Certain products and items possess a distinct ability to embody the era in which they were designed and produced, and when it comes to 1980s-style cars, few represent the period better than the boxy and aggressive Buick Grand National. Taking its name from NASCAR’s Winston Cup Grand National Series, the angular American automobile first debuted in 1982 and remained in production until the tail-end of 1987, at which time the very last Grand National would roll off the assembly line — marking the final Grand National specimen as well as the very last car ever built at GM’s Pontiac assembly plant in Michigan prior to the facility’s closure.
As the final unit produced, this 1987 example became known as “The Last Grand National,” and received ample attention from both the factory workers that built it and from GM itself, which would later feature the vehicle in a documentary about the model. Powered by a turbocharged 3.8L V6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, the Last Grand National was also signed by a plethora of factory workers, plus it was autographed by GM’s former and current presidents, Lloyd and Mark Reuss. During its assembly, the vehicle was decorated with numerous signs reading “Built By The Best” and “The End” — both of which remain with the car to this day. Even the original factory plastic covering the interior remains intact.
Roughly three-and-a-half-decades after leaving the factory in Michigan, Buick’s fabled Last Grand National (VIN# 1G4GJ1179HP465288) is slated to cross the auction block at Barrett Jackson’s upcoming 2022 Scottsdale sale in Arizona, where the 1987 specimen is being offered without a reserve price.
