Photo: YouTube/Adventures made from scratch
The American auto industry literally propelled the national economy forward and upward during its glory days, when GM was still the largest automaker on the Piston planet. That frenzy of automotive progress has left a legacy of magnificence. However, it has also had a side effect that has become a gold mine for auto salvagers: junkyards full of abandoned American classics. As with all things in life, even beat-up old cars are not created equal, as a bunch of Buick GNs can attest.
Digging up forgotten cars is a popular occupation among car enthusiasts, and some of them have turned it into a lifestyle/business type of activity. Although this trend has been going on for quite some time, it seems the source of these old things never runs dry. Silas Manche, the frontman of Adventures made from scratch YouTube channel and full-time car enthusiast found a true rainbow treasure somewhere in western Kansas.
The exact location has not been revealed, and at this point it wouldn't make any difference, since the car graveyard has moved. Also, the filming took place in early spring, considering the complete lack of green vegetation and the YouTuber's clothing. But none of that matters in relation to what he found in there.
This is where the story gets really intriguing, and I would have loved to hear a few details about some of the cars on the estate, chief among them the half-dozen Buick Grand Nationals that have been sitting in the yard, trapped in the trees for who knows how long. Even so, it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting if it weren’t for one specific model from that monumental series in the storied Tri-Shield Legends lineup.
Photo: YouTube/Adventures made from scratch
The Buick Grand National is considered by many to be the last true American muscle car, despite its appearance in the ninth decade of the last century, when the aftermath of Malaise was still ravaging Detroit. The famous GM icon arrived out of the blue: the Petty Blue of the historic 1981 Daytona 500 victory, achieved by the “King of NASCAR” Richard Petty in a Buick Regal. It was the automaker's first oval victory in 25 years, and the GM division took home the laurel wreath at the end of the season.
In 1982, Buick triumphed again, taking 25 wins out of the previous season's 21 first-place finishes. Perhaps just as noteworthy, that year also marked the release of a celebratory model, the Grand National, named after the race's official nomenclature, 'NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National.' The auto racing body responded quickly and sued the GM division for copyright infringement, but the Buick emblems remained on the cars.
The location and timing of the Grand National (GN) debut were perfectly chosen: the start of the 1982 season at the same Florida track during the 500-mile race. The new Buick was the safety car and 215 were sold. 42 years later, one of those rarities was found in a Kentucky car graveyard (ironically next to a real one). Even alone, it would still have caused a stir among automotive enthusiasts, but the yard was home to several other GNs (not 1982s, though, because they were all black, meaning they were from 1984-1987 production).
Photo: YouTube/Adventures made from scratch
The first of the Buick Grand Nationals was not the high-performance machine that its younger siblings were destined to be. In fact, most of the 1982 GNs were not even turbocharged, which sharply contradicts the very essence of the model, identified by its 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine. Alas, this detail adds value to the car for collectors and enthusiasts of the brand.
All in all, the video of the junkyard crawl does feature a handful of Buick GNs (see below), but that’s not all. The vlogger focused on Buicks (probably excited by the abundance of Grand Nationals) and stumbled upon other iconic models (like some 1971-1972 Riviera boattails, a 1969 225 Electra (the famous “Hooptie”), and other iconic names.
Frankly, while GNs are fabulous junk finds (given their rarity, they don’t just pop up in junkyards), my heart skipped a beat when the YouTuber claimed to have spotted a Buick GSX. It would have been a real treasure, given its three-year production run and low assembly volumes (846 in the three years combined). It turned out to be a false alarm; it was a “standard” Buick GS 400, not one of the super-rare executive muscle cars of the early 1970s.
Photo: YouTube/Adventures made from scratch
The GN had a short history after its 1982 debut. In 1983, Buick did not release the model at all, presumably to deal with the racing series' legal concerns. In 1984, the Regal Grand National went on sale and remained there until the end of the 1987 model year. Notably, production for the first three years was less than half the 1987 assembly effort, with about 9,600-odd examples produced between 1984 and 1986 and over 20,000 made in the latter year.
Most 1982 GNs were powered by a measly 4.1-liter V6 that made 125 horsepower and 205 lb-ft of torque (127 hp, 278 Nm). About 30 examples were ordered with the forced-induction 3.8-liter unit, but we don't know what's under the hood of the rusty example found by the car vlogger.
The “real GN” was powered by its turbocharged V6 that ranged from 175 hp (178 PS, 275 lb-ft) in 1982 to 300 hp (178 PS, 275 lb-ft) in the 1987 GNX. Buick claimed 276 hp (178 PS, 275 lb-ft) and 360 lb-ft (280 PS, 300 lb-ft) in the high-performance GNX, which was only produced for one year, but later measurements revealed higher numbers. Only 547 were made, and thankfully, none were found dead in the Kansas yard, shown below. There were, however, other classic gems that sat there for decades, but I won't spoil the surprise too much: How much do you think the 1966 Charger is worth, given its condition?
