To put it mildly, Buick isn’t the most exciting brand at the moment. Its lineup consists of several very dull and uninspiring sedans and SUVs aimed primarily at retirees who need something to ferry them between the golf club and the grocery store. But it wasn’t always like that, and one independent designer, Marc Senger, thinks it’s time for a re-think.
The Buick Wildcat concept is a rather adventurous design which takes its influence from the 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept – produced back when GM’s designers worked for their money. The role of the Wildcat would be to act as a halo car and entice younger buyers to the brand.
Senger has pitched his car to compete against the likes of the BMW z4 and Audi TT. However whereas these cars rely on 4, 5 and 6 cylinder configurations – in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms – the Buick Wildcat concept would be fitted with a 5.5 litre inline 8 complete with a supercharger, a turbocharger and an electra charger. Senger predicts this unorthodox powerplant would be capable of producing 582 hp @ 7,900 rpm, and allow the car to hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds.
Now I’m not going to speculate on the validity of such an unusual drivetrain configuration, primarily because the car will never get built. However as a design exercise to produce something outlandish, exciting and original – something to counteract the otherwise very boring Buick range – I think it’s just crazy enough to work.
