I think that every project car needs a THEME.
Without a theme...
a project can become a confused combination
of parts & materials that just don't match.
The theme I chose was the "Gran Sport" theme.
Buick is known for building luxury cars, but also, for building some great performance cars. The Gran Sports of the 1960's & 1970's are some great American automotive icons.
There is a secondary theme I chose.
This is the "Factory could have built it" theme.
I imagine what a group of die hard Buick Motorsports guys might have built, if they HAD been given the "go ahead" to build a Roadmaster Gran Sport to compete with the 1994 Impala SS.
Maybe. Just maybe. They might have built a
I think that Buick should have built a Gran Sport
version of the Roadmaster back in 1994.
That was the year that Chevrolet reintroduced the Impala SS.
As you know, Buick didn't build one.
So I am.
She's a work in progress...
In order to create a Gran Sport that never existed,
I've made many modifications to this car.
Some modifications were minor and some were major.
"Gran Sport", "GS", "LT1", "RAM AIR", & "LT1 5.7 L"
emblems were added to the exterior and interior.
I found a Buick Tri-Shield ornament that is flat,
& fits the contour of the hood.
This replaces the stand-up hood ornament,
and fits the Gran Sport theme, IMO.
A center console with floor shifter was added,
and column shift handle was deleted.
The drivers modified into a bucket
identical to the passenger seat.
"GS" logos were added to the headrests.
Custom Gran Sport floor mats were made.
Basically, I added whatever the Impala SS had,
but in the Buick Gran Sport theme.
I used Gran Sport emblems from 1980's
and 1990's Gran Sport Buicks...
...as the vintage 1960's & 1970's GS emblems and
Buick Tri-Shield badges didn't match the age of my project.
If you look at the vintage Buick badges,
they are a lot different than the contemporary emblems.
The LT1 emblems were from Car Motorsports.
Expensive, but very much worth it, IMO.
It was a lot of fun trying to find NOS / MINT condition
Buick Gran Sport emblems from the 1980's and 1990's.
The cars from that era are not considered collectible,
therefore there are no aftermarket emblems available,
so hunting on eBay was the only way I could find them.
Finally I added RAM AIR emblems that I modified a little bit.
These RAM AIR emblems were originally from a
Gran Am or Grand Prix, and originally read "RAM AIR V6".
I cut off the "V6" portion of the emblem, reshaped them,
touched up the black paint, and then sent off the emblems
to my pinstriper along with a NOS Gran Sport emblem so he
could get a perfect color match with the Gran Sport emblems.
When he was done, the emblems all matched perfectly.
LT1 Emblems on the fenders by Car Motorsports
Custom rear window decal.
New grille does not have the word BUICK on the top.
Both have NOS Gran Sport grille emblems
Several cars influenced me in this project.
The 1967 Buick Gran Sport & the 1970's Gran Sports
were heavy influences, as were the
1994-1996 Impala Super Sports.
Here are some pics of those cars:
The mid-90's Impala SS was inspirational for the interior.
Mine is very similar with a gray leather interior,
with a center console / floor shifter.
Here's a pic of a 1996 Impala SS interior.
All of the 1994-1996 Impala Super Sports were given center consoles. Only the 1996's were given a floor shifter.
I have done MANY modifications to create
my own version of a Buick Roadmaster Gran Sport.
Take a look at my other pages to see more.
The next page is page 3.
The Interior and Trunk page...
Other Buick Stuff...
As you can probably guess, I am a huge Buick fan.
I have a collection of Buick Motorsports jackets.
The embroidery work on the jackets and hats was done by my friend Cesar at New Imperial Embroidery.
See page 8 for his contact info. and other
beautiful work he has done for me.
I also have some vintage Buick Motorsports jackets
made by Molly Designs in the 1980's.
Here is my Mac Tools Racing / Buick Motorsports Jacket.
This is my newest Buick Motorsports Jacket.
I collect Buick Posters, Literature,
Advertising & Promotional Memorabilia, etc...
This is my Buick watch.
My Buick Motorsports Shirt
See page 10 for Buick Roadmaster History.
page 1....................Introduction
page 2....................Gran Sport Theme You Are Here
page 3....................Interior & Trunk
page 4....................Under The Hood
page 5....................Transmission
page 6....................Wheels, Tires & Suspension
page 7....................Headers & Exhaust
page 8....................Recommended Vendors
page 9....................Modifications
page 10..................History
page 11..................Restoration & Help
page 12..................Part Numbers
page 13..................Art & 1:25 Scale Model
page 14..................Future Plans
page 15..................200 MPH Speedometer
page 16..................Shows 2006
page 17..................Shows 2007
page 18..................Shows 2008
page 19..................Shows 2009
page 20..................4th Annual Salem Roadster Show
page 21..................Upcoming Shows 2010
page 22..................Attended Shows 2010
page 23..................roadmonster.org
page 24..................page under construction
