It’s no secret that we’re huge turbo Buick fans over here at GMEFI, so when we caught wind that a very special Grand National was going to make a debut in the Precision Turbo and Engine booth at PRI 2022, we were excited. First thing is first, though. This is a legit, Buick Grand National. This isn’t a dolled up base model Regal, and this isn’t an ultra-rare, 1-of-547 GNX. It’s a Grand National, one of 20,193 produced for its final year of production.
Built for Dave Fiscus of Fiscus Motorsports, it was completely rebuilt from the ground up. It was a bone stock Grand National, minus engine and transmission — essentially it was a roller. Being an avid Buick GN enthusiasts, he has a total of four Grand Nationals in his collection. The task here, was for Tin Soldier Racecars to build the ultimate x275 race car from a GN.
That meant it had to weigh in at a minimum of 2400-lbs, so the car had to go on a crash diet, considering the OEM curb weight was around 3500 when it was brand new. It features a lot of carbon fiber; doors, front clip, etc. However, the challenge was that Dave wanted as much “real” Grand National headlight bezels, bumpers, trim, etc. He didn’t want a simple sticker up carbon body, he wanted a car that still looked like a production car.
The overall execution is amazing. We can go through every detail of this build in text, or we can let you watch the rad thorough video attached above for the info.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles; GM, Ford, Dodge, imports, trucks — you name it! When he isn’t clacking away on his keyboard, he’s building, tuning, driving or testing his current crop of personal projects!
