Photo: jlord8/instagram
We are quietly waiting for Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller to finish shooting the Furiosa prequel (think: Australia) that's set to land in theaters in 2023. Well, some of us are doing that, while certain aficionados like to keep fans of the franchise entertained by casting other vehicles in the role of the original muscle car of the series, the Interceptor, even if it's via a rendering.
Sure, the actual car that served as Maxwell Rockatansky's Pursuit Special was a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop, a bad boy coming from the Aussie side of the Blue Oval range.
Nevertheless, the pixel exercise currently sitting before us imagines the Buick Grand National GNX in the hands of Mel Gibson's character.
The boxy coupe received a full treatment, from the Weiand blower poking through the hood and the headlight work, to the side pipes sitting just before the rear wheels and the wickerbill at the back.
Sure, the American icon that is this 1987 Buick might be down two cylinders and pack a factory turbocharger instead of said supercharger, but it certainly knows a thing or two about instilling fear in those who oppose it, regardless of their status or number.
1987 was the final year of the Gen II Regal and while the Grand National reached 245 hp, this year will forever be remembered thanks to the introduction of the GNX (Grand National Experimental).
With an official output of 276 hp and real-world muscle actually sitting at 300 hp thanks to a ceramic-impeller turbo, as well as other upgrades, such as an even stiffer rear suspension, this skipped the said 'Vette rivalry, punching straight into supercar territory with a 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds and 13s quarter-mile runs.
Now, if you're experiencing a bit of déjà vu, it might be thanks to a story we published earlier this month, which involves a Dodge Challenger Hellcat that's getting a Mad Max conversion in the real world.
Did anybody say "Hellcat"? As in the engine swap present on this Buick GNX? It's definitely a crazy world out there and we love it.
Nevertheless, the pixel exercise currently sitting before us imagines the Buick Grand National GNX in the hands of Mel Gibson's character.
The boxy coupe received a full treatment, from the Weiand blower poking through the hood and the headlight work, to the side pipes sitting just before the rear wheels and the wickerbill at the back.
Sure, the American icon that is this 1987 Buick might be down two cylinders and pack a factory turbocharger instead of said supercharger, but it certainly knows a thing or two about instilling fear in those who oppose it, regardless of their status or number.
The turbo-six icon that is the Grand National GNX
Based on the downsized G-body platform of the second-generation Regal, the "regular" Grand National capitalized on the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series 1981 and 1982 titles scored by the carmaker, arriving as an option package that didn't cover the engine bay. This morphed into a standalone model fitted with a 200 hp turbocharged 3.8L V6 two years later, with that number jumping to 235 hp by 1986 and allowing the Buick to one-up the C4 Corvette.1987 was the final year of the Gen II Regal and while the Grand National reached 245 hp, this year will forever be remembered thanks to the introduction of the GNX (Grand National Experimental).
With an official output of 276 hp and real-world muscle actually sitting at 300 hp thanks to a ceramic-impeller turbo, as well as other upgrades, such as an even stiffer rear suspension, this skipped the said 'Vette rivalry, punching straight into supercar territory with a 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds and 13s quarter-mile runs.
Mad Max everything
Jim, the graphic designer who came up with this spare-time effort, got the inspiration from... his own ride, since he owns a 1986 Regal T-Type, a toy that came with a respectable 235 hp in factory form. And, as you'll notice in the Instagram post below, the enthusiast was diligent enough to create pre- and post-apocalyptic versions of the Buick GNX Interceptor.Now, if you're experiencing a bit of déjà vu, it might be thanks to a story we published earlier this month, which involves a Dodge Challenger Hellcat that's getting a Mad Max conversion in the real world.
Did anybody say "Hellcat"? As in the engine swap present on this Buick GNX? It's definitely a crazy world out there and we love it.
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