Hands down, one of America’s absolute favorite non-V8 muscelcars has to be the Buick Grand National. Hitting the showroom at a time when factory musclecars were putting out an anemic 200ish horsepower from a V8, the Grand National showed up with a V6 turbo that made musclecar owners perk up like a meerkat on alert.

The year was 1982 when the first Grand National in its stealthy black finish would hit showrooms. This was at a time when America needed something special, and though it was only produced for a short time, from 1982-1987, it was full of turbo goodness. The Buick was documented as being quicker on a sprint to 60 mph than the likes of some real European speedsters, such as the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa and 288 GTO, and Porsche 928S and 944 Turbo.

The Grand National was aimed at a younger generation as a lure to Buick. While it did get off to a slow start – there were none built for 1983 – it returned in 1984 with all of its 245 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torque to rule the roost, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Buick Grand National might not have been as popular at the time as it is today, but it left a mark that has enthusiasts begging for an encore.

The final Buick GNX rolled off the assembly line in late 1987 and took with it a few milestones for GM. And that final, last Buick Grand National went into a hibernation, of sorts, and sat with just 86 miles on the odometer when it rolled across the block at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee last week. The expected sale price was $175,000-250,000, and the crowd didn’t disappoint, bringing in $220,000 when the gavel fell.

How special was this GNX, the last one built? There was another 1987 Grand National that was a full, nut & bolt restoration (Lot W22) that didn’t sell. Sometimes, it pays to be the last one, and in the case of this Buick, being last means being first. Will the new owner drive it or hard park it like the previous owner?