Ackenda:
:type: Just had to write you a brief note of admiration! I can't get this car out of my mind. Normally, I hang out on cheersandgears, and I've been hoping someone would post it over there for others to see and appreciate. Like myself, I bet a lot of people would love it! It's fresh, looks modern, and I agree it seems a better use of the Monaro over and above the GTO. You've found just the right design elements to combine, giving the car a great flair! That grille and the size of it makes it so fine -- compare it to Rex Raider's ideas, which, to my eyes, seem dowdy using the old Regal and Century grilles. (And I've liked a lot of Rex's work in the past.) Ackenda, your design makes it clear that, as the TV commercials for the Rainier say, "It's a brand new Buick!" Would it be allright with you to make a link on cheersandgears to it? Or would you be willing to post it there? One minor quibble: I'm aware of its heritage, but I think the name "Grand National" doesn't fit in with Buick's newly-renewed premium luxury plans. At the same time I admit I have a soft spot for the name "Wildcat," but I'm not sure they would consider that. In any event, Ackenda, thank you very much for one of the best designs, arguably one of the best concepts for Buick, deserving a place alongside their "official" concepts.
I am editing onto my post that I've just gone back about 15 pages, to around May 2003, and looked at all the Buick concepts here since then. I'd give Rex's minivan design an honorable mention, but I have to be honest and say the rest seem like re-hashed something-or-others, that they're too obviously based on something else, with one or another of the Buick grilles (most often Rainier, Rendezvous, or LaCrosse) pasted in. [And of course I better admit I couldn't design my way out of a paper bag.] But it only confirms my feelings about Ackenda's design; I don't look at it and say, oh that's a Malibu Maxx with Buick cues, or that started as an RX330 and they added some Buick cues, etc. It looks wonderful.
Well, thanks for letting me go on about this. I've been lurking here for just shy of a year, and look what finally prompted me to write. Whew!