That’s a lot of cash!
Expectations were high for the last 1987 Buick Grand National ever built when it crossed the auction block with no reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction on January 29. Those expectations were met and exceeded when it hammered for a shocking $550,000. This signals just how hot Grand Nationals are these days as younger generations who admired these cars now have the cash to finally snag their own.
Learn why Paris, France is moving to ban motorcycles here.
Looking fantastic thanks to the previous owner keeping the Buick in a climate-controlled “bedroom” and leaving the plastic interior protectors in place, it is a time capsule from a time long gone. It’s understandable why so many wanted to preserve such an historic vehicle, which drove the price up like a rocket.
Built on December 11, 1987, the Grand National was the very last one to roll off the assembly line. It marks the end of an era when Buick dominated automotive performance in the 1980s, something which has taken on a legendary status today. It was also the end of GM’s G Platform and was followed by the shuttering of the Pontiac, Michigan assembly plant.
Because of its historic importance, this Grand National has been heavily documented. A GM camera crew followed it through the assembly line, chronicling its progress through the factory. Line workers signed their names to the engine and undercarriage as they went through the final assembly steps. Those signatures along with signs made by workers reading “Built by the Best” and “The End” and the window sticker which reads “The Last Grand National” were included with the sale.
GM did its part to set this Buick Grand National apart from the rest. It applied an extra badge to the header panel, just over the passenger-side headlight cluster. Buick also included the car in its centennial celebration back in 2003. If you’ve seen the 2012 film Black Air: The Buick Grand National Documentary you will recognize this car, which was featured.
Images via Barrett-Jackson
