GNX Clone?

LEGACY_GN

Active Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
How do you owners feel about a GNX clone? I really like the looks of the GNX and even the name but want a car I can afford and drive daily. I notice there aren't many GNX clones out there like there are GSX clones and was wondering if it's taboo or something? Input is greatly appreciated.
 
clone

How do you owners feel about a GNX clone? I really like the looks of the GNX and even the name but want a car I can afford and drive daily. I notice there aren't many GNX clones out there like there are GSX clones and was wondering if it's taboo or something? Input is greatly appreciated.

It would not bother me just don't put on the gnx emblem or number on dash that's just my impute
 
its your car .........

do what ever you want, what ever makes YOU happy.
the GSX clones are close to 100 % exact,
if you desire , make a gnx clone and use my gnx number if you want gnx163.
it doesn't bother me,
just admit its a clone, (actually some folks will be able to tell right away, do to the little things)
I support the clone idea.
 
I own the most accurate best clone to date

I purchased a clone/tribute about a year ago ....my car took 3 years to complete by the builder (parts are original and took a long time to find)and it has a $15k paint job on it...I value the car at close to $50k...people will say just buy a real one...yeah maybe but it will cost more then $50k to even look close to my car and considering I am counting on top market value...that will be BJ.....BJ will bring a buyer that wants a GNX without the hassle of putting on miles or taking the chance of wrecking it...some may not agree but at Barret Jackson in Palm Beach where I attended I saw the 9 mile car go through for $111k plus fees..$123k total...and also a 15k mile GN ..which was actually a 90k mile car with a aftermarket odo...go for $33k with fees...this so called GN with GNX wheels and no emblems had a paint job that covered all the moulding and also had a aftermarket stereo gutting the interior...gives you an idea as to how **** this car was....worth $15k tops to a street buyer...so I know my car will be golden on the block....

Since I DID not put my car in the auction it will be in Arizona..where I know it will bring close to or over $50k...this car has 1000k miles on the odo and looks as good as a 1000 mile GNX with a paint job to match......I even have an original jacket and hat to go with the car.....

A real clone is very costly to build...but a 50/50 clone can be made pretty cheap.....


it took ASC employees a few days to complete a GNX back in 1987 ...my car took 3 years to rebuild into a flawless GNX .....
 
I purchased a clone/tribute about a year ago ....my car took 3 years to complete by the builder (parts are original and took a long time to find)and it has a $15k paint job on it...I value the car at close to $50k...people will say just buy a real one...yeah maybe but it will cost more then $50k to even look close to my car and considering I am counting on top market value...that will be BJ.....BJ will bring a buyer that wants a GNX without the hassle of putting on miles or taking the chance of wrecking it...some may not agree but at Barret Jackson in Palm Beach where I attended I saw the 9 mile car go through for $111k plus fees..$123k total...and also a 15k mile GN ..which was actually a 90k mile car with a aftermarket odo...go for $33k with fees...this so called GN with GNX wheels and no emblems had a paint job that covered all the moulding and also had a aftermarket stereo gutting the interior...gives you an idea as to how **** this car was....worth $15k tops to a street buyer...so I know my car will be golden on the block....

Since I DID not put my car in the auction it will be in Arizona..where I know it will bring close to or over $50k...this car has 1000k miles on the odo and looks as good as a 1000 mile GNX with a paint job to match......I even have an original jacket and hat to go with the car.....

A real clone is very costly to build...but a 50/50 clone can be made pretty cheap.....


it took ASC employees a few days to complete a GNX back in 1987 ...my car took 3 years to rebuild into a flawless GNX .....
Pics please.:)
 
This topic comes up from time to time here. People ask me if mine is a GNX all the time. I will tell em real quick it's a clone. Well, not really an exact clone since it has more of a pro-touring / resto mod type of quality to the build. So I guess it's more a X-Inspired GN. But anyway, personally, I see no problem with clones. But as mentioned, just don't try to pass it off as the real deal when asked.
 
I have a different # on it now

It is a number of a GNX long gone....

I never get asked if it is a real GNX...99% of the common folk have no idea what a GNX is...and if someone asked I would say yes...why complicate things? It is as real as any other.. assembled by hand and a GNX is actually a model created from a GRAND NATIONAL...every GNX is a Grand National with add-ons...

I have actually had 2 GNX owners ..one is a friend look at this car from top to bottom...they are die-hard TR guys....they both asked me how much I paid and when I said less then $40k they looked at me and said you stole this car...this car is worth $80k or more with these miles (under 1000) at the time I got it....remember they looked at this car for 20 min...and could not tell it was a tribute ....LOL..when I broke the news to them they **** and said the car is 5x nicer then their real ones...and wish theirs were as new and with my paint......LOL....and they both made the comment that buying their GNX's seemed like a bad investment since adding miles or driving the cars they both paid over $60k for is not a good idea.....and a car like mine made more sense to the enthusiast who want to enjoy the car without worry...


Though I have been asked many times if it was a Grand National...lol

I will put the value of the car at $50k or more....we will see at Barett in Arizona
 
please post up the results from BJ

I haven't seen your car, but sounds real nice, I applaude your attention to detail, that said ..... in this market, I wonder if it will bring $40-50K.
I sure hope it does! but when you see real GNX's going for $50k+ , ( Lou's went for just under $60K, and it was 13k mi, pristine!)
I wouldn't sell mine for less than $60K, but maybe I'll have to keep it?
( such a rough decision) LOL
good luck with your car, and post some pics.
Thanks
 
I say clone it if that's what you want. I converted mine, the only part that isn't exactly right is the rear suspension. I have a GNX rear cover on the differential but it doesn't have provisions for the torque arm setup. I still use the factory style upper and lower control arms and swaybar. Everything else is as close as it gets. Funny thing is the average enthusiast doesn't know the difference between a GNX and a GN anyway. The most asked question I get is "Does that got a 350?" LMAO!
 
My WE4 had the GNX flares, wheels, and dask package added along with GNX badges when I bought it. Previous owner wanted a real X in 1987 and was passed up at the local Buick dealer so he built a tribute out of a wrecked WE4. He probably should've just returned it to stock! I didn't like the idea of the GNX badges though. I took them off and added the red T emblems back to the fenders and left the other emblems off. I figure the average thief may want the car more with GNX badges on it not knowing it's a tribute, but I love the body look with the flares and wheels. Obviously the gauges are more usable too, but previous owner put VDO gauges in, they work well. So I don't mind the clones or tribute cars as long as owners aren't misrepresenting and it only raises awareness for the real GNXs and the legends and myths that follow them. Most people said to my buddy while driving his X, "hey, nice GN!" Better than nice Monte I suppose.
 
Misrepresenting or flat out lieing is what makes real owners mad. This goes with any of the more rare collector cars. I like the GNX, but other than the production numbers being low, I would rather have my GN and mod the hell out of it.
In my case it was the 409 cars. I would be sitting at a show and a 62-64 Chevy would roll by with the fender badges on. I would track the guy down and there it sits with the hood down. I asked, can I see it? Its all dirty he says. I said doesnt matter, its an 09'. I not popping the hood kid.( At the time I was about 24-25. My 62 had a sheet metal tunnel ram and 700 lift roller cam and roll cage...the works.) Then he said, you probably wouldnt know what you were looking at anyway. That made me mad.:mad: I said if its really in there, you would show me regardless how dirty it is and walked away. About an hour later he came over to my car, but didnt know it was mine. I was sitting behind it. My hood is a lift off, so no hiding anything. He walked around back and looked at me. Is this yours??? I said yep, and I can tell you that IT IS REALLY IN THERE. Well long story longer, I ran into him 3 other times and each time he was telling guys how good it runs and he will never show anyone because of the "tricked out work" he has had done to it.

Be honest thats all,
Coach
 
I see Clone’s in the muscle car hobby all the time but they are not Numbered cars. Hey if you want to build a car that looks like a GNX “Go For It” but keep the numbers 1-547 off of the car, and if you do number the car at least man up and disclose the fact that it is a Clone. I for one would love to own a Clone with the number 548 that I could drive the wheels off of.. I personally don’t want to see the number (438) on a Clone...... I know a lot of GNX owners could care less, I am not one of them…..
 
GNX CLONE over here

BUILD IT... expensive is the very beginning for any Buick V6 Turbo...
I have spoken to a few actual GNX owners, and they panic ICK anytime someone goes near their car... can you honestly leave your REAL GNX in a parking lot unattended over night and travel the United States driving it, NOT using a trailer... highly doubt it...

I have an 87 mint original Grand National purchased with 157 miles and owned since January 1988, now with 38,600 miles and still a GARAGE QUEEN... if I sold both my GN's, I would buy an X, but I refuse to sell my T-top GN or hardtop GN to buy a GNX, yet one day - I will buy a REAL GNX... just not this year or the next...

I purchased my 2nd Grand National with 88,000 miles March 2008 and it currently has 102,000 miles as of May 2010, I have driven it from WI to Kentucky, WI to NC, SC, and then to Reynolds, Georgia, from WI to KY to Maine and then back to WI, then again from WI to Maine 2010... all in a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX Clone... with improvements needed... almost there... almost completed... 10 year hobby project ahead of schedule by 8 years, and now it has been sidetracked by going WAYYYY faster... with bolton parts... I have FMIC, GNX flares, vents, GNX headrests, GNX Repro. Rims, GNX turbo shield, stickers, ASC emission sticker, GNX Numbered Dash plate, ASC door jamb, no rpo code in trunk, no gnx suspension, instead I chose HRpartsNstuff dbl adj upper control arms and lower control arms, anti roll/sway bar with air bags, minus pinion snubber... I need GNX pumpkin cover... and a new paint job to complete it, but since I LOVE TO DRIVE my BUICK GRAND NATIONAL AKA GNX CLONE... I'll leave the paint for last to do....

NO RUST, in the best condition I have even seen for a car with high miles and comparing it against my original GN with 38k miles and never driven in rain or snow... this car is sweet... and very fun to drive... I was at Car show in Buxton Maine May 16, 2010... people were wow a GNX, only 100 made, NOOO, 547, hey is this a real GNX, NO GNX CLONE... wow cool, I never saw one.... man can u spin your tires and do a powerstand, yes I can... not afraid to smoke the tires... these cars were built for it, money isn't wasted if you enjoy what your doin'.... currently I'm living in Maine, yet own a home in Wisconsin... got my Buick GNX Clone in Maine and my T-Top GN in Wisconsin... guess I'll have to save up for a REAL GNX for a home in Florida down the road...

photos attached...
also, I have a friend who is making a grill protector for the Front Mount Intercooler, stay tuned for updated photo... almost like a bra, except for the grill only...
 

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GNX Rear cover installed

June 2010 -- GNX Rear Cover Installed
 

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