U.S. comedian and actor Kevin Hart attended the last week’s SEMA show to see his 1987 Buick GNX project in its completed form – and was suitably impressed with the result.
Sean Smith Designs and Salvaggio Design worked together on the one-off restomod that they called the Dark Knight. Aside from light Batman-inspired stylistic touches, however, the car looks elegant and fashionable on its own. The exterior makes intensive use of carbon fiber found on the hood, both bumpers, all the spoilers and so on. The T-top is preserved, and the interior boasts new upholstery alongside a roll cage inscribed with the name of the build.
Why the roll cage, though? As you have probably guessed, the reason is that the V6 under the hood is new and pumps out 470 PS (464 hp / 346 kW) to the wheels along with 603 Nm (445 lb-ft) of torque. The transmission and the handling sport track-friendly tweaks, too.
Purists often criticize people who mod classics as rare and valuable as the GNX, but Hart has an ace up his sleeve. He already has a pristine, properly restored, stock GNX in his garage that he had always wanted to drive but restrained himself. He built the Dark Knight specifically so that he could discover what it feels like to drive a great classic underpinned by sleek modern tech. As such, we can only hope he is not disappointed!