Keep in mind that the 1992 and 1993 GMC Typhoon SUV is a 1992 and 1993. Try to remember what the trucks were like back then. Now, wrap your head around this trick-coated all-wheel-drive turbocharged SUV with nearly 300 hp and a 4L60 four-speed automatic plucked from the Corvette. Back then, no American vehicle had all-wheel drive, except the pickup from which the Typhoon was cloned, the 1991.
Was the GMC Typhoon really a performance SUV?
It was so outrageous that he pitted it against a Ferrari 348ts, just to see how close the Syclone pickup could get to that layer of European exotic. He not only kept up but beat Ferrari in both the quarter mile and timed tests. Take that Enzo!
had hoped to be a boost for GMC, not from sales, but from truck buyers. They’ve read about it, or maybe they’ve seen one on the street, and that could translate into more sales for GMC. So with the pickup as a model, it was easy to translate it into the Jimmy SUV, since the two were brothers.
What transmission does the GMC Typhoon have?
Upfitters Production Automotive Services converted both the pickup and the SUV. A 4.3L LB4 V6 got the Chevy small block V8’s 48mm dual-bore throttle body, puffed with a Mitsubishi turbocharger and Garrett intercooler. The factory beefed up the 4.3 with hypereutectic pistons, nodular iron main caps, larger intake and exhaust headers.
The Corvette’s automatic transmission split power to the rear via a BorgWarner transfer case. Four-wheel anti-lock brakes, a first for a production truck, suspension modifications with a lower ride height, and 16-inch cast wheels covered the bases.
How many GMC Typhoon SUVs have been sold?
GMC only built the Syclone pickup in 1991, hoping for better results with the version. Following the Syclone recipe, the only difference mechanically was the beefier BorgWarner 4472 transfer case. The Syclone used the older version of 1372.
Both years of production yielded 4,697 Typhoons sold, 2,497 in 1992 and 2,200 in 1993. But that beat the Syclone, which sold 2,998 for its one-year production run. Clearly, a truck and SUV spec’d to this extreme, though noteworthy, has met with lukewarm buyers. Even with the amount of enthusiastic hype from enthusiast magazines, it didn’t seem to matter.
Was there a reason it didn’t sell well?
One thing that could have hindered sales was the price. At just under $30,000, it was over $10,000 more expensive than GMC’s full-size Yukon SUV. Of course, they weren’t the same in every respect. But that may have been too long for a less rugged, smaller, impractical SUV in 1992. And while its performance is impressive, pickups and SUVs were expected to have V8s.
In some ways, the Typhoon and Syclone copied the Buick Grand National Regal playbook from 1982 to 1987. It sold an average of 5,000 a year over its six years of production. So the Syclone and Typhoon were running about one-third to one-half that number. Regardless, all three of these special vehicles are highly collectible due to their combined rarity, uniqueness and performance.
