The Buick GNX was not the end-all, be all of the Buick V6 program. It was certainly a hot piece, one that would have it’s own legend, but as for Buick’s six, it was just the beginning of what it was truly capable of. And yes, you’re reading this right: BUICK. We aren’t talking big, comfy and lazy Electra 225s or commonplace Buick Century front-drivers…no, we’re talking about the brand’s Mr. Hyde side, the wild-child in waiting version that spawned Grand Sport, GSX, Grand National, and T-type. We’re talking about the days when Buick knew performance well, and was bent to be at the forefront of the modern edge in the 1980s before someone inside GM got offended and relegated Buick back to mobile sofa duty.

This is a Buick 4.1L Stage II engine that would have been like the ones that were running rings around Indianapolis. It’s not based on the 231ci mill that is in that black G-body but instead is based on the 274ci version that was developed for NASCAR racing back in the early 1980s. They would stop beautifully, with boost pushing power outputs to about 750 horsepower@9,000 RPM, and if the engine held together, it was a good day. That being said, it wasn’t uncommon for the engine to break a rocker or to spit a rod out in protest.

This engine is going to wind up in a Holden Torana race car, and has been updated in several areas from it’s 1980s origins. Hit play on the video below and not only hear the six winding it out on the dyno but learn a thing or two about this unique mill!