Over the last 10 weeks, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look that Hagerty’s Rendered series has given us at the design and creation process of concept artist extraordinaire Khyzyl Saleem. And while the Kyza’s first nine installments of the series took his usual radical and over-the-top design approach, the self-taught designer has opted to close out the ten-part Youtube series with a more understated — yet still thoroughly impressive — modernized take on a 1980s automotive icon, the mighty Buick GNX.
Taking inspiration from Charge’s recently-unveiled electrified 400kW 1967 Mustang restomod, the GNX donor has been lightly slammed, seeing its ultra-boxy bodywork slightly streamlined before being rendered in carbon fiber and then hit with a flared set of fenders at all four corners. The flared arches have also opened up room to accommodate Saleem’s own turbo-fan-style wheel design. Both the headlights and taillights have also been treated to cyberpunk-inspired updates, with side-by-side square LED projectors up in front and an LED strip setup in the rear.
The 300-hp Garrett-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 at the heart of the GNX has also been jettisoned in favor of a fully-electric powertrain, further modernizing the GNX-spec Grand National — of which less than 550 original units were built. Without the need for a radiator to cool the gas engine, Khyzyl has also replaced the GNX’s grille with an LED perimeter-lit front fascia. What’s more, Saleem has reworked the Buick’s interior, bestowing the GNX’s cabin with a roll cage and a pair of multi-point harness-equipped race seats. And, unlike most of Saleem’s conceptual work, the artist’s electrified widebody GNX could actually be brought to fruition in steel and carbon, too.
As one of the most talented and prolific automotive concept artists working today, it’s been an incredible experience getting an inside look at the Kyza’s rendering process, and based on the success of the initial ten-episode season, we’re seriously hoping that Hagerty and Saleem reunite for a second season of Rendered.
