1987 Buick Grand National

1987 Buick Grand National
Overview
Manufacturer	Buick (General Motors)
Make	Buick
Model	Regal (Grand National)
Production Year	1987
Model Status	Discontinued
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size
Body Style	2-door coupe
Engine	Buick 3.8-liter turbo V6
Body Mods	Stock GNX bodykit
Specialty Mods	MSD ignition, Turbonetics intercooler, T/A Performance cylinder heads, Wenco driveshaft
Wheels	Cragar Soft 8 Black Wheel Size: 15x8
Tires	General Grabber HP, Front Tire Size: 235/60R15, 275/60R215
Suspension Mods	Hotchkis springs & shocks
Paint Color	Jack's Auto Body Gloss Black
License plate	MP17949
Character Information
Driver(s)	Dominic Toretto
Use(s)	Hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic
Status	Survived
Film(s)	Fast & Furious

The 1987 Buick Grand National is a minor car in The Fast and the Furious series, appearing only in Fast & Furious.

History

Fast & Furious

Dominic Toretto uses this car while hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. Dominic drives up beside the fuel tanker, while Letty jumps onto the tanker. She then uses a nitrogen spray gun and a hammer to unhook two of the tanks while Dominic drives the Buick in front of the tanker to slow it down. However, when the driver sees Letty on top of the tank, he starts swerving to knock her down, even ramming into the Buick and shooting at it. Because Tego Leo and Rico Santos cannot unhook themselves from the containers and are being dragged with the fuel tanker, Dom has Letty spray the hitch with nitrogen again and rams the car in between, separating the containers. He then has Letty jump onto the car and get into the passenger seat, however, one of the oil tanks come loose and explodes. Dom reverses to avoid being hit by the flaming and rolling oil tank, but he reaches the end of a cliff with the road itself being blocked by the fallen tanker. Dom revs the engine and drives precisely under the flaming tank as it rolls over the Buick's head, and Dom and Letty watch as the tank hits the tanker, exploding and falling off the cliff.

Trivia

• Some the cars used for stunts were built-up Buick Regals designed to look like the Grand National.

• Despite often being referred to as a Grand National GNX, the car in the film is not the GNX trim; rather, it is merely the Grand National.
• The production team built 8 of these cars, and installed CNC slide brakes and Wilwood calipers in the rear to help facilitate stunt demands.

Production Notes

• The production team built 8 of these cars, and installed CNC slide brakes and Wilwood calipers in the rear to help facilitate stunt demands.
• The most unusual of the seven GNs built was one with the body mounted backward on the frame so it could be driven at speed while appearing to be going backward. To get the engine tucked under the trunk lid, however, the turbocharger and its plumbing had to be removed. Most of the other GNs retained their original turbo V6s, though a couple had Chevy crate V8s installed.
  • The Buick Grand National used for the reverse scene is actually facing the wrong way on the chassis. The body is sitting backwards, with the engine “in the trunk” and the rear differential under the hood. The driver’s seat, where Vin Diesel sat during the shooting of the scene faces through the windshield but the car was actually operated by a driver sitting long-ways across the back seat with the real steering wheel being where the rear seat back would be found and the gas and brake pedal along the side of the car – behind Vin Diesel's seat.

Media

Gallery

Screenshots

Videos

Dom's Buick Regal Grand National