There's an old saying among hot-rodders and customizers that warns,

　　"It is just as easy to insult the subject vehicle as it is to

　　compliment it." We've all seen certain custom cars that suffered at

　　the hands of their makers instead of benefiting from their efforts.

　　You know the drill. Garish neon colors combined with poorly

　　executed flames. Mile-high hood scoops covering tame engines

　　drenched in chromed gadgets. Geometric graphics randomly applied to

　　bodies without regard for the shapes pressed into the sheet metal

　　below. When it all goes wrong, the result is obvious.

　　1962-Buick-Special-Buwicked shows that savvy customizers know they

　　can gain a head start to a successful outcome by starting with a

　　popular model. In the world of Buick, classics like the Riviera and

　　Skylark GS455 often form the basis for the more desirable customs

　　and hot rods. But in the case of Buick enthusiasts Ted and Sue

　　Richardson, the selection of a 1962 Buick Special put them in an

　　odd position. Even though Motor Trend magazine awarded its coveted

　　Car of the Year trophy to the 1962 Buick Special, in the years

　　since, car enthusiasts of all stripes have only been lukewarm to

　　the model.

　　The 1962 Buick Special with its deeply sculpted flanks and

　　economical V6 engine (which was at the core of Motor Trend's

　　interest in the car), wasn't the stuff of hot-rodders' dreams.

　　Sure, things picked up after a more conservative restyle in 1964

　　and the arrival of the GS400 muscle models in 1965, but generally

　　speaking, the 1961-'63 Special was overlooked by the

　　mainstream.

　　It's funny how time changes things. With the passage of five and a

　　half decades, the daily sight of stock Specials - shuttling elderly

　　occupants to the bingo hall or thrifty travelling salesmen from one

　　town to the next - have faded. What's left is a clean palette from

　　which to appreciate the Special's unique, compact form. Its

　　scarcity today even sets it above more common Buicks among younger

　　viewers who never knew them, even as 20-year-old used cars.

　　Starting with a professionally rendered color illustration by

　　Justin Milburn, the Richardsons got to work, hiring the late Ryan

　　Butler of Bill McGlaughlin's Hot Rod Fabrication in Auburn,

　　Washington, to handle construction of what is now known as

　　"Bu'Wicked." Though the subject vehicle was clean and unmolested,

　　they knew its archaic suspension and unibody were not valid in the

　　modern performance realm. In their place went a full Art Morrison

　　tube chassis with a Heidts coilover front suspension using

　　stainless-steel A-arms. Out back, the odd low-pinion differential

　　(designed to position the drive shaft extra-low due to the

　　Special's miniscule driveshaft tunnel) was discarded in favor of a

　　Scribner-fabricated axle-housing with a 9-inch Ford center section

　　packing 3.55:1 gears and an Eaton Trac-Lok differential.

　　The stock non-parallel control arm, coil spring rear suspension was

　　eschewed in favor of a 4-link arrangement with QA1 coilovers at all

　　four corners. The stock 9-inch drum brakes and 4-lug hubs naturally

　　had to go, and 13.5-inch Baer discs clamped by Baer 6-piston

　　calipers took their place. Filling the wheel arches and adding a

　　businesslike touch, huge 7�17 and 11�17 Budnick Arrowhead rims and

　　equally large Michelin Pilot Sport soft-compound tires provide

　　plenty of grip.

　　Under the hood, the Richardsons elected to combine Buick heritage

　　and modern technology. Though a turbocharged V6 crossed their minds

　　- after all, the mighty 231-cube Grand National dynasty of the '80s

　　had its roots in the 198-cube V6 originally found in the car - it

　　was decided the rumble of a massive V8 was the only way to go. But

　　to keep the Bu'Wicked all Buick, the usual Chevy swap was skipped

　　in favor of a true Buick 455 short block. Topped with a set of T/A

　　Performance aluminum Stage II Street Eliminator heads and forged

　　J&E pistons delivering 8.5:1 compression, the squeeze is just

　　right to live a long, healthy life with a belt-driven ProCharger

　　supercharger making 8 pounds of boost. Ryan Butler fabricated the

　　custom intake manifold, blower plumbing, headers and exhaust

　　system.

　　Controlled by an Accel/DFI computer, 1,000cfm throttle body and

　　55-pound injectors, this hydraulic roller-cammed thumper makes 700

　　horsepower and 750 ft/lbs of torque. In true Pro-Touring/G-Machine

　　fashion, where an undercurrent of SCCA road race functionality

　　trumps Pro Fairgrounds fluff, a Richmond 6-speed stick with double

　　overdrive ensures a complete driver-car connection. Bullet Custom

　　Engines of Medford, Oregon, put it all together and, while the car

　　has never been to the drag strip, the 700 horsepower and

　　3,400-pound weight should deliver mid-10 second passes - with

　　proper drag slicks.

　　Inside, Jon and Gabby Lind of Eugene, Oregon, transformed the

　　austere vinyl bench seat interior into a more suitable cockpit. The

　　back seat remains - replete with Buick's tri-shield logo stitched

　　into the upright - but twin front bucket seats borrowed from a

　　Pontiac Fiero hold driver and passenger steady in high-g turns. The

　　entire interior is designed to match the two-tone charcoal body

　　with tasteful Lambo Orange pinstriping adding a just-right amount

　　of excitement.

　　Bu'Wicked's bodywork and paint were handled by Rich Thayer of

　　R&J Customs in Buckley, Washington. A visit to the local Lexus

　　dealership provided inspiration for the PPG '98 Lexus Jade Mica

　　upper surfaces and '99 Lexus Silver Jade Pearl covering the flanks

　　and lower areas. Tastefully applied in harmony with the Special's

　　bullet-themed body-side sculpture, a thin Lambo Orange line

　　simultaneously accentuates the color split and work of Buick

　　stylists so many years ago.

　　In the months after its debut, the car graced the cover of Custom

　　Rodder magazine and also was featured twice in Popular Hot Rodding.

　　Bu'Wicked really shot into immortality, however, in the video

　　gaming world as a playable car for all to drive in Sony's "Gran

　　Turismo 4" game for the PlayStation II, which was released in

　　December 2014.

　　Though it has just at two decades since Bu'Wicked was completed,

　　the top-quality construction materials and professional execution

　　are still up-to-date. Built (in part) to grab trophies like the

　　2003 Goodguys Street Machine of the Year (Troy Trepanier's equally

　　astonishing "Chicayne" took top honors), this unique Pro-Touring

　　Special is also right at home on the street, complemented in full

　　by the modification process.

　　Taste never goes out of style.