The most famous muscle cars may have been built in the 1960s and ‘70s, but Ringbrothers is here to remind people they’re not limited to that era.
The Wisconsin custom shop, which is best known for its work on classic hot rods, brought a truly over-the-top Buick Grand National restomod called the “Invadr” with it to this year’s SEMA show. The bid has been upgraded in every way and is actually the fastest car in Ringbrothers history.
As hard as it may be to believe today, there was a time when the world’s fastest production car wore Buick’s staggered shield logo. The time was 1987 and the car was the GNX, an experimental version of the high-performance Grand National released during the model’s final year of production. That version of the car came with a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 that made over 300 hp and 400 ft lbs of torque, allowing it to hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and to top out at 124 mph. Add in its distinctive all-black look and it’s little wonder it would go on to become one of the more revered American-made cars of the last 40 years.
Inside Ringbrothers’s 1987 Buick Grand National “Invadr”
Ringbrothers/Facebook
The GNX may be the most powerful version of the original Grand National, but it has nothing on Ringbrothers’s restomod. It also has a 3.8-liter six-cylinder, but it’s been completely overhauled and equipped with a twin-turbocharger. The custom powertrain produces a ridiculous 1,246 horses and 1,000 ft lbs of twist that sent to the rear axle via a six-speed manual gearbox. No performance numbers were released, but Ringbrothers co-founder Mike Ring made clear it can easily outrun the original GNX.
“The acceleration of this car is nothing short of violent,” he told Top Gear earlier this week. “This may well be the fastest car we’ve built to date.”
Ringbrothers/Facebook
The powertrain isn’t all the shop reworked, though. The car rides on a new custom chassis, has a unique suspension setup with adjustable dampers, and has new carbon-ceramic brakes in the front and back.
It also looks a little different, though only the most eagle-eyed of Buick buffs will notice. The Invader isn’t technically painted all-black but is instead finished in Dark Vader Gray, which should be dark enough for the purists. The old plastic bumpers have also been stainless-steel units and its body comes outfitted with a number of custom-fiber pieces that improve aerodynamic performance. Inside, there’s a new roll cage and plenty of exposed carbon fiber trim.
