If Darth Vader owned a car, this would be it

[JRS]

'87 Buick Grand National. Epic car in standard form, with the 3.8 turbocharged six-pot it just eats V8 Mustangs alive. And then you start modifying them, and suddently they're eating everything.

750hp. Forged internals, worked heads, 70mm TB and plenum, 75lb injectors and a whacking great turbo. Set the suspension up right, and the car will run high 9s in the 1/4. As it is, it makes for a horrifically rapid street car.

Kings Racing Parts are selling it for $28k. Bargain of the century.

One more shot, a bigger one of the engine.



<3

Oh, and while I'm at it:

Vid of exhaust sound at idle.

More pics and some other vids here.

 

[JRS]

Everyone laughs, right up until the point that they launch off the lights and see the jet black car alongside just disappear off up the strip ahead of them. Same as in Aus, with the Valiant Hemi 6s. Much as I love V8s, the victory is so much sweeter when you do it shy of a couple of cylinders

 

[JRS]

Yeah, way up over 1000hp.

As for the looks - that's the whole point! It (sort-of) looks like a grocery-getter, but is fast enough to bend time.

 

[JRS]

i wonder how it actually drives...?

Standard ones drive alright. It's a mid-size car, so not particularly barge-like or soft sprung like some American cars can be *COUGH*like mine*COUGH*. Steering has typical American Car Steering Syndrome - i.e. bit lacking in feel - but apart from that it's fine.

That one will be rather more of an animal of course, given that it's up about 500hp from stock....

 

[JRS]

I remember this car posted with pretty much the same title earlier this year

It does look mean

Was a different one, wasn't it? In fact, the last one of these I posted IIRC was a bone-stock GNX - the ultimate of the factory versions. Enough power to blow by 60mph in 4.7 seconds and run the 1/4 in 13.4s. The contemporary Porsche 911 Turbo would take 5.0s and 13.6s for those two tests

 

[JRS]

just read somewhere the engine is based off the rover/buick v8.

Not sure why i posted, just thought it was worth an intersting fact

Yep, hence the 90° angle between cylinder banks on these engines - normal for a V8, less so for a V6.

 

[JRS]

What is the stock output of one of those?

By '87, it was rated at 245hp. The GNX versions had 275hp.

 

[JRS]

turbocharged?

Yes.

It's interesting that a 6pot dervitive of the RV8, (which, even the 5.0 litre which TVR claimed 340hp from, in reality only made ~270hp) can make that much, even with a turbo.

Well, the Americans do have their moments of engineering competence....

The six pot, by that point, was a pretty well developed motor. Plus, those power figures I quoted are what Buick rated the engine at - every single stock GNX that has been on a dyno has gotten nearer 300hp, so chalk up one more for American car manufacturers under-rating their engines to keep insurance prices sane.

 

[JRS]

That really annoys me too. TVR rate the Chimaera 500 at 320hp (or I think 340, depending on model) but everybody who has had one dyno'ed says they get around 250-270hp, so you have to pay insurance on a car with a 340hp engine, but actually get a car with 270.

Did TVR quote those outputs as gross or net? SAE gross hp is measured with a blueprinted engine, no accessories or exhaust silencers fitted, no emissions control devices in play. Net power is the engine with all the gubbins attached.

I can't think why they'd quote in gross hp, but it'd explain the shortfall.


***edit***

Also, two more things:

1) Is that measured 270 at the flywheel or at the wheels? TVR's 340 quote is at the flywheel.
2) Are these people sure that their Griffith 500 hasn't had a 4.0 or 4.3 snuck in under the bonnet in place of the 5.0?