Post by magikbus on Mar 7, 2021 19:57:34 GMT -8
Thanks Russ....That's most likely a Grand National 85 / 86 GN. The 87 GNX has the louvers just above and slightly aft of the front wheels. There were only 547 GNX's built so to find one in Nanaimo would be unlikely. Still on my bucket list though. I'd take one of them over a new 911.
A GNX isn't just a super light powerful engine, here's what else made it unique.
The body was stiffened, the rear suspension redesigned (with a longitudinal torque bar and a lateral Panhard rod, plus stiffer springs, shocks, and stabilizer bars), and the wheels and tires upsized to 245/50VR-16 front and 255/50VR-16 rear on special aluminum wheels (the '87 Grand National had 15-inch wheels) to better handle that torque and improve stability. Also added were a transmission oil cooler, composite fender flares, and Stewart-Warner analog gauges (including tachometer, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and turbo boost) in a modified cluster. Functional front-fender louvers helped lower underhood temperatures; the all-black exterior was set off by bold GNX badges on the grille, decklid, and wheel centers; and each GNX got its own serial-number plaque on the passenger-side dashboard.
That all added up to a rear wheel drive supercar that was light, nimble and could out class just about every production car on the road in the late 80s. It must have been a joy to drive.
Stan
A GNX isn't just a super light powerful engine, here's what else made it unique.
The body was stiffened, the rear suspension redesigned (with a longitudinal torque bar and a lateral Panhard rod, plus stiffer springs, shocks, and stabilizer bars), and the wheels and tires upsized to 245/50VR-16 front and 255/50VR-16 rear on special aluminum wheels (the '87 Grand National had 15-inch wheels) to better handle that torque and improve stability. Also added were a transmission oil cooler, composite fender flares, and Stewart-Warner analog gauges (including tachometer, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and turbo boost) in a modified cluster. Functional front-fender louvers helped lower underhood temperatures; the all-black exterior was set off by bold GNX badges on the grille, decklid, and wheel centers; and each GNX got its own serial-number plaque on the passenger-side dashboard.
That all added up to a rear wheel drive supercar that was light, nimble and could out class just about every production car on the road in the late 80s. It must have been a joy to drive.
Stan