86 Buick Regal T-type Grand National 3.8l Sfi Intercooled Turbo Rust Free Car on 2040-cars

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Two nearly new 1987 Buick Grand National 'twins' found in garage after 30 years

Back in the '80s, a Buick Grand National could leave a lot of vehicles in its dust. The final, 1987 version of the menacingly styled performance coupe produced 245 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque, and it was never designed to sit still, let alone for 30 years. But two low-mile Grand Nationals did just that. At the time, it was widely known that nothing like the Grand National would be built again, as the Regal platform would be moving to front-wheel drive. So a lot of buyers stockpiled Grand Nationals and rarer GNX versions with the idea of making a buck on them when they gained value. Some people even bought several. That's what happened to these two cars, recently unearthed from their slumber. Thirty years of storage has turned them into barn finds instead of showroom beauties, and they haven't exactly been flawlessly preserved. A story reported on gm-efi.com shows the cars – the "Twins," as they're called – parked side to side, the way they were laid to rest decades ago, with thick dust on them. Two enthusiasts, Shawn Matthews and William Avila, originally contacted the owner, who had posted them for sale on Facebook with a staggering $200,000 asking price. After inspecting the cars and confirming they were legit, the prospective buyers managed to strike a deal for an undisclosed sum. The story does say the seller was a bit eccentric, demanding money in hand before the cars could be touched at all, but the cars were eventually acquired and transported to a shop for desperately needed refurbishing. Time has caused the headliners on both cars to droop, and it's obvious all gaskets and fluids will need to be addressed, but both cars have extremely low odometer readings: One has 807 miles on the clock, while the other hasn't even reached 600. The car with a more miles was moved "once in a while," so clearly the original owner couldn't resist giving it a go while the other one slept. We couldn't've, either. Related Video: Featured Gallery Two Old Buick Grand Nationals View 12 Photos News Source: gm-efi.com via BarnFinds Auto News Buick Classics buick grand national grand national

China-market Buick Envista rumored possible replacement for the Encore

Buick currently sells four crossovers, the Encore, Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave. That number will soon be whittled to three, the Encore expected to end production after this model year. If speculation provided by GM Authority is correct, there could be changes afoot in the middle of the line in time for the 2024 model year. Buick has said it will maintain four ICE-powered crossovers, so the brand will need something to fill the coming gap. GMA sources suggest the China-market Buick Envista could get the nod. Buick launched the coupe-esque model across the Pacific in August, a relation to the Chevrolet Seeker that appeared on the Chinese market in April. The Envista debuted the brand's latest design language inspired by pure-electric concepts like the Electra-X and WIldcat. Thin, angled headlights frame a wide, low grille, leading back to a roof that slopes into a high back and double spoilers. GM applied to trademark the Envista name in the U.S. in early 2019, then maintained it with extension requests until earlier this year. Then, in September 2022, the automaker abandoned the application, which could bode ill for whatever chance there was, if any. Another snag could be that the Envista is 182.5 inches long, 71.5 inches wide, and 61.6 inches high on a 106.3-inch wheelbase. Various reports have pitched the Envista to fill the (small) space between the Encore GX and the Envision; however, the Envista falls just 0.10 short of the Envision's length, and it's three inches smaller in every other dimension. On the other hand, the Envista is 11.1 inches longer and 0.1 inch wider than the Encore GX, with a wheelbase 4.1 inches longer. That makes a lot of overlap in the dimensional Venn diagram. Were the Envista to come as-is, it wouldn't so much be a replacement for the Encore as be a different kind of compact SUV from the Envision on a more modern platform. Further speculation from "sources familiar with the matter" says a U.S.-market Envista could get the Avenir treatment. Avenir marks the ultimate in Buick luxury, an appellation currently restricted to the Envision and Enclave. According to a separate report, the Encore GX is also headed into the Avenir club with the compact crossover gets refreshed for the 2024 model year. An Encore GX Avenir would adopt some exterior tweaks like 18-inch alloys, and turn a load of optional equipment available for the Encore GX Essence trim into standard equipment. Related video:

Buick Envision crossover to premiere in China

Buick currently offers two crossovers: the compact Encore and the extra-large Enclave, leaving plenty of room to slot a mid-size crossover in between. And that's just what Buick is planning on doing. In China, anyway.
Previewed in the teaser above, Buick's upcoming new crossover is cloaked and nestled in between its aforementioned stablemates-to-be. Set to be unveiled in China sometime later this year, the model has been confirmed to wear the name Envision - at least in that market. That's the name which the concept version wore three years ago, but we're still waiting on word over whether that name will carry over to the US version or whether we should expect something different like Anthem. But we have to admit that Envision fits better in the brand's crossover naming scheme.
Shanghai GM isn't saying much about the Envision in the press release below, aside from it having "dynamic and assertive styling" backed by all-wheel drive and stop/start ignition. The last time Buick offered a mid-size crossover in North America was with the Pontiac Aztek-based Rendezvous that was discontinued seven years ago.