Detroit’s original musclecar formula was simple: Take one relatively light, midsize car platform, stuff in the largest, highest-compression mega-horsepower V-8 you could find in your parts bin, and burn rubber until you run out of gas.
Mechanically, the Pontiac GTO, Oldsmobile 4-4-2, and Buick GS 400/455 of the late ’60s/early ’70s were simply Le Mans, Cutlasses, and Skylarks that benefited from the above noted treatment. But they, and the rest of the musclecar greats from Ford, Chrysler, and even AMC, became the stuff of legends.
General Motors is trying to recapture some of that muscle magic with these three midsize concept cars from its mid-priced divisions. The Pontiac Grand Prix G8, Oldsmobile Intrigue OSV (Oldsmobile Special Vehicles), and Buick Regal GNX (named for the limited-edition, seriously fast ’87 rear-drive midsize…