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Jay Leno Drives a Corvette-Powered 1948 Buick Super Convertible

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Jay Leno and Jonathan Ward examine a souped-up 1948 Buick Super Convertible

Jay Leno and Jonathan Ward examine a souped-up 1948 Buick Super Convertible

Is there anything that can’t be improved by the addition of a Corvette engine? We’ve seen one put into a DeLorean, we’ve seen one put into a bathroom, and in the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, we see one get put into a 1948 Buick Super Convertible.


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The Buick received its nearly 700 horsepower Corvette ZR1 supercharged V8 engine from Jonathan Ward, who’s ICON shop is known for its remarkable mods of classic vehicles.

He calls this one a “Derelict,” meaning it’s a car that looks like a beat-up old jalopy, but actually features a modern-day powertrain, brakes, suspension, etc. It may seem like a junker, but beneath its surface lies a power not evident to the outside world (kind of like Christine!).

Leno repeatedly and accurately describes the car as “hilarious,” which it definitely is (he also likes that its rusty blue paint job appears to match his own signature denim-on-denim wardrobe). A 1940s Buick with the power of a new Hellcat, this Super conceals its modern upgrades well—there’s even an infotainment screen with Bluetooth and navigation hidden behind the old-school AM radio.

The vintage Super looks so unchanged that it’s not until Jay and Ward open her up on the highway (at the 13-minute mark) that you can really see what separates this car from your average 1948 Buick.


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