Buick Grand National, an American muscle car?

There's one type of car that I don't have all that much interest in. This also means that my knowledge of them is as extensive as my knowledge of the American civil war. So, since the last post about the Alfa Romeo 4C attracted no interest at all lets talk about American muscle cars.

Buick Grand National in the only colour, jet black.

American muscle cars have a large fan base which is also apparent on this blog, since the highest view counts are on posts about muscle cars. I don't share that passion of American muscle cars, which means that only recently was I introduced to a car which existence surprised me. The car in question is the Buick Grand National. The car is actually a 1980's Buick Regal but with a 3.8 litre turbocharged V6. This in my book is very uncharacteristic for a Buick or for any American car in fact. In the early years of the Grand National the turbo V6 developed a frankly embarrassing 200 HP. But in the last two years of production (1986-87) the improved and now intercooled engine boasted an acceptable 245 HP. This means the Buick is capable to achieve 100 km/h in 5 seconds. That's faster than a Ferrari of that period, the 328 GTB. The top speed though is absolutely appalling at only 200 km/h but you're not likely to ever go that fast on roads anyway so who cares.

Familiar shape from the 80's

That's it on the technology part of the Grand National, as it usually is when it comes to American muscle cars. Large engine = big speed and noise, there's no need for a chassis, suspension or brake upgrade when it comes to American muscle cars.

This particular car had the owners name printed on it.

The Buick Grand National looks quite similar to the basic Regal except the fact that the Grand National was only available in jet black and it has Buick "6" badges. Otherwise it looks like many other American "coupe" from that era. But the jet black body colour, including the grille, does give it a sinister look. The marketing people also recognized this and they made some impressive posters with the Grand National. It looked so evil and malicious it was referred to as Darth Vader's car. I know it's weird, but I quite like it.

And this is the view drivers of muscle cars saw back in the day, and even today.

The Buick Grand National has a presence and a mean attitude. Other cars like the Camaro, Mustang and not to mention Ferrari turned their noses to at the sight of it. And then a couple of seconds later looked at its Buick behind when it went past in a sea of turbo whistle.

In many ways this car is like many other power hungry American muscle cars but then again it isn't. If only it had a Nissan badge to go with that unique engine it would be hailed around the world as one of the great turbocharged cars.

The all important badge. Could any of you tell me who is Troy Spencer?

The oddity from 'Murica

The Americans have a certain skill when it comes to manufacturing cars. They can be absolutely dreadful to drive while at the same time be charismatic and very likable. But i stumbled on an american car that i'm not so sure about.

It's the Plymouth Prowler (later known as the Chrysler Prowler) that I'm talking about. The product of Chrysler engineers that were basically given free hands to go play with bits of metal lying about the factory. And to create a car that would describe the words hot rod and sportster. The result then was a two-seater roadster with open front wheels and the V6 from a Chrysler 300M, not even a V8. With the open front wheels it did resemble a hot rod, but nothing else really. The engine too had at first 217 hp but later it was pumped up to a reasonable 252 hp. But the gearbox stayed the same, a 4-speed automatic. That's not very sportster is it? And despite all of this it is found in the civilized world as well, in Europe.

I think because of it's weirdness it did sell well enough for Chrysler to keep making it for five years (1997-2002) before they had to call quits. The Prowler has a character that appeals to a specific sort of person who doesn't care about the stupid gearbox or the awful interior. I don't and probably never will understand what goes on inside this persons head.

At least the plastic bumpers blend nicely in with the black paint.  

Those blinged up wheels cannot make this car more American. 

The choice became harder

For the last few years there has been a trend in the big saloon market that has baffled me. It's the introduction of the saloon-coupe. I'm not the biggest fan of the saloons with the sloped rear-end like the A7 or the CLS, because you could spend less money on a less flashier car and then use the rest of the money to buy another car for your child. I expect that the buyer would have a child since those cars are still big saloons. But anyway, this text is not for ranting on those type of cars (or people who buy them) but for the new Maserati Ghibli. 

The Maserati Ghibli is a new car from Maserati which unfortunately falls in the same category as the CLS, not because of its body shape, but because of its similar price tag. The Ghibli comes with two different engines to choose from. A 3.0 L twin turbocharged V6 which puts out 330 hp and 410 hp for the faster S model. It also has - for the first time ever in a Maserati - a V6 turbodiesel. 

Now before we go and say that the legendary Italian manufacturer has sold itself out we have to remember that, if you want Maserati to be around for much longer they have to build something for a larger market. And that means for Maserati to build a smaller car with a bigger market than the Quattroporte but still one that doesn't ruin their badge. Enter the Ghibli.

The diesel is necessary so that it could compete with the German equivalents. But I hope that the people who buy the Ghibli will opt for the twin turbo petrol. I also hope that this car will propel the passionate Italians to build more sports cars in the future.

At first I wasn't happy with the styling, but it has started to grow on me. I like it.

Will we see an estate version? It could be something they're working on right now.