Reatta Man Posted January 31, 2002 Share Posted January 31, 2002 While stationed at the Pentagon in the late '80s, I remember reading a story in the Washington Post about the DEA buying new Buick GNXs or Grand Nationals to use to chase drug couriers between Miami and New York. Seems that several of them were getting away because the DEA didn't have anything fast enough to catch them. <P>According to the reporter, the car's speed was limited by the ECM due to the speed rating of the tires. He also said that the DEA was ordering the cars with tires with a higher speed rating, and GM was going to modify or remove the computer-controlled speed limiter. <P>My question is this: does anyone still have a copy of that article, or know the date it ran? If not, does anyone have access to Lexis-Nexis and can search for it? <P>I'm not trying to repeat or start an urban legend here--I saw the story myself. My wife and I had quite a conversation about Buicks being used for high-speed pursuits. <P>Thanks.<P>Joe<P>[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Reatta Man ]<p>[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Reatta Man ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 31, 2002 Share Posted January 31, 2002 here's a link to my schools databases, including Lexus-Nexus. I don't think that is the best source for this search, but their is a humoungous list of other ways to search. If you can't get access to these databases at a local university email me and I will copy what you need.<BR> <A HREF="http://library.csun.edu/databases.html" TARGET=_blank>http://library.csun.edu/databases.html</A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 31, 2002 Share Posted January 31, 2002 Turbo Regals were common in law enforcement. I remember seeing TR's used as Conneticut state patrol cars. <P>I doubt they used a GNX. Even a GN doesn't make too much sense. Why pay extra money for black paint and fancy seats? But then again, the government doesn't always make sense. <P><BR>BTW they way, it's Gran<B>d</B> National. <p>[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: b4black ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reatta Man Posted February 1, 2002 Author Share Posted February 1, 2002 Tom,<P>Tried that link; it said I needed the codes from a current student ID in order to use Lexis-Nexis. The only reason I suggested L-N is because their database would go back that far, and you could do a key word search in the media archives. <P>Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 I search under "police and Buick" buick regal, police and gn, police and gnx. I either found nothing or 700 pages of documents.<P>try this direct link <A HREF="http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/form/academic/s_gennews.html?_m=7051238a2e0275ef8b007f0355f9aa8e&wchp=dGLStk-lSlzV&_md5=700f3665330816e7b075cdb693ce6f45" TARGET=_blank>http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/form/academic/s_gennews.html?_m=7051238a2e0275ef8b007f0355f9aa8e&wchp=dGLStk-lSlzV&_md5=700f3665330816e7b075cdb693ce6f45</A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 A Friend that worked for Buick Service told me they were all T-types, and it was hard to find the people with the cars to get them to bring them in for the recall on the brake switch and the ECM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reatta Man Posted February 4, 2002 Author Share Posted February 4, 2002 Sounds like a new version of "if I tell you, I'll have to kill you." <P>Maybe the DEA made a decision that they didn't want the vehicles identified by their VIN and their locations in a relatively unsecure database like GM's warranty service records.<P>That would be ironic if it were true; the government wants us to register our guns so they will always know who we are and what we own, but they don't want anyone to know where their rocket cars are?? Funny.....<p>[ 02-04-2002: Message edited by: Reatta Man ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2002 Share Posted February 20, 2002 I heard the same or a similar story. They were Turbo T-Types with a different chip so the top speed wouldn't be limited to 124 mph.<BR>I'll see if I can dig up some info on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2002 Share Posted February 21, 2002 I looked through my back issues of the GSX-TRA (Newsletter of the GS Club of America) and in the Nov/Dec 1987 issue I found a reprint of an AP story. The article said the Connecticut State Police had leased 24 "Buick Grand National T-Types" to help catch "professional speeders". The cars had a different chip so the top speed would not be limited to 124 mph. Actual top speed was said to be in excess of 140 mph.<P>It's not the DEA but they did say other law enforcement organizations had also purchased Grand Nationals and/or T-Types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted February 22, 2002 Share Posted February 22, 2002 I remember reading in Car and Driver or Road and Track about this this topic in the 80's. I'm sure it's not urban myth, we just have to dig it out from somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2002 Share Posted February 24, 2002 I also remember a article at that time and it said that the cars were trimmed out as regular Regals, Not GN's or T Types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Hello, in fact Connecticut did use Grand Nationals in 1987 to chase down speeders. I have talked to many older state police that had the opportunity to drive the GN's. They all loved them.. I've also heard of a guy that has one around, so it is definately true... They even made up posters with 2 GN's and a few state cops posing with them. WATCH OUT!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Now that would be an interesting piece of memoribilia! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adoldfield Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 A Buick fan and mechanic in Cedar Rapids, IA has a gold/tan colored 86 Turbo T that was used by the FBI in San Francisco. It was wrecked (front end damage) in a chase across the Golden Gate Bridge, and sold at auction in damaged condition.It was purchased at auction by an FBI agent who brought it with him when he moved to Iowa in the '90s. It was sold last year (front end now fixed) to the mechanic in Cedar Rapids. <BR>The car has no history until 1993 when sold at auction - no title on it before then.<BR>It is a bench seat, column shift car with AM radio. Cross-bracing has been added behind the rear seat to stiffen the car; it had heavy duty fuses and a few other indicators of its government use.<BR>I wrote a story about it for my publication Buick Stories. If anyone is interested in more info, contact me at adoldfield@aol.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickNut Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 I seem to recall seeing one of these advetised in Hemmings Motor News a bunch of months back.......I think the guy was asking something like $2 million for it, stating it was the only one that a private individual had gotten a hold up that was set up the same way as the gov't cars. Boy was that amount ever way out of line. I'm going to check some of my back issues to see if I can verify my memory on this....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 It was in the June Hemmings and an article about it in Dec GSXTRA. It was an 82 model and the guy claimed he already turned doen one million for it.The picture & description of it makes me believe it was a reg. 82 GN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2002 Share Posted March 19, 2002 The ad in Hemmings for the '82 GN is so far from the truth. It's not a government car and not the only '82 GN in public hands. <P>The car is however the lowest mileage '82 Turbo GN I know of. Maybe worth $20,000.<P>I would love to see what the GSXTRA artcile said about the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 1, 2002 Share Posted April 1, 2002 I remember seeing the blurb about the FBI deal in Motor Trend (I don't recall seeing the same thing in C&D or R&T, though), seems like it was along about '85 or so. I was thinking they were really GNXs, but they only got about 50-100 or so of them--could have been regular T-types though.I was thinking they were black too, but could be mistaken. Considering they were chasing Ferarris and such in that high stakes drug dealer game, they could have justified the GNX instead of a regular T-type.<P>There was not a regular article on it, just a mention in the "News" area where they talked about the latest car things in the front pages of the magazine. There was a picture of a black GN there with it too, but nothing really special to call attention to it.<P>In the top speed limit on the regular T-types, you have to consider that the Buick could not out-top-end the Corvette (a "hierarchy" issue inside GM). Plus, if the "typical Buick owner" didn't spring for the speed rated tires at replacement time, there could be liability issues, hence regular Eagle GTs instead of the speed rated Eagle GTs. A couple of orientations there. The performance enthusiast Buick owner would know (hopefully) that speed rated tires were a necessary thing.<P>Roberta, you reckon Terry Dunham could dig any of that stuff up?<P>Enjoy!<BR>NTX5467<p>[ 03-31-2002: Message edited by: NTX5467 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2002 Share Posted April 26, 2002 IN LATE 1990 I HAPPENED UPON A FELLOW WHO SOLD REBUILDABLE VEHICLES IN WESTERN PA.<BR>IN HIS "YARD" WERE 4 GRAND NATIONALS THAT<BR>WERE NEVER WRECKED NOR DID THEY HAVE ANY VIN<BR>TAGS OR IDENTIFICATION, ALL HE WOULD TELL ME<BR>ABOUT THEM IS THAT HE COULD NOT SELL THEM AT THAT POINT IN TIME,AS THERE WERE<BR>"REGISTRATION PROBLEMS".THE NEXT TIME I WENT<BR>THERE THE CARS WERE GONE AND NOONE REMEMBERED<BR>THEM BEING THERE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey O Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/the-legend-of-the-fbi-buick-grand-nationals/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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