FBI grand nationals

[Turbo-Archie]

The most common BFI type cars that I remember were Tan '87 T's with black out trim.

Tan interior, lights added in the grill and a shotgun mount in the trunk.


..

 

[GNVenom]

Back in 1990, I had a customer who ordered a performance chip for his car. He worked for the FBI and had just purchased one of the fleet cars, an 87 T as I recall. I had him send me the PROM chip so I could read it, check to see if it had the MPH governor modified. It didn't. It was the factory stock 87 program in the chip (prior to the '92 recall). The top speed in the factory chip was limited to 124MPH.

In 1992, I picked up a digital dash cluster at a swap meet. It looked like a standard issue 87 turbo dash, except one thing - it had a small hand-printed label next to the ADJ broadcast code that said "Police G". Printed on the same label stock as they used for the broadcast code label too.

I was intrigued, so I opened it up, and sure enough, another tag on the processor chip labeled "G Police". I tested the chip and sure enough, it had the modified program that allowed the digital dash to display above 85MPH, same program that I had back in 1990 which I currently use today for digital dash upgrades.

Here is the dash I'm talking about:
Police G body Digital Dash Cluster


Now I still can't understand how you would order that particular option on a digital dash car. It doesn't show up on the pick list, so somehow, the police vehicles, including the FBI vehicles, must have had special options not available to the general public, the 199MPH dash chip being one of them.

Still a mystery. Anyone actually know?

 

[Rich Gio]

The most common BFI type cars that I remember were Tan '87 T's with black out trim.

Tan interior, lights added in the grill and a shotgun mount in the trunk.


..

Do you have a GM part number for that shotgun rack? :biggrin:

 

[blackmonte]

LOL here :biggrin:

 

[Sal 87WE2]

we had several astro roof gnx's that were used as chase vehicles for F-16's. The had to be astro roofs incase the landing gear hung up... we could sit on the roof and pull down the stuck gear.

LOL!:biggrin:

Do you have a GM part number for that shotgun rack? :biggrin:

here is a pic from another website for a AR-15/M16 Rack

 

[blackmonte]

I did my brothers Badge number on mine , And Plates but thats about it . Still keeps people wondering WTF:biggrin:

 

[meanchicken]

So some of the "evidence" (car lots spotted by eyewitnesses and verbally confirmed by car sales men; and swap market dash clusters with handwritten labels on them, and guys who work for the FBI showing up to have their chips burned) is compelling....but...I'll reserve my right to be a non-believer until I see actual documentation....titles....something from Buick or GM...that says the FBI bought 50 of them (I think that's the number from the rumor mill that gets kicked around).

I could understand the DEA or even the FBI having a few for undercover use...they keep cars that they impound from criminals all the time...and we all know that the gangsta element loves these cars...that's why they steel them all the time and then DONK them...

Not calling anyone a liar....if folks have seen them, then they have seen them....Just sayin....I need some real proof...

 

[meanchicken]

...and...for the record....when I was in the Boy Scouts....I chased Girl Scouts...
The Brownies were just too young and whiney:tongue:...but I thought they were the bees knees when I was a cub scout tho':biggrin:

I hope you guys didn't pick Daisys too...that'd be sick...

I also skipped past the Weeblo rank...different strokes for different folks...but...that was a stroke I was not willing to participate in...and the ScoutMaster who came up with that rank should be investigated by one of these FBI guys who drives an 87 Grand National...or Turbo T....whatever...

 

[GNVenom]

The FBI thing will probably never be known to the public...not hard to believe. I know I did a chip for an FBI employee who purchased the "fleet" car from the agency he worked for, so that much I do know. How many cars purchased by the agency, who knows, and really, who cares? Suffice it to say that there were very likely some turbo cars used since they made pretty good pursuit vehicles for their time and really had no competition.

Now the police dash thing, I have one, so it's no mystery that it exists...but to what extent it made it to the various departments, again, no one knows and most likely no one will ever know. It remains a dark secret shrouding the turbo cult.

 

[DR BOOST]

ive seen two t-types that were used by the FBI. both had strobes behind the grill and one had a sticker on the speedo cluster that read "use overdrive in high speed pusuits' or something of that nature.

 

[Turbo-Archie]

What color were they?

The one I looked at was tan and rusted to hell...

The shotgun mount was spring loaded under the rear shelf.
Interesting but nothing factory related..

...

 

[Rich Gio]

...and...for the record....when I was in the Boy Scouts....I chased Girl Scouts...
The Brownies were just too young and whiney:tongue:...but I thought they were the bees knees when I was a cub scout tho':biggrin:

I hope you guys didn't pick Daisys too...that'd be sick...

I also skipped past the Weeblo rank...different strokes for different folks...but...that was a stroke I was not willing to participate in...and the ScoutMaster who came up with that rank should be investigated by one of these FBI guys who drives an 87 Grand National...or Turbo T....whatever...

That's funny stuff! The Boy Scouts was where I learned to drink and play poker, my troop should have offered the "7 Card Stud" merit badge! :biggrin:

 

[Bruce Urie]

...and...for the record....when I was in the Boy Scouts....I chased Girl Scouts...
The Brownies were just too young and whiney:tongue:...but I thought they were the bees knees when I was a cub scout tho':biggrin:

I hope you guys didn't pick Daisys too...that'd be sick...

I also skipped past the Weeblo rank...different strokes for different folks...but...that was a stroke I was not willing to participate in...and the ScoutMaster who came up with that rank should be investigated by one of these FBI guys who drives an 87 Grand National...or Turbo T....whatever...

LMAO!!!!:biggrin: And here I thought I was a commedian....you topped me!!

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Here in CT back in the late 80's/early 90's the state police used them as interceptors on the highway...

this is true as I bought 2-3 of them back in the day usually bare bones Turbo-Ts or T-Types...

had some holes left on dash and in trunk headlites wires had been cut and spliced and a reference on the trunk ID label about a special prom eliminating speed cutoff.

I know they were from Connecticut as I got them from a guy who owned a real GNX and he got them from an auction and brought them down to me.

As for various government agencies owning them (FBI etc) I was told years ago you would not be able to trace them back to the agency as they were listed to car rental places. true or not true I have no idea.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[nonova0074]

they still do it today

 

[1fast6]

As for various government agencies owning them (FBI etc) I was told years ago you would not be able to trace them back to the agency as they were listed to car rental places.

If this is true, then anyone owning a turbo G-body that shows the 1st owner as a rental co. could possibly have a "real" FBI car.

 

[Kellen gn]

From what I understand my car was purchased by the DEA brand new and then sold when it had 78,000 miles. I have not seen any shotgun rack or anything along those lines but there are holes in the trunk where it looked like maybe radio equipment was mounted. I have some documentation that shows it was owned by the DEA but as far as the FBI goes I have no idea.

 

[Rich Gio]

Wow! Very cool, Kellen!

 

[meanchicken]

Excellent documentation, Kellen.
Preserve that!!!!

 

[VETKILR]

That is called DOCUMENTATION! Very cool!