Armchair Engineering: How Buick Can Get its Groove Back

[NewsBot]

It's no mystery that the 2010 Camaro is a hit. How many Camaro enthusiasts curled up into the fetal position when General Motors announced that the lauded F-Body would be finally snuffed out shortly after the turn of the century. While the move was more of a political move on behalf of GM to finally rid itself of some pretty ugly union ties, the decision left many longing for a Camaro that would satisfy their fancies.


Images: Motor Trend

Today's Corvette, too, is equally as inspiring. A wide range of performance packages allow the Corvette enthusiast to choose from a variety of horsepower and cosmetic options: Want a run of the mill 'Vette for daily driver duties? No problem, how does 430 ponies sound? Interested in a coupe with a little better road handling characteristics and a few pounds lighter? Easy, how about a Grand Sport? Want to show up the local hot rodders? Try on a Z06. And, if money's not an issue and you've got a taste for blood, you know you can always go with the 638hp ZR-1.

But what about the rest of GM? The latter-day Camaro and Corvette keep Chevrolet on top, but what about the General's other brands and labels? Sure, Cadillac's got the CTS-V with its stellar, class-leading 550hp supercharged LSA, but since Pontiac - the once "excitement" brand - went the way of the stegosaurus, many are left to sift through the masses to find something that meets the interests of a non-pony car or sport car enthusiast.

Buick GNX
Oh you turbo guys will have a heyday with this, but don't you think that its time Buick took off bifocals and ditched the blue hair persona? Me too. Announcing recently that Buick will go directly for the upper class Toyota crowd, its sad to see that the brand that once brought us the Stage 1 GSX is now excited to build Camry-beaters. Just to refresh your memory that Buick was once cool:



Starting with the 1984 Buick Regal Grand National, Buick's demure Regal received an intercooled turbo system to the cheese-slice thin-walled V6. It wasn't until the GN's final year in 1987, when Buick partnered with McLaren/ASC, to create the GNX. Making 276hp and 360 lbs. ft. of torque via a special-built Garrett turbocharger with a ceramic-impeller blowing through a high efficiency intercooler and a "CERMATEL" (read: ceramic aluminum blend) coated pipe connecting the intercooler to the engine.

GNX's were all black sedans that took your neighbor's Buick and turned it into a Corvette-eating street machine. There's NO reason why GM could not re-imagine this legendary car, even if offered in a limited production run. While the mass-appeal of a two Buick is likely minimal, offering a coupe or two-door version of a popular sedan has been a regular option for leading luxury auto builder, Mercedes-Benz.

Should Buick bring back the Grand National and the GNX? Speak up here!




More...