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What Was Actually Happening Inside That Buick “GNX” from the Super Bowl
However you felt about the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, there’s no denying that the black Buick on stage caught your attention. For car nuts like us, the response is nigh-on Pavlovian: See a cool car in an unexpected place, commence singular focus, and allow it to dominate your psyche for untold minutes or hours to follow.
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to read our initial reporting on the car that was a focal point in hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show by now, but in case you haven’t: Deep breath—that wasn’t a real Buick GNX on stage.
With that cleared, allow us to direct your attention to the Instagram post embedded below, which shows in fascinating detail just how the Grand National was modified to enable more than 20 backup dancers to stream out of its doors and trunk.
This creation is the work of All Access, a Torrance, California-based production company specializing in large stage props and the overall stage design for festivals, television, concerts, sporting events, and more.
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For the Buick, the company set about essentially cutting away the entire floor of the vehicle to enable the backup performers to scramble up through that area and then stream out onto the stage. You can see that the engine and running gear were also removed—no sense in asking dancers to scramble around a driveshaft and a large solid rear axle—especially not those who had to leap out of the trunk. (This article from LiveDesignOnline has some neat renderings of the car and the engineered stage passages.)
If your first thought is righteous indignation that a car like this got chopped up for a halftime show, we’d also encourage you to step back a moment. As Hagerty contributor Bozi Tatarevic also noted on X, the car from the show was a pretty well-used example with a handful of modifications. Not a cherry example, by a long shot.
Like any Grand National, this car is somewhat rare but nowhere near as rare as a GNX variant. This one was well enjoyed by someone as it had a variety of modifications and showed 70k miles on the odometer. It was originally bid up to $25k on BaT but failed to sell. pic.twitter.com/df2BAVuBiQ
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) February 10, 2025
Instead, let’s celebrate the fact that so many people are out here talking about a sinister Buick from the 1980s. For all the concern about the declining relevance of cars in pop culture, a muscle car this front-and-center shows there’s still gas in the tank.
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As soon as the people started pouring out it was obviously a stage prop. Move on.
I’ll never insure my Grand National with Hagerty. No respect.
I’m sure they are crying crocodile tears over their loss!
Yet we’re taking the time to read and post a cryptic comment on their article…
I drove 2 of them the grand national and the regal t tipe the power of these car was way ahead of its time and the exhaust sounds like no other turbo car on this planet..
I didn’t watch the superbowl but my Grand National friends let me know that one was in the show. It seems the crowd in the stadium didn’t care as no cheering and everyone looking at their phones. I had more fun watching some other stuff on my TV than a boring halftime show.
So you watched halftime or you didn’t? Your second sentence says you did while your first and third say you didn’t.
I watched the half time and the crowd seemed plenty into the show, even collectively yelling a line in one of the songs.
And what a line that was…
Because it’s the only line from any of his songs that anybody outside CA knows.
They could have used an unmodified Buick Roadmaster wagon and fit just as many dancers.
I mean, his new album is named “GNX” so I’m doubtful that thought crossed anyone’s mind.
They did no worse to that car than Kindig, Texas Metal, or any other resto-modder out there
That looked like a super nice GN they cut up, only 70K original miles. What a shame.. could have used a clapped out Regal and painted it black
I saw the halftime show, I was wondering what they’d done to the car. With that said, 70k and some mods is not worthy of getting chopped up. Article made it seem like it had 300k and was beat to hell. Obviously, you own a car you do what you want but I’m sure there were worse off examples they coulda used instead.