Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning album, 'GNX', has sparked a surprising trend: a surge in the value of muscle cars, particularly the Buick GNX. This phenomenon highlights the profound impact music can have on markets and emotions, even in the automotive world.
The album's release in November 2024 coincided with a resurgence in interest for the Buick GNX, a high-performance variant of the Buick Grand National. The Grand National itself was a high-performance version of the Buick Regal, a two-door coupe. The GNX, released in 1987, was a muscled-up version of the already powerful Grand National, featuring a 3.8-liter V6 engine with a Garrett T3 turbo, intercooler, and a more free-flowing exhaust. This upgrade resulted in a significant power increase, from 149kW to 224kW, and a 234% improvement over the base Regal motor.
Kendrick Lamar's connection to the GNX is both sentimental and influential. Born in 1987, the same year the car was released, Lamar was driven home from the hospital in his father's Buick Regal. The album's cover features Lamar's own car, further emphasizing this connection. However, the album's success and Lamar's rising prominence have had a more tangible impact on the muscle car market.
Since the album's release, prices for Buick GNXs have climbed significantly. According to Classic.com, prices for the black coupes have increased by almost 40%. Six months before the album's release, the average selling price of a Buick GNX was already high at $US162k. In the six months following the album's release, prices climbed to an average of $US199k, and the five most recent sales have driven the average even higher to $US240k, a 103% increase from early 2024 prices.
Interestingly, the highest price paid in the past five years for any second-generation Buick Regal was not for a GNX, but for the 'last ever' Grand National, which sold for a staggering $US550k in January 2022. The album's popularity, with over 2 million copies sold and 454 million streams on Spotify in July 2025, has undoubtedly contributed to the rising values of these muscle cars.
However, the good times may not last forever. In the weeks it took to write this story, GNX prices have hinted at a decline. A modified car sold for $US100k, and a well-documented original example was sold at auction for $US154k. Another good GNX was passed in at auction for a high bid of $US216k, suggesting that the album's influence on the market may be temporary.
Despite this, the story of Kendrick Lamar and the Buick GNX highlights the unique and powerful connection between music and markets, and how a single album can spark a trend in a niche automotive market.
