The Buick GNX is one of the most famous and probably the most expensive American car to come out of the 1980s. You can’t modify one without creating outrage, but we’d still love to see an electric Buick GNX conversion done around a full carbon fiber body, which is what this rendering achieves.
An electric Buick GNX is the star of the 10th and final episode of Rendered with Kyza. This is a show created for Hagerty by one of the most influential rendering artists of all times, Khyzyl Saleem.
The Khyza’s digital project wild, but also mild at the same time. Yes, some Buick fans are going to hate even the idea of a customized or rendered GNX. But the EV swap is firmly anchored in reality and we think it’s also tastefully done.
For the past couple of years, American automakers have been focusing hard on electric cars. This shows not only with the Hummer or Mustang Mach-E but also with EV conversions of older cars that have been shown at SEMA. The latest was the F100 “Eluminator”, a 1978 truck with the heart of a Mach-E.
It’s reported that Ford has that vehicle ensured for $3 million, so it cost a fortune to make. This Buick GNX would probably require similar amounts of money to build. The base vehicle is part of the problem. Even the more common Grand National managed to bring $550,000 at auction. Granted, that was the last unit to be produced.
Bad to the Bone, 200 hp and no time for chrome
The GNX was the fastest muscle car of its era. Emissions regulations were strangling the V8, so Buick engineers instead opted for a turbocharged V6. The result was faster than a Corvette.
The transition from Grand National to GNX also required Buick to call on the famous engineering know-how of McLaren. That’s something that came up after Khyza created the McLaren-mixed 1971 Buick Riviera GT. He thought it was a completely random amalgamation, but the two companies were actually connected through the GNX.
The pixel perfectionist isn’t happy with the 3D model he started off with, saying it wasn’t accurate. But he didn’t leave much of the original metal. Fenders, sills, bumpers, and skirts are all made more aggressive.
New LED lights are added and the grille gets completely blocked over, announcing to the world that this is an electric conversion. Again, this would cost a lot of money and probably
In the digital world, it’s also easier to convert the entire car to a blue carbon fiber texture. It sounds extreme and expensive, like a slice of Koenigsegg or Pagani heaven served in decades before it existed. However, there is precedent.
Hoonigan is associated with a carbon fiber G-Body that makes 1000 hp and has AWD. That’s right, we’re talking about the ridiculous Oldsmobile Cutless build by Brian King. Check that out at the bottom of the story!
