The Batman franchise continues to be a huge box office success, smashing sales records and making kids and teens fall in love with a charismatic superhero that drives one of the coolest fictional cars ever created, the Batmobile. Considering how cool the Batmobile is, it’s hardly surprising that gearheads have gone crazy for the gadget-loaded super car. However, not only comic book readers love the vigilante life, as even famous people enjoy the Bruce Wayne's car. Some famous people even commemorated Batman Day on social media, while others got to fulfill a boyhood goal by living like Batman or driving a supercool automobile like him. One of these people is the American comedian and actor, Kevin Hart.
At the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the stand-up comedian introduced The Kevin Hart Collection. There, he also unveiled his latest dream car, The Dark Knight, a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX. Petrol heads already know Hart is a car aficionado who loves American muscle cars. In the past, Hart added to his fleet, The Hellraiser, a 1970 Dodge Charger and a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner dubbed Michael Myers. Hart’s latest project, The Dark Knight, is pretty legendary, and Dave Salvaggio and Hart’s crew have done a wonderful job in upgrading and revamping the already legendary, 1987 Buick Grand National GNX.
Kevin Hart Drives The Best Cars
Petrol heads probably know that Hart is a real car aficionado who has an impressive automobile collection. As acting in Hollywood is a lucrative business for talented artists, Hart has done pretty well for himself in his career, so he has the means to purchase even the most outrageously expensive exotic cars, sport utility vehicles and vintage muscle cars. As such, the comedian owns incredible cars like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Edition, the Ferrari 488 Spider, the Pontiac GTO, the GMC Yukon XL Denali, and a Maserati GranTurismo Convertible.
In addition, Hart also had his own reality series, Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew, in which the star and the Plastic Cup Boyz—John "Burgandee" Clausell, Ron "Boss" Everline, Will "Spank" Horton, Harry Ratchford, and Joey Wells try to launch an automobile club. According to Motortrend, everything started years ago when Hart purchased for each of his friends their dream classic car and the boys became more serious about car culture. Reality shows apart, everything in Kevin Hart's life underscores how much he loves vehicles.
This Is What Makes The Dark Knight The Best Celebrity Ride
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When Dave Salvaggio from Salvaggio Design, designer Sean Smith, and Kevin Hart collaborate on a vehicle, classic muscle car fans can expect amazing results. In this case, MagnaFlow has created a bespoke exhaust. Furthermore, the team of experts has updated the carbon fiber hood, splitter and front fascia. However, Hart stayed faithful to the turbocharged V6 engine, although his team selected the turbocharged 3.6L V6 LF4 similar to the ones used on the Cadillac ATS-V. Thanks to the upgrades, the new engine generates roughly 650 horsepower. Also, the cabin received custom upholstery with contrast stitching in blue and gray, a design reminiscent of Batman's most recognizable costume. And there’s even bronze hardware that matches the hero’s utility belt. Evidently, digital instrument clusters are also present.
Car aficionados will find additional aesthetically pleasing design features on the exterior. For instance, they will love the refreshed 3D-printed front bumper and billet door handles. Other cool features include the factory T-top roof and the 19-inch HRE 501 wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes R888R tires. Also, worth noting, the Buick received a new suspension system and high performance Brembo brakes.
“Beyond some surgically targeted upgrades the vehicle fully embraces its 80s roots, T-top and all,” says a MagnaFlow press release. And we couldn’t agree more, the modifications are barely visible, but they carry a lot of weight as they seriously modernize the vehicle and boost its performance.
Evidently Kevin Hart is very proud of this restomod as he invited his friends and two sons, Hendrix and Kenzo Kash, to SEMA 2022 for the unveiling of his newest dream car. To be fair, Hart has every right to be proud of the upgraded 1987 Buick GNX, considering that together with his team, he was involved in every single detail.
“Kevin’s team of designers and builders are very thorough, going through everything from the transmission to the exhaust, redefining lines and structure, even going so far as breaking the car down to the bare metal to ensure it’s done correctly,” says the MagnaFlow press release. “Kevin's appreciation for the craftsmanship and process means every component must compliment the next without calling too much attention to each products contribution but the combination parts and craftsmanship working together as a whole.”