Ponderous in appearance, the Buick Grand National was more than a black sheep and a sleeper. It was, and likely still is, one of the most under-appreciated performance cars ever built.
As the antithesis of shallow-minded car buying, that’s a reality unlikely ever to change — at least to the degree it should. Be that as it may, a documentary of the car’s story, Black Air, went on sale today.
Buick started building the Grand National starting in 1982, but the turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 with 245 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque didn’t come out until 1987. At the time, it was faster than cars from Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche.
Needless to say, it turned a few heads.
Fast as it was, the car struggled with its identity. Ugly was an understatement, but just like the Scion FR-S, it was a performance bargain.
The clip below is a trailer for Black Air, which you can buy for $20 on DVD at gnmovie.com.
