car made in 1977 would really not be saying much, lol
Just a pink 934 RSR Some of the best cars were rated at 280hp. Supra (Tho we know for a fact outside of Japan they made between 320-340hp), GTR, GTO/3000GT/Stealth, NSX, 300ZX TT (Z32) etc etc etc. Even my 1990 MR2 Turbo currently sits at roughly 275-280WHP and it’s perfect. I wouldn’t add any additional power. My 1994 Celica Turbo is boosted up to 400WHP and while it’s a beast in AWD, it was, honestly, a better driving experience when it was right at 300WHP. Something about that window between 275WHP and 300WHP, depending on the weight of the vehicle, makes for the best performance on the street (The quarter mile is another thing entirely). I’d love to race a bone stock GNX on modern tires.
Just a pink 934 RSR Oh yeah, I assumed it wouldn’t. Would be a fun race though. Props to you for knowing the MR2T was actually slightly faster in the quarter mile than the larger Japanese sports cars. Most people don’t realize that. It’s really down to the launch, very few 1990’s cars can hang with an MR2T in the 60’ though many can chase them down before the finish line.
@@negativeindustrial the MR2 can beat just about anything if its about speed test but nobody has the balls to build them, i really like to see one against a Pagani Huayra BC at a track
I was 18 in 1986 and somehow managed to talk a dealer into letting me drive a brand new Grand National. At the time I owned a fox body 5.0 Mustang with the World Class 5 speed. I loved the sinister look of the Grand National. The only thing I didn't like was that they only came in automatic. I would so like to have one today.
You forgot about the 1979 Regal Turbo. 1 of my managers @ Showbiz Pizza had 1. Black with tan vinyl/leather interior. It was an overheating, gas guzzling barge. Like ALL American cars back then, I ran circles around them in my 1976 Datsun 280.
I remember when this movie came out. The opening scene was with the GN and Chevy trucks, finally they are making a movie with the vehicles I drive. I couldn’t wait to get out of the theatre and drive mine.
There are trucks in the Pilbara region of Western Australia that tow 5 trailers. They are called road trains and they carry iron ore from mine sites to the port for export. Most are 4 trailers but there are a few with 5.
My friends dad had two, of them and after hight school, about 1991-92, I went over and his dad let me drive one, and I pushed on the gas pedal slightly and his dad and his smaller kids were laughing at me. So on the next pass, he lived next to a straight long no traffic street, so I floored the pedal, I was like WOW! I get the front go up and the feeling of the "G" force pushing me against the seat was amazing! I had never experienced anything like that!!!! Then he poped the hood and my face was in awe! He had saved the 2 GrandNationals for his 2 younger sons, so they grew up but to his surprise the didnt like the cars, the wanted rice rockets & lifted 4x4 trucks. So he sold 1 of them. From time to time I would ask him if he would sell me his other Grand but so far no cigar. From time to time I pass by his house and I can still see the Grand National parked inside his garage. Such a beauty.
Lieberman I was a young 18 year old in the army in 1981 and of all the cars that I had to choose from that Buick Regal with the fancy sport wheels Grey and Black velour along with factory blacked out exterior chrome bits. Was a car I loved very much. Speed Shop was able to stiffen up the springs and equip the car with a little better dampers. And added slightly shorter BF Goodrich tires for a little better grip and handling. The Buick Regal were very good cars.
My step father had an 84 that he was so proud of.. used to spend every sunday morning polishing the wheels, wearing down my arms, wishing I could be at church instead.. I didn't appreciate it, but understood he was proud of it.. didn't understand what he/we had till I was finishing HS and the car was sold off to some dirtbag nickle and diming my mom :(
My friend had a body shop and was fixing a beautiful GNX for a dope dealer. The car had LEGIT 9mm bullet holes on the side and rear. Welcome to Oakland CA
I remember when the GNX came out. I thought it was the pinnacle of street vehicles. It has the look and performance of a racing pedigree car. I dreamt of one day owning a new GNX; and was completely floored when GM decided to stop production. At the moment, SUV's are the fad, but performance street cars are still popular enough to keep them alive for a while. The lineup if Dodge muscle cars has taken it to levels never before imagined. I daresay that we aren't too far from the day when a hybrid muscle car takes everything to an even higher level. It would be nice if it ends up being a reintroduced model, such as the Grand National, the Olds 442, Chevy Chevelle, or Pontiac GTO.
Well I've definitely seen one of these movie cars as I live locally within about an hour from the Star Cars museum and attraction in Gatlinburgh, TN. It's nice to know that that car was an actual movie car used for filming rather than a trumped up copy car for the attraction factor. Pretty kool stuff. I believe they also had several other cars from the franchise including Paul's green Eclipse and Hans' "Mona Lisa". 😁
I'm first car was a 1984 buick regal. But it was the curiosity of the 3.8 sfi turbo decal on the buick grand national that lead me into all performance cars afterwards. Still my dream car 25 plus years later.
I don't know much about cars (I own a 2010 Colbalt) but learning about all of my favourite Fast and Furious cars has been wonderful. You've definitely gained a subscriber here!
I saw a GMC Typhoon about a week ago park next to me while I was having lunch on my Harley. At first I didn't think much of it, but after the couple that was in it walked away and went into the store, I started looking at it closer. It was a little beat up, not an awful condition, but not a show car either. At first I was like, "this is a cool little custom job this guy did." All blacked out, no badges. I was trying to figure out what it was. I've never seen one before. It said GMC on the grill, but outside of that it had no other badging. It looked like a cross between a muscle car station wagon, or a slammed two-door SUV. The more I looked at it the more intrigued I got. Finally I looked it up on Google using the best description I could of what I was looking at. That's when I learned about the existence of the Typhoon, and it is definitely a cool ride!!! The one they had was a prime candidate for a hot Resto mod job!!
first time i seen a GN was at the drag strip about 15 years ago i was in my 20s and didnt know much about the legend of the GN thought it was just another run of the mill Buick. once he smoked EVERYTHING at the track i have been impressed with these cars ever since. they were the ultimate sleeper car.
Road trains are a thing, if you simply google "road train", the autofill says Australia. They're some huge big rigs and are usually seen towing at least 3 full size trailers, but can potentially tow 4 or 5, maybe more. The only discrepancy I see is that the movie trailers have a single axle for a tanker trailer instead of 2 or even 3 seen on some road trains.
Craig is a goldmine of information. I wish they gave him more leverage at Universal Studios. He would have prevented the cringeworthy fake stuff that us real car guys joke about in the FF movies. Danger to manifold! Don't blow the welds on your intake kids.
I drove a Grand National in 1985. I had just joined the Army and was looking for a car. I really liked the car but it turned me off when the door handle broke off in my hand. Also you may not know but Buick built the Wildcat which was a pretty nice hot rod in its day. My grandfather worked at Buick all his life and his father was a chassis engineer (later chief chassis engineer) for Buick who worked on the so called "Flint Buick". Grandpa used to get to drive some of Buick's early prototype cars and he said Buick experimented with turbo and supercharging in cars right after WW2 and even some before that and they built some pretty impressive cars for that era but it was always shot down because it was too costly. Later when GM happened Buick was relegated to the luxury end (along with Cadillac and Olds) and Chevrolet and Pontiac were supposed to handle more performance oriented cars but the prototype Wildcat that Great grandpa brought home was supercharged and according to Grandpa, could run rings around anything around then. I have a picture of it somewhere... So Buick did make more than just a couple of performance cars.
My dad was a car guy so it obviously rubbed off on me, especially spending weekends at the drag strip growing up. I think once the franchise started to use more of the older cars the movies got more interesting to him as they were cars that he had seen, raced, and loved growing up. Not that he didn’t like tuner cars, but the scene back then was “more show than go” as he’d say. There was very few very fast tuner cars back in the early 00’s, especially at our local track in Houston. Man I miss him..
Highschool girlfriend had a T-Type as her first car. It had been painted an Argent Silver color and had black and silver turbo fan style wheels on it. She had no idea that it came from a serious pedigree. The previous owner/owners had taken really good care of it. She sold it a few years later and bought a (New at the time) 2005 Subaru STi.
Also Pontiac had the turbo trans am also know as a turbo T/A they used all the leftover engines from the Grand national line. They are probably the most rare of the turbo v6 cars. I believe they were a special edition pace car.
It hurts to know they used real GNs when there are thousands of base regals that could have been done up for far less expense and would have done the scenes exactly the same
Are you talking about an a10 engine out of a datsun 1000? I've had a datsun 1000 for the last 10 years, but it has an a12 in it like most of the datsun 1000s i come across. It seems to be a common swap for the 1000s when anything happens to the original a10 engine, because it's 200cc larger, and much more available.
@@RyuusanFT86 oh cool. I love the 510's too. I was trying to buy one originally, although none popped up over the year i was searching, and then the 1000 that i currently own popped up and i grabbed it. The 510 is called a datsun 1600 in Australia. The b110 is a datsun 1200, and the b10 is a datsun 1000.
I remember buying my GN in 87 and took it to the dragstrip it ran 14.70 bone stock. By 1995 I was running 10 20s @ 134 mph.
Bought and sold several GN's and T Types. Owned one of my own for years. If I could have any car from my past back, hands down this would be the one. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Yes
The Buick GNX is one of the most beautiful cars in history of cars. Never seen one (because I'm not American) but this car to me like a 70' Charger and the 1970 Plymouth GTX scratched deep in my head for life as cars that I fell in love with. Ideally I'd buy a Charger Hellcat if I could to daily but if I was a collector they are very definitely will be in my garage.
During the 80's I was driving a 85 Mustang GT with a few mods. My girlfriends best friend flew down to Baltimore from Detroit to visit and tells this story. She was born and raised in Detroit. Her dad always drove Buicks and told her whenever she buys a car to get top model because you get better brakes and suspension. So the first new car she bought was a 86 Buick Regal T-type. She said when she was driving the car around all these kids wanted to race her and she didn't know why. She finally went to show her parents her new car. Her dad took it out for a ride and finally decided to hit the gas. His words to her were "what the hell did you just buy" laughing his ass off. Now she knew why all the kids wanted to race her.
Shut up. Unnecessary lying essay nobody cares chode. Sooo annoying
I can’t believe they tore up real gn’s. I would thought they would have used regular regals
My thoughts exactly. There's countless Regals still out there. Why ruin a collector car?
@@wantahertzdonut they weren't worth as much then yet, and universal has money so they didn't care, Remember, the one with the money had no idea about cars, Homie tried his best to educate them on cars.
@@Cheezus You have a better memory than me if you remember a time when GN's weren't worth much. $20k bought you a poorly running heap even in the early 2000's. Granted not huge money but that's 10x the cost of a standard issue Regal that'll do the job for a movie car.
Money or no money, it's just a shame seeing rare things getting ruined. I'm not even a GN fan!
@@wantahertzdonut of course, I wouldn't wanna see any GNs go to waste but Universal didn't understand nor did they seem to care. Heck, they made Han's car Orange when it was already a beautiful red.
@@Cheezus You make a solid point. Shit happens when filmmakers get fuckyou money in their budget.
The 1987 Grand National remains an incredible machine. Lost my ass to one in a built vette , respected them ever since.
I was around 14-15 when this movie was in theaters. I remember my dad wasn't that excited to take me, especially after Tokyo drift (that wasn't his cup of tea).
Dom comes screaming into the scene with that grand national and my dad fucking cheered and started clapping 😂👏🤦♀️
That car is the most gangster car GM will ever build. Ever
No doubt
It's a toss up between the GN and the 96 Impala SS.
As much as I want GM to revive the GN, I personally wouldn’t want them to do so and then turn it into an SUV/Crossover.
@Adrian Vegas the Escalade is for yuppies who only buy them cause they were in rap videos. That grand national/GNX most everyone knows nothing of its existence. Just look at that missile with black wheels before black wheels were cool. People buy escalades cause they're told to buy them. People buy grand nationals cause they know what's up. Typical GM to ruin it. I honestly believe after seeing GM's reputation they have people making 6 figures who want GM to fail miserably. The chevy SS is a prime example. It was introduced in 2014 (I believe) they never advertised a single commercial for it. The thing was a blast to drive. 4 door sedan. Stout V8, LS motor so you can take a piss on that SS and it grows 86 horsepower. My opinion the first edition was the best looking. The "refresh" ruined its sexy lines. The refresh made it look cookie cutter as fuck. Typical GM fashion they didnt want it to be successful so they hoped and prayed every day for its cancellation and they got their wish. GM is a bunch of fucktards
@Adrian Vegas lol, nah I meant like the classy term of gangster I guess. Man I love that car
Great, now I want a Grand National.
I always wanted a GN specifically GNX but those are hard to get
Good luck! Way to expensive now a days. You might as well shoot for Typhoon or Cyclone, just as expensive but a lot less of them out there.
@@aaronburratwood.6957 or a Firebird.
THE FAMOUS "YOU ARE EVERYWHERE"
In late '76 when I went on a months-long WestPac in the Navy, I had my Trans Am long term parked in a multi-story parking garage somewhere in LA. My aunt was then active in SAG and hooked me up through an entertainment friend. Besides a few Rolls and Ferarris that I had my car parked next to for the following 7-8 months or so, much of the rest of the floor was full of Herbie bugs from the original pre-Lindsay Lohan Disney movie, a bunch of identical appearing cars with a stripe and number 53. Many of these were stunt cars, including the backward driving car you described. One I specifically remembered had a beefy-looking vertical pneumatic ram mounted inside that I was told was used in a scene where the Herbie spins in place. The guy at the garage explained what pretty much what each car was specially modified for. An eye-opening and much-appreciated intro to how much work goes into making movies for this then 19 yo.
I clicked on the vid as soon as it appeared in my subscription feed. 😆
Is your name Orion? That’s awesome!
Bay Area Coalition Thank you. 😁
It's impressive how F&F crew modified GNX to this extent and that the movement of that GNX is actually real instead of CGI!
My grandfather had a v8 buck regal and I remember it fondly . Pure black with read valure interior littered with cigarette burn holes.had he not wrecked it I would be sporting that bad boy.
I'm glad they put this in Forza horizon.
My forza daily skids, digs n dippin its so much fum
@@MalibuWaGOON tell me about it. This has become one of my favorites. She looks so nice.
Dude i play forza every day
@@numbahclaud7180 same
@@qpeocn are you trying to play sone time?
I remember back in 04 going to a tile job at pizza kitchen in Beverly hills passing a gentleman in a ferrari 355 america who looked a lot like Neil Moritz. Might have been the inspiration for this.
This is the coolest back seat driver story I ever heard.
A good friend of mine had an 83 T Type Turbo with the 3.8 liter (later upgraded to an 85 GN engine). Even back as far as I think 1978 Buick was offering cars with a carbureted turbocharged version of that engine.
you are correct, i have the ad from that year where Buick says they offer 2 of the 4 gas powered turboe engines on the market (the other two were Porsche and Saab). Buick had the Regal and LeSabre. fun fact: buick invented their 225 cid V6 off an aluminum block 215 V8 (which was later sold to Rover in Britain and also used in a Formula One race team) so it's a deep skirt or Y block design. Buick would sell it to Jeep, where it became the Dauntless V6. They'd buy it back when they needed a V6 for fuel economy, and turned it into 231 cid with a better head design. The Regal itself became a slippery body design for NASCAR teams, and Buick decided to make a celebration model that evolved into the T Type and later the Grand Nationals.
The buick has always been my favourite.
Grand nationals are so cool. One of the best stock "sleepers"
By now they aren't sleepers anymore. Beware of the 1989 Trans Am Pace car that uses the 3.8 Turbo. That's a sleeper. Everyone will think it has the 350 TPI
They were never sleepers moron. Dumb ass generation doesn't even know what a sleeper is.
The Turbo T was the sleeper. Grand National mechanicals with standard Regal looks.
If only we could post pics. I bought and built an '83 GN based on this F&F car. I had the wheels, tires, boom tube, Winter's shifter, roll bar, aluminum door panels, and all. Such a fun car. I miss it dearly. This was all about a month after I ALMOST bought the movie car off of ebay. I woulda, but the seller wasn't very confidence inspiring, with his lack of communication. So.. built my own, minus the v8 LOL. Thanks for sharing this.
P.S. Famoso: My home track and where I started before I got into road racing. Nostalgia x 2!
Craig you forgot about the 20th anniversary Turbo Trans Am. They had the GNX V6 in them and were blindingly fast for the day
the anniversary cars had the GN six ,,not the GNX,,with a different head but only as fast a standard GN
Saying those cars were fast is commendable for their time, but it’s like bragging about who is the smartest retard. They are the best of the worst.
@@BurlyMammoth lmaooooo. Your right tho
@@BurlyMammoth the 80s were not a time for fast cars to be sure. But I'd argue a decade earlier was the actual "worst," i.e. the fastest car made in 1977 would really not be saying much, lol
GM dropped the ball when they stopped building the GN
Cuz they wanted tha vette to be tha face of speed
GM does this a lot. IF they don't sell a million in 2 days , they will kill it off.
Props for showing a mostly stock Grand National quarter mile run. It was a rocket ship in the 13’s.
Yet it was only 280hp
Just a pink 934 RSR
Some of the best cars were rated at 280hp. Supra (Tho we know for a fact outside of Japan they made between 320-340hp), GTR, GTO/3000GT/Stealth, NSX, 300ZX TT (Z32) etc etc etc.
Even my 1990 MR2 Turbo currently sits at roughly 275-280WHP and it’s perfect. I wouldn’t add any additional power. My 1994 Celica Turbo is boosted up to 400WHP and while it’s a beast in AWD, it was, honestly, a better driving experience when it was right at 300WHP.
Something about that window between 275WHP and 300WHP, depending on the weight of the vehicle, makes for the best performance on the street (The quarter mile is another thing entirely). I’d love to race a bone stock GNX on modern tires.
The MR2 Turbo is the quickest among them but it wont outrun the GNX due to having higher top speed
Just a pink 934 RSR
Oh yeah, I assumed it wouldn’t. Would be a fun race though.
Props to you for knowing the MR2T was actually slightly faster in the quarter mile than the larger Japanese sports cars. Most people don’t realize that. It’s really down to the launch, very few 1990’s cars can hang with an MR2T in the 60’ though many can chase them down before the finish line.
@@negativeindustrial the MR2 can beat just about anything if its about speed test but nobody has the balls to build them, i really like to see one against a Pagani Huayra BC at a track
I was 18 in 1986 and somehow managed to talk a dealer into letting me drive a brand new Grand National. At the time I owned a fox body 5.0 Mustang with the World Class 5 speed. I loved the sinister look of the Grand National. The only thing I didn't like was that they only came in automatic. I would so like to have one today.
You forgot about the 1979 Regal Turbo. 1 of my managers @ Showbiz Pizza had 1. Black with tan vinyl/leather interior. It was an overheating, gas guzzling barge. Like ALL American cars back then, I ran circles around them in my 1976 Datsun 280.
I remember when this movie came out. The opening scene was with the GN and Chevy trucks, finally they are making a movie with the vehicles I drive. I couldn’t wait to get out of the theatre and drive mine.
Even in death there is only one rule........
All Hail The Mighty Grand National
...............*L-E-G-E-N-D*............
There are trucks in the Pilbara region of Western Australia that tow 5 trailers. They are called road trains and they carry iron ore from mine sites to the port for export. Most are 4 trailers but there are a few with 5.
The Grand National & Buick Regal T Type were just awesome take on date & race it love them models
GN1Performance!! When it comes to building your grand national. These guys are the best!!
My friends dad had two, of them and after hight school, about 1991-92, I went over and his dad let me drive one, and I pushed on the gas pedal slightly and his dad and his smaller kids were laughing at me. So on the next pass, he lived next to a straight long no traffic street, so I floored the pedal, I was like WOW! I get the front go up and the feeling of the "G" force pushing me against the seat was amazing! I had never experienced anything like that!!!! Then he poped the hood and my face was in awe! He had saved the 2 GrandNationals for his 2 younger sons, so they grew up but to his surprise the didnt like the cars, the wanted rice rockets & lifted 4x4 trucks. So he sold 1 of them. From time to time I would ask him if he would sell me his other Grand but so far no cigar. From time to time I pass by his house and I can still see the Grand National parked inside his garage. Such a beauty.
What’s wrong with his kids lol😦
These Grand Nationals are plain bad ass....
They also used a modded version of the 3.8 turbo in the anniversary 89 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am.
That car is a legend! I almost bought one back in 2005 when they were like 7-8k,now they double thew price
The '87 GNX is my dream car. Just hearing the name puts a smile on my face. I wrote a screenplay just so I can get my hands on one.
They're so valuable now you wouldn't even enjoy owning it.
Lieberman I was a young 18 year old in the army in 1981 and of all the cars that I had to choose from that Buick Regal with the fancy sport wheels Grey and Black velour along with factory blacked out exterior chrome bits. Was a car I loved very much. Speed Shop was able to stiffen up the springs and equip the car with a little better dampers. And added slightly shorter BF Goodrich tires for a little better grip and handling.
The Buick Regal were very good cars.
The GNX, Typhoon and Syclone were V6 , turbocharged. They packed plenty of punch.
The regal gn is one of my top dream cars.
I love that G-Body goodness! Thanks for the content.
Love the grand national my dad had a 87 t type he got it n 88 kept it till 91 he still regrets selling that car
This is probably in my top 5 fav cars in this franchise idky it just looks perfect
My step father had an 84 that he was so proud of.. used to spend every sunday morning polishing the wheels, wearing down my arms, wishing I could be at church instead.. I didn't appreciate it, but understood he was proud of it.. didn't understand what he/we had till I was finishing HS and the car was sold off to some dirtbag nickle and diming my mom :(
Just plain awesome! Thanks for the video! The Chevy C20/30 and the Squarebody were awesome too 🤘
god i love this car
Craig is a true hero for O.G. F&F fans. 💪
My friend had a body shop and was fixing a beautiful GNX for a dope dealer. The car had LEGIT 9mm bullet holes on the side and rear. Welcome to Oakland CA
Damn that buick was so epic in the begin of fast 4
the 4th fast movie was definately my favorite opening scene but fast 5 is still my favorite out of the whole franchise
I remember when the GNX came out. I thought it was the pinnacle of street vehicles. It has the look and performance of a racing pedigree car. I dreamt of one day owning a new GNX; and was completely floored when GM decided to stop production.
At the moment, SUV's are the fad, but performance street cars are still popular enough to keep them alive for a while. The lineup if Dodge muscle cars has taken it to levels never before imagined.
I daresay that we aren't too far from the day when a hybrid muscle car takes everything to an even higher level. It would be nice if it ends up being a reintroduced model, such as the Grand National, the Olds 442, Chevy Chevelle, or Pontiac GTO.
Buying a grand national.... I almost can't believe it. But its in the works and I can't be more happy about it. Great video.
I just bought an 85 thats LS swapped with A 6L. Totally awesome car and way faster than the stock GNs were.
@@imthenoid69 3.8 can get to 9 seconds in the quater it just takes money.
I bought mine in 2019....then put on 20k to make it a 500hp machine.
I had a triple green ‘79 Regal my senior year. Those were the days!
Well I've definitely seen one of these movie cars as I live locally within about an hour from the Star Cars museum and attraction in Gatlinburgh, TN. It's nice to know that that car was an actual movie car used for filming rather than a trumped up copy car for the attraction factor. Pretty kool stuff. I believe they also had several other cars from the franchise including Paul's green Eclipse and Hans' "Mona Lisa". 😁
Funny you made this and I finished watching #4 last night. I love the Grand National
I would say bring back the Grand national
But we have to bring Buick back
Buick is still around. GM got rid of Oldsmobile, Saturn and Pontiac.
@@281cobracar7 bring them back _to life._ As in, they've lost their way.
Buick made one other legendary car. 1970 GSX was an epic car.
Make a video of the cars you own right now!
My favorite car in the series.
Hey Craig! Thank you for telling us this info, it's really interesting, please keep doing it!
I'm first car was a 1984 buick regal. But it was the curiosity of the 3.8 sfi turbo decal on the buick grand national that lead me into all performance cars afterwards. Still my dream car 25 plus years later.
I don't know much about cars (I own a 2010 Colbalt) but learning about all of my favourite Fast and Furious cars has been wonderful. You've definitely gained a subscriber here!
damn you released this just in time for RTJ4!! Perfect timing
Awesome info!!! Thanks for another great video!
I saw a GMC Typhoon about a week ago park next to me while I was having lunch on my Harley. At first I didn't think much of it, but after the couple that was in it walked away and went into the store, I started looking at it closer. It was a little beat up, not an awful condition, but not a show car either. At first I was like, "this is a cool little custom job this guy did." All blacked out, no badges. I was trying to figure out what it was. I've never seen one before. It said GMC on the grill, but outside of that it had no other badging. It looked like a cross between a muscle car station wagon, or a slammed two-door SUV. The more I looked at it the more intrigued I got. Finally I looked it up on Google using the best description I could of what I was looking at. That's when I learned about the existence of the Typhoon, and it is definitely a cool ride!!! The one they had was a prime candidate for a hot Resto mod job!!
SOME people LOVE the blue velour...plush..soft..memories..back seat education..😉😜😘
Thank you for making these videos 📹
I love the sleeper concept Knight Rider made its impact :)
Indeed was a gem from Buick!
first time i seen a GN was at the drag strip about 15 years ago i was in my 20s and didnt know much about the legend of the GN thought it was just another run of the mill Buick. once he smoked EVERYTHING at the track i have been impressed with these cars ever since. they were the ultimate sleeper car.
I have a 2004R from a GN in my '74 Camaro. Awesome transmission. My car is carbureted but gets 22mpg on the highway (in lockup) with a 3.73 rear.
That car is a legend!!!
Those cars moved!!! Test drove one back in the late 80's.
I seen the Buick a few months after the movie in Tennessee's gatlinburg & seen the cars in Branson I am so lucky to have gotten to see them
The Grand National in the late 80's was nasty. But the GNX was even more so.
“Road Train’s” with 3-5 trailers are common place here in Australia ;) especially in the remote “out-back”
if they ever hit you up for a smaller budget reboot with a racing focused story please put a foxbody in the series
LMAO a fox body 😂🤣, no one wants that turd bucket
Nismo Cash it’s a good humble project car for the main protagonist, thinking something like the old Chevy from the beginning Tokyo drift
A replica of his old foxbody perhaps? 😯
Liam Phelps not a bad start
Been waiting on this one!
For the last year I been looking up GN's something special about them I'd be happy to have a turbo regal
Road trains are a thing, if you simply google "road train", the autofill says Australia. They're some huge big rigs and are usually seen towing at least 3 full size trailers, but can potentially tow 4 or 5, maybe more. The only discrepancy I see is that the movie trailers have a single axle for a tanker trailer instead of 2 or even 3 seen on some road trains.
I too know about road trains but maybe his comment was aimed at ones with several or more gas tanker trailers? It would be heavy and dangerous.
Was waiting for this video :)
Craig is a goldmine of information. I wish they gave him more leverage at Universal Studios. He would have prevented the cringeworthy fake stuff that us real car guys joke about in the FF movies. Danger to manifold! Don't blow the welds on your intake kids.
Lest your diamond plate floor boards fall out at around 376 mph in 17th gear!
@@ellisjackson3355 Lol, that too
GNX is one of my most favorite American cars. It's so badass
I had an '86 GN. It was a great drag car!
My aunt looked at a brand new Grand National on the show room floor. It was beautiful!!!
I drove a Grand National in 1985. I had just joined the Army and was looking for a car. I really liked the car but it turned me off when the door handle broke off in my hand. Also you may not know but Buick built the Wildcat which was a pretty nice hot rod in its day. My grandfather worked at Buick all his life and his father was a chassis engineer (later chief chassis engineer) for Buick who worked on the so called "Flint Buick". Grandpa used to get to drive some of Buick's early prototype cars and he said Buick experimented with turbo and supercharging in cars right after WW2 and even some before that and they built some pretty impressive cars for that era but it was always shot down because it was too costly. Later when GM happened Buick was relegated to the luxury end (along with Cadillac and Olds) and Chevrolet and Pontiac were supposed to handle more performance oriented cars but the prototype Wildcat that Great grandpa brought home was supercharged and according to Grandpa, could run rings around anything around then. I have a picture of it somewhere... So Buick did make more than just a couple of performance cars.
Awesome video Craig!
🤣😂 love the guy on the tractor pulling the 5 shopping carts 👍😂
That´s Steve Jessup, he has some funny clips here on UA-cam.
That was fascinating and presented well.
My dad was a car guy so it obviously rubbed off on me, especially spending weekends at the drag strip growing up. I think once the franchise started to use more of the older cars the movies got more interesting to him as they were cars that he had seen, raced, and loved growing up. Not that he didn’t like tuner cars, but the scene back then was “more show than go” as he’d say. There was very few very fast tuner cars back in the early 00’s, especially at our local track in Houston.
Man I miss him..
I've been waiting for this one lol
they put the Buick 3,8 turbo engine in the 1989 trans am pace car edition and it was the fastest car that year...
Highschool girlfriend had a T-Type as her first car. It had been painted an Argent Silver color and had black and silver turbo fan style wheels on it. She had no idea that it came from a serious pedigree. The previous owner/owners had taken really good care of it. She sold it a few years later and bought a (New at the time) 2005 Subaru STi.
Also Pontiac had the turbo trans am also know as a turbo T/A they used all the leftover engines from the Grand national line. They are probably the most rare of the turbo v6 cars. I believe they were a special edition pace car.
I felt him when he said you got to plan before to break in a regal 😂
It hurts to know they used real GNs when there are thousands of base regals that could have been done up for far less expense and would have done the scenes exactly the same
At least universal studious authenticity was there lol
Nice video. Great info.
Shoutout to all the 90’s kids 💪
This car was slept on 🔥🔥👌🏾
Whoever ran GM in 88 thru 2000s should be stoned
For the fwd cars, yeah
I believe he was stoned because nobody in their right mind would have stopped building GN’s.
One of these cars was at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale today. Both rear quarter panels were dented. Its up for auction this coming week .
Datsun 510, just like the Buick, is badass when love is put into it.
Are you talking about an a10 engine out of a datsun 1000?
I've had a datsun 1000 for the last 10 years, but it has an a12 in it like most of the datsun 1000s i come across.
It seems to be a common swap for the 1000s when anything happens to the original a10 engine, because it's 200cc larger, and much more available.
@@sparkoceanic 510* I think my keyboard was wet at the time of posting
@@RyuusanFT86 oh cool. I love the 510's too. I was trying to buy one originally, although none popped up over the year i was searching, and then the 1000 that i currently own popped up and i grabbed it.
The 510 is called a datsun 1600 in Australia. The b110 is a datsun 1200, and the b10 is a datsun 1000.
Turbo Trans Am was sandwiched in there between GN and GMC offerings. Won’t mention any GM supercharged fwd stuff of the era.