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1987 Buick Regal GNX driven just 54.8 miles heads to auction

The previously unimaginable prices for seemingly anything on any number of wheels continues to lure garage queens into the open. Here we have another Buick GNX headed to auction, this one Mecum's Summer Special in Orlando from July 6-9. Buick only made 547; it feels like half went to owners who never drove them. The last GNX auction we covered, in 2019 on Bring a Trailer, ended up grossing $200,000 for a model with 8.5 miles. This example has been driven much harder than that, praise be to enthusiasts, with 54.8 miles on the odometer. That means the original owner, who kept the coupe until 2017, got more than six times the use out of his GNX than the 2019 owner. Way to go. For those who haven't attended any classes on the Buick Regal GNX, allow us to summarize the subject matter. When Buick greenlit "a Grand National to end all Grand Nationals," out came the one-year-only 1987 GNX. A racier brand back then, it partnered with ASC/McLaren to work up the wheel lip flares, fender vents, 16-by-8-inch BBS rims, more aggressive tires, and the interior treatment. The Grand National trim used a 3.8-liter V6 making 245 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque hooked to a four-speed automatic. The GNX benefited from a larger Garrett T-3 turbocharger with a ceramic impeller, a larger intercooler, more aggressive fuel, spark, and waste gate tables, and a dual exhaust system that boosted output to what some say is an underrated 276 hp and 360 lb-ft.  This GNX headed to auction spices up the standard specs with the original order paperwork, window sticker, dealer invoice, ASC documentation, a GNX coffee table book, and a GNX jacket. That jacket could be the denim one or the high school varsity jacket with the cloth front and back and leather(ish) sleeves, which, sadly, didn't include Buick's attacking eagle logo of the time. We'd mention the black and sand gray cloth interior, power driver's seat and mirrors, and Delco Concert Sound stereo, but it's likely that the future owner won't spend much time with them. Likely fated to be a garage or show queen again, the jet black paint, "original parts stickers still affixed on suspension," and "original chalk markings throughout" will be the major points of interest. Mecum doesn't give a pre-sale estimate for this GNX, so we'll be waiting to find out if the 2019 sale price was an anomaly — well, more of an anomaly — or the new benchmark.

Buick celebrates 110 years by naming most significant model of each decade

In May of 1903, Buick began work on its first vehicle, the 1904 Model B, the first example of which was sold to a doctor in Flint, Michigan. That first sale was appropriate since later on, Buick became known as a "doctor's car." The Model B is the first of 11 cars chosen by Buick to highlight each decade of the company's 110-year history.
The 1916 D-45 Touring with a six-cylinder engine was Buick's highest seller that year, and helped push overall sales past six figures for the first time, making Buick the top-selling automotive brand. In 1931, Series 50 got an eight-cylinder engine, which helped the company survive the Great Depression. The 1936 Century was the first Buick that could hit 100 miles per hour, the 1949 Roadmaster had a supporting role in Rain Man, the 1953 Skylark had Italian wire wheels and the owner's name engraved on its steering wheel.
Then we have the iconic 1963 Riviera, the V6-powered 1975 Regal, and in 1987, the legendary GNX. With a turbocharged, intercooled V6 pumping out 276-horsepower it could hit 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. In 1999 Buick built the first car in China, the Century, and that country remains the brand's largest market.

Is Buick America's most daring mainstream car brand?

Considering Buick as an adventurous automaker seems a little odd at first thought. But with little fanfare over the last several years, the marque is transforming itself from a brand often associated with elderly drivers to a nameplate willing to take chances in niche segments. The gamble is already paying off with 2014 sales up 11.4 percent in the US to 228,963 cars. Given recent product launches, this experimentation is only likely to continue. The key to the transformation at Buick is its willingness to explore the so-called white space, according to Automotive News; the term refers to niches in the market without rivals as a challenge. In addition, the brand's position in the near-luxury space means that its products are cross-shopped by a large swath of customers. Without having a specific competitor, Buick has more room to experiment within its segment. "Designers love designing Buicks because it's not a paint-by-numbers brand," said Andrew Smith, director of design at Buick and Cadillac, to Automotive News. The company's strategy of going where others haven't is best exemplified by the Encore. The subcompact, luxury crossover came to market early, and Buick found serious success with it. The tiny CUV was the automaker's fastest growing model last year with a 53 percent gain and 48,892 units sold. With the test a triumph, the Encore recently got a sibling in the US in the form of the Chevrolet Trax. The upcoming Cascada is taking a similar approach. The non-sporty convertible segment is practically empty in the US, and this slightly redesigned product from Opel has the opportunity to become a leader in its niche. Of course, Buick's biggest recent surprise was the Avenir concept at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The car's swooping shape and use of materials earned it two EyesOn Design Awards against some tough competition. While the company's intentions for this flagship sedan aren't entirely clear yet, the vehicle does "test some of the future design language that will come on the next generation of Buicks," according to brand boss Duncan Aldred to Automotive News, which is definitely something to look forward to. Featured Gallery Buick Avenir Concept: Detroit 2015 View 12 Photos Related Gallery Buick Avenir Concept View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Buick Convertible Crossover Luxury buick encore buick cascada buick avenir