We love a luxury SUV, but remember when you could find big, beefy muscle cars at your local Buick dealer? Now, an “Automotive Visualist” has us daydreaming about a modern-day Buick GSX.
”If GM Decided to Take On the Challenger…”
Artist Timothy Adry Emmanuel (known by his Instagram handle @adry53customs) recalled a recent episode of Wheelhouse from Donut Media where Buick was described as a “forgotten” brand that still existed. The discussion turned to how Buick could build a muscle car on the Chevy Camaro chassis, and that got Adry’s creative juices flowing.
“So here’s what i (sic) came up with,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s the GSX Stage 1 Rebirth as a new Muscle Car, before we go all EV, i (sic) think there’s still a chance for muscle cars to thrive once more, here if the Buick…decided to be badass again.”
The Buick GSX is the “Gentleman’s, Hot Rod”
Adry’s renderings are absolutely mouthwatering and have those of us of a certain age remembering the original Buick GSX and other hot rods of our youth.
The Buick Gran Sport had been around since the mid-1960s as part of the Skylark line. The 1970 GSX was the automaker’s response to the Pontiac (remember them?) GTO and the Chevy Chevelle SS. The power plant was rated at 350 horsepower stage-wink; however, many say it was closer to 400 horses with 500 lb-ft of torque. Its ability to hit 105.5 in the quarter-mile left the competition in the dust, prompting Motor Trend to declare the 1970 GSX “The Quickest American Production Muscle Car.”
It was marketed as a “gentleman’s hot rod” by Buick and was part of the controversial “Light My Fire” marketing program, drawing the ire of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
The Buick GSX is a Modern Design That Honors the Past
Getting back to Adry’s drawings, he puts a very modern twist on the iconic A-line design. His concept design is based on the GM Alpha 2 platform that the Camaro and Cadillac CT4 and CT5 share.
He places a high-tech tachometer on the hood, along with the large intake vents found on the original GSX. In a nod to the classic “hideaway headlights” that muscle cars were known for, Adry puts the headlights behind glass shields.
Adry stays true to the original Saturn Yellow and Apollo White color schemes and adds a fiery orange hue to the palette. The classic wraparound racing and hood stripes are complemented by the addition of a black hardtop.
The renderings deliver the aggressiveness and athleticism that gets hearts racing while offering a modern design that could make a new Buick GSX more than a dream.
Where There’s a Will…
Admittedly, there are a lot of barriers to seeing the modernized Buick GSX roll off production lines, not the least of which is GM’s commitment to an all-electric lineup within the next decade.
But hear us out: hybrid and EVs are hitting 0-60 faster than it probably takes you to read this sentence. And even though most manufacturers—including GM—are discontinuing car production in favor of top-selling trucks and SUVs, there is still a niche market for high-performance cars. And with the trend toward pre-orders, they would only manufacture vehicles they’ve already sold.
So will we see an all-new Buick GSX at our local Buick dealer anytime soon? Maybe not, but we can dream, can’t we?
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