02-08-2012 Inner Circle

Greetings Turbo Regal Inner Circle Members - 02-08-2012

BUICK PLASTIC MODELS -

In the past, we have covered various Monogram/Revell models that came out back when the Grand Nationals were fairly new.

In some cases, the popular Grand National model was reissued several times as it proved quite popular back in the day. They also released a model of the GNX as well. I am referring to the 1:24 scale.

Perhaps one of the most rare GNX models to find today would be the one they boxed as a special 2 pack, coupling it with the new ZR1 Corvette. The ZR1 Corvette was initially scheduled to be a 1989 model, but did not appear until 1990.

PHOTO 1 - This photo shows the 1:24 scale Special 2 Pack, featuring the Corvette ZR1 and the Buick GNX. I find it interesting that the box is dated 1989, but nowhere on the box does it indicate the year of either vehicle. This might have been because the production dates may not have been established at the time the box cover art was done. This box still has the Kmart sticker on it for $9.96.

While it appears that the ZR1 Corvette got top billing since it was packaged at the top, the phrase under the GNX still reads, "1987s FASTEST U.S. STREET CAR."



1982 and 1983 BUICK TURBO BROCHURES -

I did not realize at first that the two Turbo Buick brochures you see here actually cover two different years.

The small one is for the 1982 Turbo engines and the slightly larger brochure, although very similar, the ad copy is about the 1983 Turbo engines specially being in the T-Type Regal and T-Type Riviera models.

PHOTO 2 - In the photo on the left we show the front of both Buick Turbo brochures. In the photo on the right we show the pages that described, "How it works." Notice how similar the copy is. We can all be grateful that the Buick engineers made vast improvements by the time the 1986 and 1987 rolled into the show rooms as these early versions can be a nightmare to work on.



MORE ON PAST TURBO NEWSLETTERS -

Some original owners of the 1984-1987 Turbo Regals may recall the newsletters published by the Turbo Club of America. The initial issues were entitled, "The Turbo Boost." The name changed to "Turbo News" in the later issues.

PHOTO 3 - On the right we show the October 1987 issue and February 1988 issue when it was first called TURBO BOOST. On the left we show four later issues under the new title, TURBO NEWS.

It's interesting to note in the first issue of the TURBO NEWS group, there is an article on the new Reatta. The article talks about Buick made a one off Reatta, which was turbocharged to evaluate various front-wheel-drive power train combinations. I wonder where that car is today?

These newsletters ran 16 pages in length and focused on the various turbo cars that were being made back then, not just the Turbo Buick.

One of the early companies to advertise in these issues was Kodiak West. It made some of the premium engine compartment dress-up kits for the 1986-1987 Turbo Regals. Some of their products included a completely new chrome turbo shield, which you can still see today on older show cars. They were probably the very first company to reproduce the turbo shield from scratch. If I recall, the owner of the machine shop owned a Turbo Regal, which is the reason these parts came into production.



RARE 1987 TURBO-T POSTER -

One of the rarest Buick posters was actually printed on two sides. It featured a WE4 Turbo-T as the main car on one side of the poster and two models from each the GM divisions including Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and GMC on the back.

PHOTO 4 - Shows the one side of the poster featuring the 1987 WE4 Turbo-T. This poster measures 22" x 32". The second photo shows the back side, which has two models from each of the different GM divisions. My copy is not in very good condition as you can tell. It appears this poster was geared to colleges as it has a reference to a GMAC program for college graduates. It's interesting that of all the possible GM cars and truck models for 1987 it features a WE4 Turbo-T as the main attraction on the one side.



THE WEEK OF JANUARY 30th, 1940 -

The very first Social Security check was issued to Ida Fuller on January 30, 1940. At the time, she was 65 years old and her monthly check was $22.54. While this was not a huge sum by today's standard, Ida lived to be 100 years old, which was quite a feat! She ended up collecting $22,888! My point being, as you approach your Social Security age, take care of your health so you can get back as much money as you can from Social Security! The average monthly check today is $1,230.47.



KIRBAN PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS - SPRING OPEN HOUSE -
SATURDAY, APRIL 14th, 2012 - 9 am - 3 pm - RAIN or SHINE

Once again, we will be holding our Annual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 from 9 am until 3 pm.

A generous supply of Yum Yum donuts and coffee will be available, as usual. Special raffle items including our famous M & M contest. Paul Castle of World of Motorworks will be selling his parts, as will Pete Hoffman and myself. There will be special pricing on our website parts. If there are any big items you wish to pick up, we highly recommend you call us at least 10 days in advance so they can be put aside for pick up.

This event happens rain or shine. The location is our Plumsteadville warehouse at 6201 Kellers Church Road, Plumsteadville, PA 18949. Located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia.

Our Open House is one of the first Buick events of the 2012 season.

Here's a link to this event on our website:
http://www.kirbanperformance.com/inner_circle.php?nak=172



2012 TurboBuicks.com NATIONALS - BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 2-5, 2012 - WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY - RAIN OR SHINE
Sponsored by ZDDPlus™

This is one of the first major Turbo Buick events for the upcoming 2012 season. There are lots of plans for all Turbo Regal enthusiasts at this 4-day event, including seminars, vendors, free lunch on Thursday, and door prizes. Don't miss it!

MAY 2nd & 3rd - Wednesday and Thursday - The event is held at Richard Clark's massive shop at 2557 Faucette Lane, Burlington, North Carolina 27217.

MAY 4th & 5th - Friday and Saturday - Racing at the Piedmont Dragway, 6750 Holts Store Road, Julian, North Carolina 27283 (Greensboro.)

FREE LUNCH - THURSDAY, MAY 3rd at RICHARD'S SHOP
M&M GUESS CONTEST - Door Prizes
YOU MUST REGISTER for the free lunch - email - [email protected]

SPEAKERS

Bob Bailey - Brian Bissonette - Dusty Bradford - Richard Clark - Cal Hartline - Nick Micale

VENDORS

ALKY CONTROL - www.alkycontrol.com
CASPERS ELECTRONICS - www.casperselectronics.com
CHAMPION RACING HEADS - www.championgn1.com
FULL THROTTLE SPEED - www.fullthrottlespeed.com
GBodyParts.COM - www.gbodyparts.com
GNS PERFORMANCE.com - www.gnsperformance.com
HARTLINE PERFORMANCE - www.hartlineperformance.com
PETE HOFFMAN
JANIS TRANSMISSION
KIRBAN PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS - www.kirbanperformance.com
METCO MOTORSPORTS SOLUTIONS - www.metcomotorsports.com
WORLD OF MOTORWORKS - www.worldofmotorworks.com
ZDDPlus™ - www.zddplus.com

For the most up-to-date information on Race Classes and other activities, go to -http://turbobuick.com/forums/forums/2012-turbobuick-com-nationals-may-2nd-5th-sponsore.168/


Here's a link to this event on our website:
http://www.kirbanperformance.com/inner_circle.php?nak=173



SLP FIREBIRD FORMULA - FOR SALE -

This car is still available at $20,900. This is for the 400-mile red 2002 SLP Formula Firebird we pictured in the 11-16-2011 Inner Circle. This car will be finding a new home at some point.



COMING SOON -

We will soon be offering a high-quality reproduction of original state inspection stickers that would have been on your car back in 1986 and 1987 for various states that have state inspections. We will be carrying the inspection stickers for Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania for sure. Our source will also be able to supply stickers from other states, and ones that are dated earlier than 1987.



REPRODUCTION GNX SUSPENSION - NOW AVAILABLE -

Pete Hoffman has a limited number of the reproduction GNX Suspension Systems available. These are the Richard Clark systems that he has had made locally.

They are nearly exact to the originals, down to the welds and material used. They come with complete detailed instructions.

Limited Availability!

Call or email Pete
215-778-1036
[email protected]



WE BADLY NEED MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR CORES -

We need stock original 1986-1987 AC Delco mass air flow sensors. They are worth a $25 Letter of Credit.

We do not pay cash. You must pay the shipping to us and pack the item well. Using the postal system is probably the cheapest method to ship.

Remember, cores help us help others keep their Turbo Regals on the road using factory parts. Without cores, a valuable portion of what customers need get discontinued.



ALWAYS IN A BUYING POSITION WORKS -

Got any turbo parts you are not using? Why not cash them in for parts you need with a Letter of Credit. Simply email me a list - [email protected].

Also, we are still buying dead or partially dead 1984-1987 Turbo Regals under $4,000 that are within 250 to 350 miles of our location.



NOTE ABOUT PHOTOS ON THE WEBSITE - We have heard from a couple people that have viewed the photos on the website. Because these have to be low-resolution photos to work on the Inner Circle segments on the website, any photos of text don't appear clear when enlarged. This is a problem when you are trying to see numbers, such as those on the VIN labels or pages from Options booklet. Also, because of photo reproduction and computer screen variations, the colors may not be true to the actual product or photo.

If you would like to have us email you any photo at the higher resolution for viewing, just email us and we will email them to you. Be sure to be specific on which pictures you want to see - Reference Inner Circle date and photo number 1, 2, 3 or 4 - [email protected].



2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS -


OLD TOWN TURBO BUICK SHOW - SUNDAY, February 12th, 2012 - 10 am - 4 pm
Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida
This is the largest gathering of Turbo Buicks in Florida and is open to any Turbo Buick powered vehicles, V8s and 1989 Turbo Trans Ams.
Casual show, no judging, no awards, just drive in and hang out and share your stories.
There is a charity raffle to benefit "New Hope for Kids."
For more info - email [email protected]



KIRBAN OPEN HOUSE - SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012 - 9 am until 3 pm
6201 Kellers Church Road, Plumsteadville, PA 18949.
Yum Yum donuts, raffle items, M & M contest, and 5% discount on in-stock catalog items. Save on shipping!


TURBOBUICK.COM NATIONALS 2012 - MAY 2 - MAY 5, 2012 - Burlington, NC

For the latest information, go to - www.turbobuick.com/forums or - [email protected]
Event will feature free food, dyno, tech sessions, drag racing, and Auto-X. This is one of the first Turbo Buick events for the year 2012.



31st ANNUAL PEACH BLOSSOM B.O.P.C. - MAY 4th and 5th, 2012 - Car Show & Swap Meet
Marriott Atlanta Northeast, 200 Interstate North Parkway, Atlanta, GA

Open to all Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and Cadillacs. Hosted by the Southeastern GTO Association. Reception Friday night and Car Show on Saturday. For more info, contact Ed Bellair at 770-428-4934 or email - [email protected]



3RD ANNUAL BUICK RACE DAY - May 26th, 2012
Lebanon Valley Dragway, in Lebanon, New York.
For more info contact John Czordas at 528-794-7130 or 518-845-528-GSGN.



22ND ANNUAL BUICK RACEDAY - JUNE 15th, 16th and 17th, 2012
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio.

Hotels - Best Western Norwalk 419-663-3501 or All American Inn Norwalk 419-663-1922.
For more info, contact Roberta Vasilow 810-655-8277 email - [email protected] or Bill Wills 330-747-1029 email [email protected]



2012 BUICK PERFORMANCE GROUP "CLASS OF 1987" and "BIG BOAT BASH"
AUGUST 3rd and 4th, 2012
National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio
The theme this year is the "Class of 1987." Open to all Buick models built in 1987.



2012 GS NATIONALS - OCTOBER 17-20, 2012 (NEW DATES)
Beach Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Racing is FREE on Wednesday, October 17th. The new dates are Oct. 17-20, 2012. Because of the reschedule, they have negotiated FREE racing on Wednesday, October 17th. This includes "everyone" who comes thru the gate and pays the usual nominal entrance fee. There is NO usual additional charge to race your Buick powered cars on Wednesday.

The Gallina/Duttweiler 6-second 200 mph doorslammer is already confirmed for this event.



EBAY LISTINGS -

If you would like to see any of the Kirban Performance Products items listed on eBay, here is a link to our store and auctions - http://stores.ebay.com/Kirban-Performance-Products-Inc_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZ%20km



ABOUT OUR EMAILS -

Any inquiries concerning used parts, you must email me direct - [email protected] - I will answer you. However, if I fail to answer you within 24 hours, please email us again. Since expanding into used parts, I get a lot of emails and sometimes I may forget your request or may not remember who requested the item.



IN CLOSING -

The game was a close game as the Giants prevailed.

One of the best commercials I thought was quite funny was the one with the yellow Camaro. This commercial showed what appeared to be a recent graduate getting a gift of a yellow Camaro from his parents, but instead the neighbor across the street actually owned the car and drives away at the very end. It was also one that was believable.

By far, the most moving commercial during the Super Bowl was at half time. The ad Chrysler ran, which featured Clint Eastwood, had a very powerful message and only a subtle reference to Chrysler's car line.