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Buick Gran Sport Skylark Picture Gallery

Buick was started in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick who invented the overhead-valve engine. Positioned just below Cadillac in the luxury car market, Buick wasn't the most likely participant in the muscle car wars, but they did produce some formidable cars including the 1970 GSX which had the highest rated torque of any contemporary car (510 ft-lbs), and the turbocharged 1987 Grand National GNX which was faster than the Corvette.

The Buick Grand National was based on Buick's mid-sized rear wheel drive Regal platform. The Grand National debuted as a limited edition in 1982 and was named after the NASCAR Grand National racing series. Though there was no 1983 model, in 1984 the Grand National returned as an all black model with a 3.8 liter turbocharged six-cylinder rated at 200 horsepower and 300 ft-lbs of torque.

An intercooler was added in 1986 which, along with other engine mods, boosted the power output to 235 hp and 330 ft-lbs of torque. It was among the fastest cars of its day. In 1987 the V-6's power rose to 245 hp and 355 ft-lbs of torque. The Grand National GNX model was available for 1987 only and was rated at 275 horsepower and 360 ft-lbs of torque.