Where the Twin Turbo GNX urban legend came from

[BuickMike]

I've been meaning to post this for a long time now. I'm willing to bet the whole urban legend about the "rare twin turbo GNX" originated from the '83 Riviera Convertible Indy 500 Pace car.

 

[turbo2nr]

Pics of that are floating around. I've posted them plenty myself.

I like the alky injection pre-turbo.....and the dual regulators. Must have a big fuel pump.

 

[SGRIM]

Personally I feel it started out of pure ignorance. Meaning everyone knew the GNX was like the ZR1, a step up, that's what I used to get all the time anyway , and everyone ASSumed it was twined! Just like I still hear every GN in the 9's has got to be twined :tongue:

 

[turbofabricator]

I OWN one of those "TWIN turbo FBI cars" :tongue:

 

[turbofabricator]

Here's the "proof"

 

[protracracing]

That 'Riviera was on display at indy this past year .
Cool car for riviera.

Dennis

 

[madhat]

it came from people trying to make up an excuse for how rediculous the car had to be for them to be beatede everytime they tried to race one! That, and the owners trying to play up their car for "wow" factor.

 

[87we410877]

Here's the "proof"

That things rediculous. Give it to me.

 

[turbofabricator]

That things rediculous. Give it to me.

Thanks! Now........slowly......... put the gun down! and step away from the car!

I COULD be convinced to sell it though? Make me an offer I can't refuse, and I'll build another one just like it!

 

[turbofish38]

IMO its part urban myth. I doubt it was the Riv pace car that started it. I'm the big Riviera expert and how many people even knew the pace car had twin turbos? How many magazines even did a story about the pace car in 1983? I think it was because the GNX's main competion was the Calloway twin turbo from 1987. http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/callaway/87tt.html .If you're a retard and wanted to make anything sound fast all you had to say was twin turbo. Even a Porsche owner gets pissed when they hear stories of those twin turbo Porsches.

 

[turbofish38]

http://www.turbobuicks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57269

Heres a thread I started about another twin turbo Buick. It kind of backs up my claim about the lack of tech articles on the pace car. This is from August of 1985.

 

[turbo2nr]

I like to see that car in person. I had a Riv T-type. I miss it.

I added a little color to your thread.

 

[BuickMike]

Throttle bodies before the turbos Interesting.

 

[turbo2nr]

Left over (modified) hot air parts?

Turbo gets full engine vacuum, so the compressor-side oil seals need to be tweeked or oil will get sucked thru at idle.

86-87 don't have that problem

 

[Renthorin]

If you like that riv...check out my picts:

http://community.webshots.com/user/summerfling05

It was on display at my car gathering last summer. GM was kind enough to send it down....along with GNX1 and one of the TTA's that paced the track in 89.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

thats funny, talkin about cars in the legion the other day... my friend tells his friend sittin next to him, that i have one of those 'grand nationals' and the friend snapps off "oh yea? i had 3, an 84, 85, and 86.. The 84's were not intercooled, the 85's and 6's were. I had gotten beat by a mustang of the same year in my 84, so I sold it for the later years." I told him, both the 84's and 5's were hot airs, they didnt intercool them till 86. He replys, "I work for general motors, I should know" So then, right after saying that, he says, " I almost got one of those gtx's. " I said, "you mean gnX " he goes " Yea, that. They had twin turboes."

He had no idea, that I'm one of the fanatics that belong to these boards.. and not only get yelled at by my old lady, cuz instead of spending time with her, i come on here, for hours a day, and read. all night, but i go out and wrench on my gn for hours on end. every day. Yea, you may work at general motors, thats fine. but im obsessed. i got my hands on a grand national at least once a day. every day. He had no clue I was a turbo buick fanatic. When I heard that the gnx was twin turboed, i just shut my mouth, and continued on with my bottle of rolling rock....

 

[TurboJunky]

Here's the ASC/McLaren engineers playing with a Calaway TT Corvette at Milan Dragway (Minlan MI) with their prototype GNx late 1986.

 

[chris718]

turbofabricator,very impressive work.do you have other photos?