Image: InsideLine.com

Many people were surprised by General Motor’s 2009 decision to axe four of its eight brands, especially the killing of Pontiac, the General’s “excitement” division. Equally confusing was the choice to salvage Buick, a brand that languished as its buying demographic got older and older. Some of us were skeptical that GM could bring Buick back from the nearly-dead, but they’ve done just that, infusing the entry-level luxury brand with some exciting and sharp-looking new models like the Regal GS.

There has been lots of talk about a revival of Buick’s last great muscle car, the turbocharged Grand National GNX. But while GM is keeping mum on the subject, Inside Line reports that aftermarket parts specialist SLP has announced their intentions of building a new GNX based on the turbocharged Buick Regal GS.

GM has gotten the ball rolling on the next Buick GNX with the Buick Regal GS, which uses a turbocharged 2.0 liter engine to crank out 270 horsepower. Respectable, to be sure (and just 6 horsepower shy of the original 1987 GNX’s turbocharged 6-banger) but these days it just isn’ enough.

Enter SLP, which is promising to push horsepower north of 300 ponies when they take a factory Regal GS and add their own special touch to it. SLP even provided the above rendering which will add some aggressive body features to an otherwise bland-looking four-door GS model. We’re excited to see what SLP delivers for a new generation of turbocharged Buick fans, and hopefully they’ll encourage GM to move forward with more performance Buicks down the road.