Was the Buick Grand National the fastest production car in ’87? Not as an unqualified claim. Contemporary testing shows the standard 1987 Grand National was exceptionally quick, while its limited-production GNX derivative was quicker in Car and Driver’s acceleration test. Those results do not establish either Buick as the year’s top-speed champion or the fastest production car across all models and markets.
Grand National or GNX: which Buick are we talking about?
The 1987 Grand National was a Regal-based performance model. The GNX was a more powerful, limited-production derivative developed with ASC/McLaren; the two names are not interchangeable. Car and Driver’s 2018 history says Buick built 20,740 Grand Nationals for 1987, of which 547 were converted to GNXs. It lists the Grand National at 245 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torque, and the GNX at 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft. The GNX also received engine-control and airflow changes, a revised turbocharger, and chassis and wheel-and-tire modifications. Car and Driver’s history of the Grand National and GNX
What did the contemporary acceleration tests show?
Car and Driver’s May 1987 GNX road test reported 0–60 mph in 4.7 seconds and a quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 102 mph. In the same article, the magazine said the last Grand National it had tested ran 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 98 mph. These are magazine test results, not manufacturer claims or a complete ranking of every 1987 production car. Car and Driver’s May 1987 GNX test
The comparison set in that article puts the GNX’s 0–60 time in perspective: Car and Driver said the only car available in the United States matching it was the Callaway Twin-Turbo Corvette, while a Porsche 911 Turbo was quicker at 4.6 seconds. That is a contemporary comparison of acceleration among the cars the magazine discussed—not proof of a global fastest-car title.
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Why do the published figures differ?
Road & Track’s 2016 retrospective reported Buick’s official figures as 5.4 seconds to 60 mph and 13.4 seconds at 104 mph in the quarter-mile for the GNX. For the Grand National, it gave Buick’s figures as 6.9 seconds to 60 mph and 15.7 seconds at 97.5 mph. Those manufacturer figures differ from Car and Driver’s measured results because they come from a different source and testing basis; they should not be blended into one definitive time.
Road & Track also described its informal timing of a well-used GNX prototype: repeated 0–60 runs took 5.6–5.7 seconds, and its best quarter-mile was 13.8 seconds. Those are prototype timings, not the magazine’s test of a standard production GNX. Vehicle condition and test circumstances matter when comparing these numbers. Road & Track’s GNX retrospective
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Did a 1986 Grand National test faster than expected?
Car and Driver’s 2018 history notes that an April 1986 Grand National test car ran 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds. The magazine’s technical team estimated that test car was making roughly 290 horsepower, compared with the advertised 235 horsepower at the time, and suggested it may have been specially prepared. Because that result has a preparation caveat and comes from a 1986 test, it should not be presented as the ordinary stock performance of a 1987 Grand National.
Does “fastest” mean quickest acceleration or highest top speed?
Acceleration and top speed are different measures. A 0–60 time measures how quickly a car accelerates from rest; quarter-mile elapsed time and trap speed describe its performance over a standing quarter-mile. None of those figures, by itself, establishes maximum speed.
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Car and Driver’s December 1987 top-speed shootout covered a separate group of street cars and special or modified vehicles, and did not test the Grand National. It therefore cannot establish the Buick’s rank by top speed. The available evidence supports a strong acceleration claim for the GNX and Grand National, but does not identify either as the U.S. or worldwide production-car top-speed leader for the 1987 model or calendar year. Car and Driver’s December 1987 top-speed shootout
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the “fastest car on the road” recollection
In a 2025 GM account, company president Mark Reuss recalled his father, former Buick general manager Lloyd Reuss, describing the Grand Nationals as “Fast With Class.” Mark Reuss also remembered the GNX as a car that would beat Corvettes, Ferraris, and other exotics, calling it “the fastest car on the road in America.” That is a retrospective recollection, not a measured top-speed comparison or a comprehensive ranking of production cars. GM’s 2025 account of the Buick GNX
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