With rumors flying high of a potential performance sport truck or SUV in GM’s future, one can’t help but feel just a bit nostalgic about the GMC Syclone and Typhoon from the early ’90s.
Although occasionally being confused as to housing the same Buick 3.8L Turbo V6 from the earlier Grand National, in reality, these trucks packed a turbocharged 4.3L V6 Chevy engine with a water-to-air intercooler good for 280 hp. They used a different transmission, too. Whereas the boosted Buicks were equipped with the 200-4R gearbox, the Syclone and Typhoon backed their V6 with a 700-R4 – basically the same automatic used in performance cars of the time, like the TPI-equipped Z28, Trans Am, and Corvette.
Your author, being a pre-teen at the time these first started rolling off of the assembly-line, never had the opportunity to tour the factory that made these awesome vehicles while they were in production. However, I was lucky enough to stumble upon this vintage 1992 episode of Truckin’ USA on YouTube, where they tour the Pontiac, Michigan GM plant that made the GM S-series trucks at the time.
Collectively the two-part video spans about twenty minutes, and you can either be patient, and watch the 23-year old videos with their sponsored commercials, or just fast forward right over them to watch the truck in action. Sure, the picture quality is subpar and the sound isn’t up to George Lucas’ standards, but until someone invents a time machine, we’ll make do.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles; GM, Ford, Dodge, imports, trucks — you name it! When he isn’t clacking away on his keyboard, he’s building, tuning, driving or testing his current crop of personal projects!
