The Buick That Was Called 'Darth Vader's Car' – And What Made It So Special

There was indeed a Buick coupe that was known as "Darth Vader's Car" — and this didn't show up in a galaxy far, far away. Coming shortly after the release of the first three "Star Wars" films and made in a limited edition of 547 black cars back during model year 1987, the Buick GNX would go on to become a performance legend and a classic '80s sports car that has stood the test of time.

The Buick GNX (meaning Grand National Experimental) traces its lineage back to the original 1982 Regal Grand National, a trim package developed to celebrate Buick's winning of the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series' manufacturer's trophy. While most of the 215 Grand Nationals made that year had an anemic, 125-horsepower V6 under their hoods, there were 35 examples that had a 3.8-liter, 175-horsepower turbocharged mill providing power to its rear wheels. In 1984, the Grand National models were made only in black, with a power boost to 200 horses, thanks to computerized ignition and sequential fuel injection. 

But the best was yet to come. For 1987, its final production year, Buick had something special planned. Based on the standard Grand National, the GNX was a joint venture between Buick, McLaren Engines, and ASC Inc. Changes to the engine included an upgraded turbo with a lighter ceramic turbine, larger intercoolers, heads with better flow, and less-restrictive exhaust. The result was 276 horsepower on tap, 76 over the Grand National. The Buick GNX was well on its way to becoming one of the fastest cars from the 80s.

The 1987 Buick GNX performed very well, not only because of its power output but also due to the many changes made to its chassis. These included stiffening of the GNX's body, a new rear suspension design that saw stiffer shocks, springs, and a heavier stabilizer bar added, plus a transmission-oil cooler and upgraded valve body for its four-speed automatic that's designed to shift it at the car's redline. 

The body received a set of fender flares for its larger and wider Goodyear Eagle 16-inch, V-rated wheels and tires, as well as functional louvers on the front fenders that reduced the high temperatures produced by that hard-working turbo underneath its domed hood. All of these upgrades contributed to the GNX being able to beat a Lamborghini, just barely edging it out in a 0-to-60 run when pitted against a Countach of the period. Inside the GNX, gauges from Stewart-Warner showed the driver readouts on the car's turbo boost, oil pressure, coolant temp, and current RPM. 

An in-period road test that appeared in the May 1987 issue of Car and Driver published performance stats for the 1987 Buick GNX. The test car came with a 300 horsepower rating, the car's actual output, which had been underrated by Buick. During the testing, the GNX made 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, with the quarter-mile flashing by in 13.5 seconds at 102 mph. Roadholding on the skidpad was nothing special at 0.80g, showing that the GNX's strength was straight line speed, not cornering. Car and Driver concurred on this point, stating that the front suspension "will probably spend most of its life in the air." 

Thanks to that monster engine under the hood, the GNX happens to be one of the fastest Buicks ever made. As you might expect, with the high level of performance and the extremely low quantity of 547 produced, the Buick GNX should be an auction star. It may be helpful to keep in mind that the original GNX sticker price was $29,290, which itself was more than a $10,000 premium over the $18,295 price of a well-equipped model of the standard Grand National. In addition, since only 547 of Buick's 2700 or so dealerships were allocated a GNX, those dealers recognized it as something special. Some of them did their thing and added markups of as much as $20,000 to their GNXs, while other dealers simply kept them. 

Today, with only so few of them made for public consumption, they are rare birds indeed. According to auction site Bring A Trailer, most of these Buick GNXs have been extremely well-preserved, with one showing only 26 miles on its odometer, while several others have under 1,000 miles on them. Some were kept by their original owners, one of whom sold his 7,000-mile example in 2025 after owning it for 38 years. 

As to pricing, the examples that were sold on Bring A Trailer over the past two years comprise 10 cars. These GNXs ranged in price from a low of $101,987 for one with 82,000 miles, all the way up to $255,000 for a GNX that had only 843 miles on it. This is a good demonstration of how the mileage on a classic car can affect its value.