Watching this video just reminds me how lucky I am to have survived my high school years…

Welcome to another installment of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the definition of what a muscle car is, and to discover hidden treasures while doing so. Many do not even know that the Buick division of General Motors produced the Grand National on a platform other than on the Regal, but there was a very unique Grand National built in late 1985: the 1986 LeSabre Grand National. This was the debut of GM’s new full-size FWD platforms, and the two door Buick LeSabre (along with its corporate cousin, the Oldsmobile Delta 88) proved to be quite slippery in wind tunnel tests. We have had this question in this series before, but can a front wheel drive two-door really be considered a muscle car?

Continue reading after the jump!

The main reason for building the 1986 LeSabre Grand National was to get the new body with modified rear quarter windows sanctioned for Winston Cup racing that year. The modified windows gave the car a streamline advantage over cars with the large rear quarter windows. All LeSabre Grand Nationals were produced in December, 1985 in one run, from one run sheet – some of the first FWD LeSabre Coupes produced at the then brand new Buick City plant. Around that time Buick Motor Division changed its marketing strategy from a performance to luxury car image and cancelled future LeSabre Grand National builds. Only the one production run of LeSabre Grand Nationals was completed and Buick decided to build no more. As such, the 1986 LeSabre Grand National is the rarest of Buicks wearing the Grand National emblem and one of the rarest of all “modern” era Buicks.

Some prototype LeSabre Grand Nationals were rumored to have been turbocharged but kept destroying the FWD THM440-T4 transmissions so production vehicles were released to the dealers in normally aspirated versions. Buick planned to spend it’s research and development money on other projects and the LeSabre Grand National was toast.
The LeSabre Grand National (LGN for short) is among the rarest of all Buicks ever made, with production numbers varying between 112 and 117 units. It was only available in black with gray interior, though one red one managed to get built. The WE2 Grand National Option Package listed for $1,237. These cars were primarily sold in the Atlanta and Jacksonville regions.

Production of the LGN as the LeSabre’s “sport” version was ended by the inception of the LeSabre T-Type, which was offered from 1987-89. Well, even I know this car isn’t a Muscle Car, but here is why I decided to do a posting on it. We all know that the Buick Regal Grand National is a true musclecar, and an unconventional one at that, because of it’s Turbocharged V-6. The LeSabre Grand National was an attempt by Buick to get back into NASCAR, since they didn’t offer “Aero” versions of the Regal, a tactic that both Chevrolet and Pontiac did with their “G” platforms. With a limited run of 112 (or 117 as has been reported) the program wasn’t a success, and soon Buick was on the path of offering “Premium American Cars” rather than performance cars in the coming years. Tell me what you think.

This is a Buick Corporate Image of the later Buick LeSabre T-Type

This is an image of the LeSabre Grand National Badge. Note, the “6″ is all red rather than the traditional red and orange colors of the Regal Grand National.

Throw your nitrous away and leave your turbo at the door. Tom Spinella’s 1970 Buick, powered by a 489ci big-block Chevy, cruises at 65 mph and nearly runs 9s on 93 octane straight out of the pump. Every week, this car gets driven to the track on the freeway, hammered on, and driven home. Spinella racks up a few thousand miles per year driving it to shows and the strip.

Get over the lack of a Buick motor. Tom’s brother Jay is a racer as well, and long ago, Jay took the big-block Chevy out of his bracket car and gave it to Tom, while Tom took the Buick out of the Skylark and put it in Jay’s car. In terms of power per cubic dollars, it’s impossible to beat a well built Rat, and this one certainly is.

To take a 3,750-pound fatty (and we say that with a smile) and hurtle it down the track without any outside assistance from a bottle or a blower in just hundredths over the nine-second zone means that this little big block has some snot. Coming in at only 489ci, it’s on the small end of the big-block food chain, but it will sing to more than 6,500 rpm in the lights.

We certainly had some fun during the photo shoot and filming the awesome video on the car. It was the first time Tom had the car out and about after swapping the cam. He was dealing with valvespring breakage issues, and after consulting cam legend Harold Brookshire on what the problem was, Brookshire told him that the ramps on his previous cam were about as gradual as a cliff face. A custom stick went in and now all is right with the world.

Pay close attention at some of the “fly by” shots in the video. This brute is baking a pretty used up set of big 295/65-15 MT drag radials at about a 30-mph roll. Torque is your friend.

Go here to see the photo gallery and learn all the gory details about this broad shouldered street bruiser. The video below kicks some serious ass as well (even though there is a little typo in there).

You’re going to get familiar with the names Gary and Pam Beineke. We invaded their privacy to shoot and video several cars from their way awesome collection, and we’ll be featuring those cars in coming weeks. Most are cars that the couple built from scratch, but there’s one that they just picked up along the way. That’s this one, a 1987 Buick GNX that the couple bought brand new back in 1987 and has held on ever since.

Ironically, every other piece in their collection is a Mopar product, but this Buick holds a special place in their hearts. As one of only 547 ever produced, there are plenty of reasons why.

The GNX was basically the parting shot fired by Buick when it came to be known that the Grand National would be dead at the end of 1987. Buick teamed up with ASC/Mclaren to design a package that would totally optimize the drivetrain and upgrade the suspension of the car to levels previously unheard of in factory cars. The name was an homage to the legendary GSX moniker that was used on the highest performing Buicks from 1970-1972. They used 455ci to shred tires, this car used less than 250 to haul the mail.

The devil is totally in the details, so click here to see the gallery that’s loaded with photos and captions that spill the beans on this pinnacle Buick.

Oh yeah, right below there’s also the kickass video of the 8,000-mile original shredding tires. The ones it rolled out of the factory on.

Queens, New York: my home. Today I was tooling around in the old Danger Van and started to notice all the old iron that is still roaming the streets. I decided to take a ten block survey from my house, and was quite surprised by what I found. Granted, I know the models, but many of the years escape me. If you know the years of the following cars, chime in as I’m kinda curious. Lots more after the jump!

1. Buick – no idea what year or model

2. Mercury Comet – year?

3. Pontiac LeMans – I think… year?

4. Chevrolet Impala – year?

5. Ford Falcon – year?

6. Cadillac Fleetwood – maybe? year? (note the duct tape…)

7. Plymouth Scamp – 1974ish?

Just 50,000 miles! See Joshua’s ride page for more pics!

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to create a healthy dialog in the process. Wagons have always been a paradox to true muscle car aficionados. Most of the wagons offered were utilitarian at best, and not all that exciting. However, there are a few examples in which the lowly wagon became a full blown muscle car, but you may have never noticed.

In 1955, Chevrolet introduced the breathtaking 1955 Nomad, and by 1957, it was offered with fuel injection. In 1964, again Chevrolet offered a two door Chevelle wagon, and it was available with all the performance hardware of the SS (without the nameplate). By the early 70s these faux wood beasts could be equipped with 327, 400, or 454 power. But what would you say to a 90’s land yacht from Buick, complete with plastic wood paneling, Vista Cruiser roof, and a Corvette LT-1 V8 under the hood? Say hello to a most unconventional muscle car, the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon.

Continue reading after the jump!

During the 1991 model year, General Motors rolled out their long awaited re-designs of their “B” bodied full size, rear wheel drive, sedans and wagons. The previous versions offered by all GM divisions were largely unchanged since their 1977 debut, with the exception of various face lifts and engine offerings. Originally, Chevrolet was the only division to offer the Caprice Sedan, but Buick and Oldsmobile wagon versions were also in the mix. There was nothing muscular about these cars, with a 5.0L V8 only producing 170HP, and only 255 lb ft of torque, which was barely adequate at hauling these leviathans with anything approaching performance.

When the 1992 models were introduced, both the Buick and Oldsmobile wagons offered a 5.7L low output V8 shared with many of the Chevy trucks at that time, with throttle body fuel injection. But this engine was only marginally better, generating 180HP, and 300 lb ft of torque. Soon, the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser was put out to pasture, and only the Buick and Chevrolet versions continued on.

However, it was in the fall of 1993 that these cars had a heart transplant, with a derivative of the Corvette LT-1 taking up room in the engine compartment. This engine put out 260HP, and over 330 lb ft of torque. So how did this “B” body perform with the Corvette of V8s? Car and Driver test results showed 0-60 times clocked at 7.8 Seconds, and 1/4 mile times of 15.6 Seconds and a speed of almost 90 mph. This may not sound all that fast, but remember, this is almost a 5,000 pound wagon doing these times.

The Roadmaster Estate Wagon had it’s fair share of sales, with the high point being 1992, selling over 85,500 of the brawny wagons, and then settling down to around 40,000 per year for 1993 through 1996. These cars sold at healthy margins in those days, without the usual rebates, or 0% financing you find in today’s market. However, these rear wheel drive monsters (along with the Chevrolet Caprice, Impala, and Caprice Wagons, as well as the Cadillac Fleetwood) were soon discontinued because of Americas love affair with the SUV. The Arlington Texas assembly line was converted to produce Chevrolet Tahoes, GMC Yukons, and soon, the Cadillac Escalade. The last Buick Roadmaster Wagon produced was just sold at the Barrett Jackson Auction this past January.

Car Domain Members Rides

There are quite a few Roadmaster Estate Wagons within the CarDomain community, so let’s take a look. First, we have Scott’s “Daddy Wagon” from Boca Raton, Florida. Just take a look at his ride, and what he did under the hood. That’s a great ride, so visit his page, and leave some comments.

Then we have Jimmy’s Roadmaster Estate from Mobile, Alabama. The Estate was just recently painted with White Pearl, and clearcoat, and it looks like the Woodgrain wil be replaced with Carbon Fiber. Good luck with that.

Here we have a work in progress. Nick’s Roadmaster Estate started out tan with woodgrain, but is now going Black with red accents. Look at the progress on his page, and see what you think.

Wagons are approaching “cult” status, and the Buick Roadmaster Estate (along with the Chevrolet Caprice, and to a lesser extent, the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser), are leading the way. Think of these as latter day Chevy Nomads, or Ford Country Sedans with big horsepower, in a refined package. They will never be confused with an SUV, and really stand out in todays sea of sameness. But what do you think? Should these land yachts be considered Muscle Cars? Are they obscure enough to be included in the Parking Lot? Or should I just have my head examined for even thinking that a wagon could ever be a Muscle Car? Let the debate begin.

We’ve been collecting up photo galleries of all sorts of car that we see during our car-guy travels, and this time it’s a gallery of 31 Buick photos. We would have liked to have more, but there just aren’t enough of you Buick guys out there representing!

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to learn about different cars while doing so. Buick has been known as the car that many people bought if they wanted the luxury of a Cadillac without the ostentation. It was the consummate “Doctor’s Car,” if you will. Something happened to Buick during the late 50’s and early 60’s though–it took on a car that Cadillac rejected as being too radical for the brand, and created a new category. Let’s take a look at the beautiful 1963-65 Buick Riviera.

The name Riviera was used as a sub-model other model names, mostly to differentiate “pillar-less” hardtop coupes and sedans until 1963, when it finally became its own model. The executives at Buick were paying close attention to the personal luxury car with the introduction of the Ford Thunderbird. The Thunderbird had done really well at targeting a unique niche; its two-door sporty performance was similar to that of a Corvette or a Jaguar E-Type, but not to the extreme. When the T-Bird morphed into a 4-passenger coupe in 1958, it married both comfort and performance into a package that was highly sought after by the American public.

It was GM’s styling chief, Bill Mitchell, after having visited London and being captivated by the Rolls-Royce custom-bodied machines, who decided that a new type of personal luxury car from GM should be able to encompass both elegance and performance. Stylist Ned Nickles was tasked with creating this union, and it was adapted to a shortened cruciform frame. The first prototypes took the name LaSalle II, proposed as a companion make under Cadillac. When Cadillac rejected the idea, Buick was more than happy to grab it. There were only a few differences from the prototype version and the production versions. The most visual were the forgoing of the hidden headlights in an effort to keep costs reasonable.

This vehicle was unique; it did not share its body with any other GM product. It rode on a wheelbase that measured just 117-inches and had a length of 208-inches. Mounted under the elegant hood was a Buick V8 Nailhead engine that displaced 401 cubic-inches, mated to a Twin Turbine automatic gearbox. A 425 Buick V8 Nailhead engine was also available for those looking for slightly more performance. Aluminum-finned drum brakes were standard, as was the power steering, bucket seats, center console, and floor shifter. Popular options at the time were cruise control, power windows, power seats, AM/FM radio, wire wheel covers, air conditioning, and tilt steering wheel. Other options, such as leather, were offered but not that popular. Buick discontinued the leather option in after 1963.

On October 4th of 1962, Buick introduced their Riviera as a 1963 model. It carried a base price of just over $4,330 with most customers adding optional equipment and driving the price into the $5,000 range. Production was limited to just 40,000 units. There were few competitors in the market at that time, but compared with its closest rival, the Ford Thunderbird, the Buick was much better. It had luxury, low weight, superior performance, and a unique sense of style. Motor Trend traveled from zero-to-sixty in eight seconds and reached the vehicles top speed at 115 mph. The large V8 engines did not help the vehicle’s gas mileage, which was about 14 mpg.

The Riviera’s second year of production saw little changes. The ‘R’ emblem now appeared on the Riviera and would stay there for the next thirty-six years of production. The most dramatic change was with the gearbox, which saw the Twin Turbine replaced for a three-speed Super Turbine 400, also known as the Turbo Hydra-Matic. The 401 engine was no longer available; in its place was the 425 cubic-inch unit which offered 340 horsepower. A second engine was available, the Super Wildcat, which used dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors which boosted power to 360.

For 1965 Buick introduced the Gran Sport which came standard with the Super Wildcat V8 engine, a 3.42 axle ratio, upgraded suspension, and dual exhausts. Styling changes for 1965 included the hidden headlamps per the original design. The scoops located behind the doors and rear wheel arches were removed. With the removal of the rear air scoops, and the hiding the headlamps as well as the taillights–they were now incorporated into the bumper–the Rivera was arguably one of the best looking car available. Tilt steering was now standard and a black vinyl roof was added to the list of options.

Production of the first generation of the Riviera lasted from 1963 through 1965 with a total of 112,244 units produced. 40,000 were produced the first year, 37,958 in the second, and 34,586 for 1965. Though production began to slow a little by the third year, sales were still relatively strong, especially considering the competition. Because of the success of the Riviera, new competition was just around the corner, and most of it was from General Motors itself. 1966 saw the dawn of the magnificent Oldsmobile Toronado; in 1967, The Cadillac Eldorado made its debut; and even Pontiac reintroduced a totally unique Grand Prix in 1968. At the dawn of the 70’s, a new expanded market took off, thanks in large part to the Buick Riviera.

CarDomain Members Rides

Wow, what can I say? There are at least 67 1963 to 1965 Buick Rivieras within the CarDomain community. Choosing to showcase just a couple is extremely difficult, so if you want to see all of them, click on the link above. However, here are three of my favorites:

Here’s Steve’s 65 Blue Riviera, from Doylestown, Ohio. The car was in storage for a number of years, but with a little polish and hard work, the Riv looks like new. Check out this stock 65!

Here’s Bryan’s clean white 1963 Riviera, from San Antonio Texas. The interior has been upgraded, but all in all it still looks stock. Check it out!

And here’s Zach’s 1965 Riviera Grand Sport, from Cincinnati. Take a look at how clean the front end looks without the headlamps in the grill. What a great looking ride.

Now comes the time for you to tell me if I’m off the wall with this choice. Is the 1963-1965 Buick Riviera, a car that is a true definition of a 1960’s personal luxury coupe, an Obscure Muscle Car, and does it belong in the Parking Lot? Or, is this just a Luxury Coupe that is meant to be used for lazy crusin’ and could never be thought of as Muscle? Let your voices be heard.

I’m a fan of $1000-or-less cars and an even bigger fan of rescuing junkers from the crusher, so this is my very favorite kind of story. Mitch, the April winner for last year’s Mobilize Your Ride contest, used his prize cash to rescue this awesome ’68 Buick Electra convertible. The car had been sitting, sadly neglected and unwelcome, in someone’s driveway and was slated to be sold to the junkyard for scrap. But fortunately, with that thousand bucks in winnings burning a hole in his pocket, Mitch ponied up a paltry $800 to give the big-boat Buick the loving home it deserves. Fantastic job, Mitch! He’s already pulled and rebuilt the Buick’s 430 big block, and is now getting to work on the brakes. Check out his ride page to see how far this 800-dollar rescue project has come!