This 1,246bhp modified Buick Grand National is the fastest ever Ringbrothers car

’87 GN turns into the 'INVADR', and the result is astonishing

When this slice of solid gold Eighties Americana was unleashed onto an
unsuspecting world back in 1987, it was rumoured to produce more than
its quoted 245bhp.

Today, this slice of solid gold Eighties Americana has been unleashed
yet again onto a very-unsuspecting world with a very definite…
1,246bhp. And that’s on the more sensible of its tunes.

Welcome, ‘INVADR’, and welcome back, brothers Jim and Mike Ring. We’ve
missed you.

No doubt our American friends have missed the Buick Grand National,
too. An inexplicably cool version of the inexplicably boring Buick
Regal, first launched in 1982, which in 1987 offered a 3.8-litre turbo
V6 beneath that boxy bodywork.

Ringbrothers has decided the old lug needed a renaissance via the
medium of a carefully installed rocket into its behind. “This car is
all about presence,” said Mike Ring of this '87 car. “The bodywork is
subtle at a glance, but the ferocity of what’s under the hood begins
to materialise on second viewing. And then you drive it.

“The acceleration of this car is nothing short of violent. This may
well be the fastest car we’ve built to date.” Anyone familiar with
what Ringbrothers has built to date will understand what that means.

In this car, it means a fully rebuilt, Duttweiler Performance
3.8-litre V6 engine, with a pair of ‘Precision’ 62mm turbos bolted on,
delivering 32lbs of boost into a custom, hand-ported aluminium
cylinder head, delivered to a billet crank.

There’s a bespoke intake manifold, an all-aluminium block, and a
six-speed manual transmission doing its very best to hold on.
Underneath sits a custom Roadster Shop chassis, housing three-way
adjustable Penske dampers, massive six-pot Brembos and ceramic discs,
and a carbon fibre driveshaft. Standard.

Though, while the body looks fairly standard, it too has been subject
to some tweakery, like a custom bonnet scoop, stainless steel bumpers
with aluminium guards replacing the standard plastic items, and
reprofiled arches to match. There’s a custom-built chin spoiler, a new
decklid spoiler, carbon fibre mirrors, a custom lower rear valance and
– naturally – a bespoke exhaust system.

It's been finished in ‘Dark Vader Gray’, features three-piece 19/20in
HRE wheels, and a fully restored interior with “period correct” design
cues, hand-fabricated seats, digital instruments and even a carbon
fibre steering wheel.

Which you’ll very much need to hold on tightly too. As mentioned, it
gets a whopping 1,246bhp in its current tune, but that’s been dialled
down to allow for ‘daily driving’. It’s actually capable of handling
2,000bhp when those turbos have been spooled up to 50lbs of boost
pressure. Any more boost and you’d go back in time. To 1987, no
doubt.

“INVADR is one of those cars we’ll remember building for a long time,”
said Jim Ring. “It’s a combination of state-of-the-art fabrication and
imagination plus the Grand National’s DNA, culminating in an
incredible final product.”

Is this the coolest Ringbrothers machine yet?
 
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