It's Hard To Shift Gears While Wearing Darth Vader's Suit

"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo)
01/28/2014 at 12:09 • Filed to: Daily Turismo

Purists will lament the lack of an available stick shift in Buick's Regal Grand National lineup, but the truth is when you are more man than machine, wear a floor length cape, have more buttons on your chest than a vending machine...well...an automatic transmission is a good thing.

The Buick Regal was a G-body coupe from General Motors that introduced the US to turbocharged performance and in 1978 was one of three cars available with a factory turbo; the others were the SAAB 99 and Porsche 911 Turbo. While the 99 and 911 were available with manual transmissions beset with turbo lag, the Regal Grand National was an automatic transmission equipped cruiser that used a low pressure turbo and big displacement to create virtually instant boost response. Find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for sale in Largo, FL currently bidding for $13,788 reserve-not-met with 3 days to go.

The Grand National version of the Regal (named for the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series) was only available in black with blacked out trim, a rear spoiler, front air dam and unique wheels. The Grand National was under 14 seconds in the 1/4 mile when new and could embarrass Corvettes, Ferraris and Lamborghinis alike at the 1320 ft mark.

In 1986 the Grand National finally got an intercooler and the 3.8 liter turbocharged V6 was rated at 235 horsepower and 330 ft-lbs of stump pulling torque. A peak under the hood looked as foreign to US buyers in 1986 as popping the off Vader's helmet and seeing Anakin Skywalker's hideous scarred noggin. What are all those tubes for? Should this engine be wheezing this much?

Unfortunately the Grand National was not available with a clutch pedal, so it is better suited for parking lot brake stands and drag strips, but it would make a great Friday night cruiser vehicle for hunting down the last of the Jedi scum. It's also a great vehicle for scaring passengers as the '80s GM-luxe unit body lack of torsional stiffness and braking power makes for an amusing experience when the turbo V6 is wound up to full power.

See another turbocharged classic with room for your lightsaber in the glove box? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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DISCUSSION (9)

thebigbossyboss > DailyTurismo
01/28/2014 at 12:11

My favorite car!!

camaroboy68ss > thebigbossyboss
01/28/2014 at 12:17

The only other 80s car I want next to a camaro. These things were just soo cool with the sinister all black look.

OtherBarry > DailyTurismo
01/28/2014 at 12:18

The reason they were autos is because GM didnt make manual strong enough at the time. Besides, these were for drag racing not road racing.

thebigbossyboss > camaroboy68ss
01/28/2014 at 12:21

I also wan't a 3rd gen camaro. Perhaps I should buy one and you the other, and then we can swap later on. hahaha.

DailyTurismo > OtherBarry
01/28/2014 at 12:21

Super T-10 4-speed, Doug Nash OD 4+3, or even Borg Warner T-5 would have easily taken the abuse...(well maybe not the T-5 at 330 ft-lbs of torques, but certainly the others...). I think the auto was a market decision based on what GM thought the buyers would be - older mid-western gents who wanted a cruiser instead of a Vette - nothing wrong with that.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > thebigbossyboss
01/28/2014 at 12:22

Maybe you should make a mess of everything and put the Vader motor in the 3rd Gen Camaro.

MIND BLOWN

camaroboy68ss > thebigbossyboss
01/28/2014 at 12:25

There ya go, I found my third gen just no place to put it. I want a 82-83 Z28 cross fire injected car. My grandparents had one when I was a baby and I want one now.

camaroboy68ss > DailyTurismo
01/28/2014 at 12:30

The 4 speeds sticks were dropped in the early 80s so only the t5 was available. Plus this was a Buick it still had to have a little of the old lady's car somewhere and that was the tranny.

OtherBarry > camaroboy68ss
01/28/2014 at 13:36

I have seen factory T-5's in other G-bodies, but there is no way they would hold up to that kind of power at the time. The others listed would hold up, and did with more powerful V8's in the day, but they were not around anymore.