I spoke to a credible source, who works for Buick, and he said they where excited today, (July 12, 2002), of the announcement to reproduce the GNX for 2004. He stressed the fact that it will be a rear wheel drive, and that they will serial number the GNX just like the 1987 GNXs. He is going to try to get a picture of it, and some specs. if anyone is interested. Will this effect the price of the 1987 GNXs out there? Has anyone else heard of this project, or has any pictures yet?
Thanks in advance,
Bryan
If I were a betting man, and I am, I'd bet on the Holden Commodore from the land of Oz. The car has a Chevy Gen III LS1 clone engine. It comes in left hand drive and is sold to the Saudis now. It's the car meant to replace the F-body. With right hand drive, it's the hot ticket in Australia. The GNX will probably be a Buick rip-off, marketing scheme, dress-up package, to stimulate interest in the car. I wouldn't look for a turbo or an aftercooler yet. I also predict that once this car hits our shores, it will be very popular.
It is faster than a Firebird and goes around corners like a 'vette.
I don't have the inside lane at GM, but I do know the way they do things. Let's see how close I guessed when '04 rolls around.
I found this:
http://www.buickgod.com/news.html?ID=1077
Ive also heard that the GTO is making a return -If Bob Lutz(GM Vice Chair of Prod. Dev.) has his way as a "rebodied" version of the aussie Holden Monaro CV8.
I thought I heard that they weren't even going to do a rebody, just switch the pedals/steering wheel, add some crash safety stuff and rebadge the cars. I dunno, just seems pretty sad that all of our "new" performance cars are coming from a subdivision of GM from ANOTHER COUNTRY!!! Makes me wonder what the hell is going on in Detroit. I'm not really a manufacturer specific type, obviously more towards GM, but I'm glad to see Ford going strong with the Mustang. The 2003 Cobra is a hell of a machine(mid-high 12s out of the box), means I'll have to get tuning on my car before I run into one at a stoplight. But even that car is "going away" after next year. Eventually there won't be any real musclecars left except super expensive, $50k+ corvettes. Everything else will be commuter crap. The Holdens are nice but they look too much to me like a new Monte Carlo or Grand Prix/Grand Am. Everywhere I look I see one of those cars. The only satisfaction I have is knowing that when I meet one at a stoplight there is no way I'm getting beat by them. After I let off the gas because I'm just above the speed limit, they are a speck in my rearview, and I am going about my business, then I ALWAYS have them on my ass because I'm going too slow. Like they can only push the pedal down 1/4 of the way, so they're slow as hell getting up to the speed limit, but once there, they can't seem to get their foot off the gas or level it out. Now I'll get the same retarded drivers in plain, boring looking cars, with v8s??? Nothing like giving power to the retarded masses. (but of course that's where the money is) If there are no musclecars to choose from then I won't have the dilemma of choosing between Detroit's newest performance offering(either too expensive or non-existant) or buying more parts for my older cars, including the GN. Am I too young to be complaining like this??
Oh well, atleast I've got my GN to make me smile. P.S. I won't even get into it about SUVs.
It's just the same old-same old. It's the bean counters vs the car guys. Starting with Kettering to Knudsen, to Duntov, to Delorian, to McLellan, etc and now Lutz; the maveric car guy comes in, does his thing, brings some excitement to the company, and gets eased out of the way by the bean counters because the car guys are too radical and there's no room for non-team players.
They stupidly think diversity means different genders, different color, different sexual preference. If all these "different" people think about running a car company the same way, then you don't have diversity, you've got uniformity dressed in different clothes.
Until the bean counters embrace the car guys and their "different" thinking, GM will never win through the power of true diversity.
Wow! Did I blow a head gasket, or what?
I would be willing to bet the 2004 will be based on the holden also. The GTO is being released for 2003 and it is a holden. rear drive, LS1. For more info on the GTO go to www.highperformancepontiac.com. there is a big write up in there. They explain that its cheaper to import the car than reengineer a new one. If rear wheel drive V8 power means importing an existing platform than so be it. Be cause I WOULD NEVER EVER BUY A RUSTANG or TAXI. The only rear drives left now
I find it extremely hard to believe that the GNX would come back in a rear drive platform for '04. There are no current platforms to engineer the car in that short of a time frame, which is why they have to import the GTO. To same time and money, they are only changing the front fasia of the GTO, so another other car spun off would require much more engineering to make them look different. But let's at least thank Mr. Lutz for bringing a performance car back. It does look like a Grand Prix, but so what? The GN looked alot like the Regals, Cutlasses, and Montes that were a dime a dozen at the time. And at least this car will have an American engine and trans without the crappy tipical GM interior. With the formation of SVT, PVO, and now GM Performance Division, I believe we are heading into a new musclecar era. Ford's got the Lightning/Maurader/Mustang, Chrysler will have the Ram RT10/Viper/hemi Charger R/T, and GM will have the GTO/Corvette/Silverado SS/SSR and a new Camaro and who knows what else will be dirived off the Sigma platform (Chevelle/442/GN???). Keep the faith....
Sean - 87 GN / 98 Vette
My guess is that'll be the Holden. BUT I think the Buick counterpart, whatever they are going to call it, will be the supercharged V6 version of the same car. That way, it'll have some "link" to the past Grand Nationals being that its blown.
Just my couple of meaningless pennies added to the mix....
Rob
Buick has been talking about importing a rebaged Holden since the loss of the Roadmaster. It's an easy thing to do like Cad did with the Catera from Opel. 2004 sounds about right because uncle sam is going to start makeing it hard on the SUV.
It's quite clear the public has had it with little front wheel drive cars with gutless engines. GM legal has a problem with high powered FWD cars. Thats why they stoped the 1988 GN powered Regal. I have a nice picture of it after it took out the fence on a 1-2 upshift.
Take it from someone who works in the industry in Detroit, the 2004 time frame would be too aggressive if a decision was made recently to bring the car back. Pontiac can do it because they are rebadging a current car. Buick can not rebadge the same car and the car used for the GTO is the only 2-door in Holden's line up, so even if GM did rebadge a different car for Buick it would be a 4-door. Basing a new car off of the newly designed Sigma platform (used on the CTS) would be our best hope for a GN, but not until 2006 at the earliest. Also, the problem with high-powered front drive cars is not legal, it's torque steer, vehicle dynamics, traction, and transmission durablity problems.
Sean - 87 GN / 98 Vette