Do Grand Nationals get too much credit for the greatness of the G-Body?

[UNGN]

Different cars. Pronto has a T-type.

The Carolina Buick Club had some fast cars when I lived there in the 1990's. But when you'd go only 150 or so miles south east, like Florence or Darlington, those people didn't know what a Turbo Buick was, which made racing them very enjoyable.

 

[565bbchevy]

Different cars. Pronto has a T-type.

Didn't even catch that I thought he was referring to the same car, so his T-Type is the slower car. Bummer.

 

[Pronto-]

The first time I really looked at a GN was at the NED. Melissa was driving. She was in the staging lanes beside my 79 T/A. It ran 13.4 and I thought that was good (not bad really for a 403). I looked at that little engine and all the hoses and thingies and was like, "this can't be fast". We took off and all I saw was taillights the whole way. She ran 11.5 to my 13.4. That was my initiation. Next year my friend got a GN and let me drive it. I had a grin ear to ear and put my T/A for sale. Found the T and never looked back. Russ (Melissa's husband and engine builder) just did mine over this winter. I'm still breaking it in. Should be good for mid-low 10s not pushing it.
That pic is from the Turbobuick.com Nationals last week in NC. She won the TAI class. Third national race in a row for them.

 

[olds307 and 403]

That is cool part of the T type and GN story. Buick got their V8 pulled thanks to CAFE and GM's Coporate engine strategy. Much like the Pontiac 301 Turbo which no doubt would have seen improvement every year and would been impressive by the mid 80's, Buick kept at it. Olds did one improvement to the 307 HO, they had an extra 30 hp in the FE3X prototype, why it never made production is beyond me. Chevy supposedly almost got the TPI power plants in the Monte SS, again didn't happen. Somehow Buick snuck a monster past good old GM and made the Corvette look like a slow weinie mobile, that is truly why it became a legend. Pontiac had nothing but copycat cars to the Camaro and their G bodies had 0 performance engine options. Thankfully, that changed with the 89 TTA and they even improved on it some, it was the last TA that stood out and annihilated the Camaro on the street and track. I wonder if Chevy punished Pontiac for all the times it put outside impressive performing cars. The 80's, 90's and even the last WS6 version always ran slower than the Camaro, the TTA was the one exception.

 

[melloelky]

i think for how long this tread has gone on for the answer is yes..

 

[motorheadmike]

i think for how long this tread has gone on for the answer is yes..

What was the original question?

 

[Pronto-]

I think it was, "Why are Turbo Buicks so much fun?"

 

[Qdub24]

The thread has pretty much answered the original question with a definitive "No!"

 

[UNGN]

The thread has pretty much answered the original question with a definitive "No!"

I think Grand Nationals get a little too much credit, but T-Types don't get enough credit, so it evens out.

 

[Qdub24]

I think Grand Nationals get a little too much credit, but T-Types don't get enough credit, so it evens out.

They're essentially the same car though; I'd rather have an '86 T-Type than a GN anyway.