Filed under: Coupes, Etc., Buick, GM
Looks can deceive: 6.6L Duramax-powered Buick GNX clone
The car you see here is not a GNX. Hell, it's not even a Buick. You'd be forgiven if you thought it was, though, and it does sport a turbocharger underhood. David Morad was so enamored with the 6.6L LB7 Duramax diesel in his truck that he wanted to put it into something lighter and more fun. He decided to build a Grand National around the engine, and started buying up whatever applicable Buick body parts he could find -- right down to legit GNX dash plates. Next, he bought an '82 Buick Regal diesel that was to be the subject of the transformation. Unfortunately, that car literally self-immolated as he drove it home, sending Morad straight back to square one.
He subsequently found and bought an '81 Olds diesel and got to work. The car was cut in half so that a Regal rear end could be welded on, and then a laundry list of major modifications followed. To retain the stock Buick exterior appearance while incorporating the new powertrain, everything under the skin is is either extensively modified or custom fabricated in order to allow for the deception. Sure, it looks like a GNX, but this is really a scratch-built machine. Wilwood brakes lurk behind some absolutely wicked deep-dish Budnik wheels (dig those steamrollers in back), which nicely compliment the menacing black bodywork. Diesel Power magazine covers all the build's specifics in detail, and it's well worth a read.
If you're gonna masquerade as a GNX, you'd better bring some punch to the costume party, and Morad's car does. As of Diesel Power's publication, it ran an 8.25-second eighth of a mile, which they figure works out to somewhere in the 12s for the quarter. He'll be gunning for the 11s next, and additional performance upgrades are in store. Best of all? This is Morad's daily driver! He reports that it gets around 28 mpg in regular use and in the mid-30s on the highway. Not a bad combination: the looks of a GNX, the grunt of a big turbodiesel, and the fuel economy of cars that are a lot more boring. This thing had to cost a fortune to make, but Morad's clearly getting his money's worth on the fun scale.
[Source: Diesel Power via Next Autos]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Zeitgeist57 9:48AM (8/24/2008)
This car has a couple of YouTube videos to it's name, and is definitely a favorite of mine. I didn't realize he DD'd it and got such great (claimed) mileage!
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Conor 3:11PM (8/24/2008)
That just makes it even more sick. I love this ride.
KeatMP 3:22PM (8/24/2008)
Look at those rear tires!
gotsmart 10:04AM (8/24/2008)
What are the hp and torque numbers on that beast?
Beautiful work on the build... really interesting stuff!
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Alex Nunez 10:16AM (8/24/2008)
None published in the article, unfortunately. The only thing it said was that the next time the car heads to the track, it'll be running slicks and a 245 hp tune. Sounds like there's plenty of upside. I would imagine the torque number to be pretty stout.
BigMcLargeHuge 10:04AM (8/24/2008)
Seems to me the Duramax is greatly overlooked as a racing engine. From what I've seen recently, it can be made even more powerful and more economical simultaneously than the Audi V12 TDI.
Well done GM, now find new uses for it. Like this guy did!
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Quattrofan 11:01AM (8/24/2008)
"more powerful and more economical simultaneously than the Audi V12 TDI"
how is that "crack" working out for ya?
why not the LS2LS7? 11:50AM (8/24/2008)
There's not a lot of road race series that will allow you to have a 6L Diesel engine with over 2 bar of boost and simultaneously bar the gassers from doing so. And the one that does right now already has the two most sophisticated Diesel race engines on the planet. It'll be a tough row to hoe.
Might be smart to start with the offroad series like Dakar.
BigMcLargeHuge 8:00PM (8/24/2008)
@ Quattrofan,
You know that cocaine is a helluva drug. But anyways,
The Audi R8 TDI was expected to get 550hp, 700tq, and 20mpg on average.
This is only the second tuned Duramax racer this week having the same power potential and 2-3x better mileage.
@ LS7
The Duramax took a lot of R&D, and it is a sophisticated and rugged engine. Obviously all the racers with it so far we've seen have been modified. But that doesn't mean GM doesn't have a solid foundation to work with.
They'd be in pretty much thesame class as Audi's LMP1 cars. Whether that class restriction is fair or not isn't ours to decide.
ceo79 10:20AM (8/24/2008)
i love the idea here. car is pretty bad ass. the thing that's killing me is why did he weld a Cutlass and Regal together. there are plenty of Regals laying around. that's a lot of work to make one car.
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Ian 11:44AM (8/24/2008)
I'd imagine because he wanted a diesel title for emissions reasons.
MajorGeek 10:55AM (8/24/2008)
Dont get why its a GNX clone. The GNX had very subtle differences then the Grand National outside. Inside was different, but thats not important here. It had vents in the front fender, which can be bought aftermarket and distinct black rims, which can be purchased as clone wheels In other words, the 2 major things that make this look like a GNX over a Grand National from the outside were left out. They should remove the GNX lettering and call it a Grand National clone. Of course, only a car buff would notice, or care, these differences, so its insulting to call it a GNX clone.
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Frank 10:51PM (8/24/2008)
I agree with you on these facts but you failed to mention that GM had more to do with the 3.8 SFI Turbo development than it did with the Izuzu designed Duramax.
MajorGeek 10:56AM (8/24/2008)
Fix the damn comment system already.
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Quattrofan 11:03AM (8/24/2008)
Yeah, what he said.
JoeBob 11:05AM (8/24/2008)
"...he wanted to put it into something lighter and more fun. He decided to build a Grand National" - FAIL
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Pokey 11:22AM (8/25/2008)
How exactly did he fail? That's a badass ride!
Sandeep 11:55AM (8/24/2008)
Are you sure this isn't John Neff's alter ego?
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Ohso Clutch 2:37PM (8/24/2008)
This is what a great mind can achieve.
Bravo!
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Torrent 2:44PM (8/24/2008)
Nice, but I don't want a clone..... It's like.......fake....
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