Johnny Lightning and Racing Champions Mint 1987 Buick Regal T-type and Grand National

Today the Johnny Lightning and Racing Champions Mint brands are revived under the Round 2 banner alongside Auto World, and while both are reviving castings still there’s some cross-pollinating that occurred when Johnny Lightning bought RC2 in the 2000’s and in effect there are some Johnny Lightning castings that are actually rebranded Racing Champions Mint castings.  One of them is the Buick Regal/Grand National, a Racing Champions Mint casting that saw brief duty as a Johnny Lightning model in the mid-2000’s, returns to the Mint line so I decided to see how well the RC Regal compares to the JL Grand National.

The new downsized Regal line premiered in 1978 thanks in part to tighter emissions and high fuel prices.  What the car became down the road was a performance icon joined by the platform mates that include the Chevy Monte Carlo and the sleek aero SS, the Pontiac Grand Prix, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass and the revived 442.  Still the Regal dominated with powertrain advances and offered the engine in a plethora of models from the Type T to the top-dog Grand National.  The Type T went for a more Euro look that means less chrome, sporty wheels, and upgraded interior.  The Grand National takes it up a notch with an all-black look (just like the previous GNX model) and limited production.  Both models are powered by a 3.8L turbocharged V6 that produces 200 horsepower and 300 Ib-ft of torque through a three-speed automatic transmission, and this was quite a lot of power in the 1980’s, giving the Turbo Regal’s the advantage over even some exotic cars of the time!  The 1987 Grand National is highly desirable because of the added lighter components that made the car faster than any past Grand National model, while the Type T has that sleeper look of a regular Regal in disguise.  Nevertheless this was the end of the rear-wheel drive models as the Regal went front-wheel drive in 1988.

The Regal body is nice and big and still looks good today.  The obvious changes during the Johnny Lightning takeover was the removal of the separate exterior mirrors and a much sturdier metal base, otherwise it is the same familiar casting as the RC Mint version.  The blue Regal T-type looks splendid here now sporting the revised chrome rally wheels on rubber tires.  The front has the slope back look with quad headlights, black grille that attaches to the chrome bumper with detailed signal lights, and visible hood and body cut lines.  The sides have that familiar Regal profile with boxy roofline, fender lips over the wheels, Regal badges, and the hood scoop with the 3.8L information.  At the rear there’s a slight trunklid spoiler lip, red taillights with black surrounds, chrome rear bumper, and Michigan plates.  The metal base shows off the engine, drivetrain, suspension, and exhaust setup while the hood opens to show off the V6 motor in the center with the turbo off to the right of the engine and surprisingly quite a lot of detailing surrounding the engine bay.

Inside the four-seat interior matches the blue exterior with detailed seat patterns, door panels, and center console with shifter.  The dashboard is in a separate black with 3-spoke steering wheel and detailed center stack controls.  Now the Mint line has also revived the Grand National version, but I was unable to find one so I brought out the Johnny Lightning version from 2006.  Here the car is all-black with thick paint, less fine detailing on the lights, and Turbo Grand National badging that looks more like the classic Jiffy Lube logo.  The wheels are chrome 5-spoke with black center on rubber tires and inside the interior has a nice touch of gray on the seatbacks to separate the all-black look.  It is nice to see Racing Champions Mint bringing this casting back into the lineup with finer detailing and thanks in part to help from Johnny Lightning it is a much stronger casting than before.