"Sn210" (sn210)
03/17/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Forgotten Concepts
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"Sn210" (sn210)
03/17/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Forgotten Concepts | 1
| 28 |
Buick brought this radical concept to the '85 SEMA show in Vegas. This was the 4 th out of 5 Buick concepts dubbed the Wildcat. There were 3 made in the '50s, this one in '85, and then one in '97.
Two cars were actually built. The first one, brought to the SEMA show, was a non-functioning concept. The second, however, was a fully working model used for engineering tests. This car may have been a preproduction car used for development, but other sources claim this car was only a testing bed for Buick's ideas. GM still owns the operational concept car.
It featured a glass canopy style roof that lifted upwards to allow the driver and passenger to enter, much like the '69 Holden Hurricane and '96 Zagato Raptor concept cars. The Buick's steering wheel also lifted with the canopy giving the driver some extra room to get in. The body was made of carbon fiber and, obviously, glass.
The car's shape bears a visible similarity to GM's other high tech concept carts from the mid-80's and early 90's, like the Corvette Indy, the Oldsmobile Aerotech, and the Pontiac Banshee.
Corvette Indy
Pontiac Banshee
Oldsmobile Aerotech
The Wildcat featured a few "high-tech" toys as well. A screen in the center console displayed information like a compass, torque, g-force, and oil pressure. A Heads Up display on the giant glass canopy reported the car's speed, odometer, and gear selection. The steering wheel was a spoke-less hub. It was gloriously 80's inside the cockpit.
The drivetrain featured a McLaren built 3.8L V6, based on the Buick 3800, that made 360 horsepower and 245 lb/ft of torque. It was mounted in the middle, fully exposed to the elements. They didn't even put it behind any glass, it was just there, part of the exterior design. The Wildcat also had 4 wheel drive with a 33/66 split to the front and back wheels. The 4 speed auto transmission could be manually shifted, but the car surprisingly was governed to 70 mph and the ECU limited the revs.
Contrary to its radical appearance and robust spec sheet, the car only managed an 8.4 second 0-60 run and the aforementioned 70 mph top speed. Not cool, Buick, considering that the concept was brought to life to shake Buick's grandpa-mobile image. I'm surprised they didn't try it again after what they did with the GNX. Maybe one day when I win Powerball I'll commission one of these with proper performance that matches its image.
Hat Tip to Laird Andy for suggesting a write up on this car.
Sources:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (Lots of good info here!)
http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php…
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/could…
Photo credit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384698…
JGrabowMSt
> Sn210
03/17/2014 at 11:21 |
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I absolutely love the Corvette Indy. Even have an old HotWheels of it. I'd never want to see it become a full production corvette, but it's spectacular for a concept, and I think it embodies the 90's completely.
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Sn210
> JGrabowMSt
03/17/2014 at 11:45 |
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Same with the Buick, I don't think it would have had much success as a real world supercar
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JGrabowMSt
> Sn210
03/17/2014 at 12:20 |
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Somehow, the XJ220, as beautiful as it was, happened to be the example that proved that statement true. I hate that and it hurts to see pictures of the abandoned one outside of Dubai I think it is...
BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 17:34 |
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So the Indy and Banshee became the Camaro and Trans-Am? Because that's what jumps out at me first when I look at these.
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Sn210
> BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
03/20/2014 at 18:29 |
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Yeah the banshee definitely was the design concept for the Trans Am. I'd have to agree with you about the Indy/Camaro transition, I can see the relation.
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BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 19:28 |
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Oh yeah man. My brother had a 98 Camaro. You just move the Indy's can back to make it front engine, and it is that car.
Cebu
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 20:41 |
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Dude, I've got a Hot Wheels of that car.
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Sn210
> Cebu
03/20/2014 at 21:12 |
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Got Sr20? Is it in good condition? Interested in trading it?!
Half-Caulked Jack
> JGrabowMSt
03/20/2014 at 21:42 |
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It always reminded me of the Jaguar XJ220. In a good way.
BPUminus
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 22:45 |
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OMFG... if American carmakers only followed through on the Bladerunner aesthetic, I would have been a customer for life
trynthink
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 23:50 |
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GMs concepts from the 80s and early 90s showed an incredible engineering and styling vision. While I realize none of their concepts could be realized 100% as production cars, what they were actually selling was incredibly disappointing by comparison, and clearly it wasn't for lack of talent. How did they go from all this stuff to something like this Grand Am? Translation fail.
As an aside, I'd guess the poor performance from the Wildcat was principally because of the 4 speed auto. Hooking that McLaren-derived V6 up to a robust 5-speed box from the same era probably would have yielded 6 or 7s 0-60 times.
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Howie
> Sn210
03/20/2014 at 23:50 |
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Damn, I can't believe I'd forgotten about the Wildcat, one of my favorite concepts from back in the day along with the Aerotech with that sweet quad-4 breathed on by the awesomeness of Jim Fueling and made a staggering for the 90's 1200hp with the help of about 40 pounds of boost.
Nick Has an Exocet
> trynthink
03/21/2014 at 00:41 |
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McLaren built 3.8L V6, based on the Buick 3800, that made 360 horsepower and 245 lb/ft of torque
Yes please. I wonder if that engine would have been as reliable as the venerable 3800.
HydraulicDragon
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 01:03 |
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That's pretty cool.
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urbanxplorer909
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 01:44 |
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Typical Buick market
Dr. Strangegun
> trynthink
03/21/2014 at 09:10 |
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My guess would be either weight, rigidity, or suspension mounting strength issues for the missing performance... probably got turned down a LONG way to keep from ripping itself apart, especially with that pop-up canopy which I bet at not far over the governed 70mph top speed, starts pulling off of it's seating surfaces and would eventually rip off the car. It's a concept, not a road vehicle... that it runs and drives that well (if at all) is going WAY beyond the mark.
James
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 09:49 |
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I had the Matchbox of the Olds Aerotech. Now I want to find one on ebay to add to my collection!
dolby_fm
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 10:18 |
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Way to give photo credit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384698…
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Sn210
> dolby_fm
03/21/2014 at 10:46 |
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Way to sound like a dick. Link added.
SalamanderSmile
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 11:26 |
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Ugh, Fisher Price controls. Why!? WHY???
Plecostomus is a starred commenter
> JGrabowMSt
03/21/2014 at 11:52 |
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When the Corvette museum sinkhole story broke I was TERRIFIED we'd lost the Corvette Indy or Corvette CERV III concepts; I was so relieved to learn it was just some production corvettes
buellrob
> Sn210
03/21/2014 at 20:49 |
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So much awesome.
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Cebu
> Sn210
03/22/2014 at 16:47 |
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"Final Run", flat red and white. "Fair" condition, major paint chipping and minor bumper boxing.
Frankly, it'd be worth more if I painted it. Am willing to trade, though.
PaulRP
> Sn210
04/16/2015 at 18:13 |
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http://displaytruckdriver.kinja.com/in-1988-89-i-w…
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Sn210
> PaulRP
04/16/2015 at 20:17 |
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that is insanely cool! Did you get to drive it?!
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PaulRP
> Sn210
04/16/2015 at 21:58 |
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Yes, but not for very far. It was EXTREMELY temperamental and I had to push it more than I drove it. It honestly seemed to have a mind of it's own and started when it wanted to!
The very first display I did with it was at a Chevy Dealer in Daytona Beach. I got it running and drove it to where I was going to display it (about 150 yards!) but I had no instruction on the gearbox at all. None. It took me a while...because it ran so infrequently, to figure out the shifter! It had a gear shift handle in the center console and operated like a motorcycle shifter, except that from neutral to first, you had to push it down 4 times to get to first gear! Little known fact, known only to those that were there; On the load out, as I was driving it back to the truck it had a fire in the engine space! I am not making this up, I swear I am telling the truth. I was in it with the canopy down, moving about a walking speed and I hear FIRE!FIRE! I hit the shut off button and then the canopy opening switch, but the canopy opened fairly slow. I got it about 8 inches or so up and one of the dealer salesman reached in, grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out! It was put out quickly by one of the mechanics who ran to get an extinguisher right away, but it was definitely a scary situation! The transmission got a bit hot and lit some oil that had seeped out, but it wasn't real serious. Display operators call cars like that "Pushmobiles" because you push them more than drive them!
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PaulRP
> PaulRP
04/16/2015 at 22:03 |
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Excuse me...not Chevy dealer...a BUICK dealer, of course. In fact, after Allison won the 500 a couple weeks later, I went back to that dealer to drop off the copy of his #12 Miller High Life car that I also carried so they could put it in their showroom for a few weeks.
I apologize for the error.
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Sn210
> PaulRP
04/27/2015 at 22:54 |
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Haha that’s an amazing story! Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to get behind the wheels of a car like that. Glad you got out in time