54 CAR CRAFT OCTOBER 2019
THE PONTIAC AEROCOUPE
This 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe 2 + 2 was a homol-
ogation special, built specially for NASCAR competition.
They’re a one-year-only model with only 1,118 produced.
Brian has six, and according to him, they have varying
degrees of completion, as the first 500 were handbuilt
in a hurry.
The Aerocoupe design is unique to the Pontiac and is
smaller than a Monte Carlo. “The story goes that they took a
hammer and molded down the roof line to mate it with the
window and then puttied it in,” Brian said. It was GM’s
attempt to create an even more aerodynamic vehicle in
NASCAR. They were raced by greats like Richard Petty
and Rusty Wallace, whose Kodiak No. 27 recently sold at
Barrett-Jackson for $100,000.MONTE CARLO AEROCOUPE
One of our favorites is this rare first-year 1986 Monte Carlo
SS Aerocoupe Earnhardt Edition. GM created the Aerocoupe
design as an answer to the more aerodynamic Thunderbird,
which was dominating NASCAR. This three-sided glass with
a 25-degree slope changed the look of the Monte Carlo and
became increasingly popular. Built for NASCAR competition,
the homologation rule was 200, so Chevrolet built exactly
200 in their first year. “It’s a love ’em or hate ’em car,”
Brian said. “I’ve never heard anyone say they ‘kind of like’ an
Aerocoupe.” This particular car came with T-tops. All of the
1986 models came in white with a burgundy interior.BUICK REGAL LIMITED (TURBO)
What makes the G-body special are the hidden gems
inside the era of otherwise mundane, emissions-choked
family cars. For instance, take this Buick Regal Limited:
easily missed in Brian’s collection.
Only 1,035 were produced, with many dealer options
available. This one was ordered with blacked-out trim, a
$35 option at the time. It’s a factory-built sleeper with a
Grand National turbo-V6 drivetrain, but plush interior with
a pillow bench seat and column shift.
This one has 13,000 original miles, and the blacked-out
trim makes it unique. It may look rough in its current condi-
tion, but Brian saved it from a field after a good friend spot-
ted it. “If you saw this car on the street, you wouldn’t bat an
eye, nor think it was fast like a Grand National,” he said.