1991 GMC Syclone and 92-93 Typhoon: Factory-Built All-Wheel-Drive Drag Racing Success

 

Summary

Turbocharged Performance: The Syclone and Typhoon brought turbocharged V6 power and all-wheel drive to the GMC lineup.

Buick Connection: The idea was originally developed by Buick and drew heavily from GM's successful turbocharged V6 technology.

PAS Engineering: PAS helped turn the concept into two of GM's most memorable performance trucks.

Serious Speed: These trucks could run the quarter-mile in the 13s in stock form and became even quicker with aftermarket upgrades.

Collector Status: Limited production numbers helped make the Syclone and Typhoon highly sought-after performance trucks.

Back in 1991, the dog days of the sad, slow, so-called economy-efficient sports cars were starting to come to an end. The Tuned-Port Injection (TPI) setups that General Motors was using in its sports cars were about to be replaced by a much more stout-performing LT1 350-cu.-in. engine.

But before the change, the GMC truck division of General Motors made an interesting move to get involved in some of the performance hype GM was encouraging at the time. GMC signed a contract with an aftermarket performance company called PAS (Production Automotive Systems). PAS and GMC joined forces to create two of the fastest production trucks of their time: the '91 GMC Syclone pickup truck and the '92-'93 GMC Typhoon SUV.

The PAS company was no stranger to this type of work. Pontiac called upon them to help build the now-famous.

1989 Turbo Trans Am 20th Anniversary Edition. Oddly enough, Pontiac kept it simple when building this sports car and went with what already worked for Buick by using the very successful 86 and 87 Grand National drivetrain setup. The turbocharged intercooled 3.8-liter V6 was already tormenting sports cars on the streets and at the track.

A Turbocharged Truck Was Buick's Idea

Originally, Buick came up with the idea for the turbocharged truck, but to avoid conflict with the GMC truck production branch, Buick handed the idea over to GMC. There was some hesitation to take on the project since Chevrolet already had a similar black regular-cab pickup truck on the market with a 454-cu.-in. engine.

But some forward-thinking engineers and designers saw the potential in smaller engines. Assuming Buick could make it work in a G-Body grocery-getter with much success, doing the same in a small truck and an SUV should work just as well. To nobody's surprise, it did.

Similar Buick Setup But A Bigger Engine For The Syclone and Typhoon

The PAS company engineered a 4.3-liter Vortec engine equipped with a turbocharger and an intercooler to fit in both the Syclone and the Typhoon.

To efficiently transfer engine

power to the wheels, both models would receive the four-speed 700R4 automatic transmission, the same transmission that many GM vehicles came with, including GM sports cars and the Buick turbo cars.

The First Factory-Built All-Wheel-Drive Technology Used For Drag Racing Performance

What made the Syclone and the Typhoon so unique compared to other trucks was that they used a very performance-efficient all-wheel-drive system. This technology helped these trucks, with an underrated and unofficial horsepower rating of 280, get down the quarter-mile with times that would stop the clocks somewhere in the high-to-mid 13-second range.

Since the GMC 4.3-liter turbo technology was so similar to the successful Buick 3.8-liter turbo cars, aftermarket parts dealers and car enthusiasts knew exactly what easy upgrades could be made to make these trucks amazingly performance-efficient. I've personally seen Typhoons run in the high 10-second range, while lighter Syclones could stop the clocks in the 9s.

GMC Syclone and Typhoon: Unbeatable Deal

With great gas mileage, excellent performance, and the fact that they were limited-production vehicles, the GMC Syclone and Typhoon were, and still are, collector items for car enthusiasts.

With production numbers of only 2,998 '91 Syclones, 2,500 '92 Syclones, and 2,200 '93 Typhoons built, the price tags on these rare trucks still stay in the $15,000 to $25,000 range for the ones that are still in good condition.

Unfortunately, the PAS company in Troy, MI., which was responsible for the GMC Syclone and Typhoon's engineering and design, would go out of business sometime after GM decided not to move forward with any more specialized GMC vehicles.

The decision to move forward without PAS-specialized vehicles was mostly due to the progression of the Corvettes, Camaros, and Trans Ams, along with the need to focus on new electric-vehicle technology.

That may have sounded silly back then, but now, all auto companies have moved in the electric-vehicle direction, and GM predicts that by 2035, the only vehicles it will be producing will be all-electric vehicles. We'll see how that works out!

             

Syclone and Typhoon GENERAL SPEC

Type: V6 GMT300

Disp.: 262 C.I. (4.3L)

Transmission: 700R4

Drive: All-Wheel Drive

Syclone Horsepower: 280 Horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of Torque

MPG: 17 city and 19 highway

Typhoon Horsepower: 285 Horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of Torque

MPG: 14 city and 17 highway

These Are Very Fun Vehicles To Drive And Still Hold Thier Value Very Well!

650- hp in a Hennessey 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL That can Handle it

 


Who says a 6,000+ lb SUV that can carry seven-passengers and or can offer you a crazy amount of cargo space has to be sluggish when it comes to performance. The guys at Hennessey Performance Engineering definitely don't believe in that thought and that's why they decided to come up with a package for the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL (extended version) that proves a huge point.

When the Hennessey HPE650 performance package is applied to the Yukon's 6.2-liter EcoTech Supercharged V-8 it's pumps out a monster 650-hp. Now that 650-hp is not just designed for hauling the family around town or towing things, it's designed to go fast as well. In fact it performs so well it gets 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds while toppling the standing quarter-mile in 13.3 sec. at 113 mph, not bad for a vehicle that size.


With that kind of power you don't ever have to worry about your big SUV having troubles getting in-and-out of traffic even if you were to be towing something that is quite big, like a RV. You get all the comforts of a SUV on the inside, but the power capabilities of an up-scale four-door sedan that's designed to go fast. The Hennessey Yukon is just a great combination of power, comfort and versatility. 

The cool thing is that Hennessey Performance has packages for the Cadillac Escalade and the Chevy Suburban as well. So if you're driving an Escalade, Suburban or a Yukon Denali and you think you could use a little more power under your right foot, a Hennessey HPE650 performance package will give you more than enough power to tool around with. 

Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon

 

General Motors have confirmed that in addition to their full size trucks they will also be adding a four cylinder Duramax turbo-diesel option for the newest generation of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

The new Turbo Diesel that will be used here in America is currently powering the Chevrolet Colorado overseas and has had some good success. GM is throwing their cards on the table in attempt to keep up with the fuel efficient mid-size truck competition and bring back a once absent crowd back to GM - which they have already made a good start with the new redesigend Impala, Silverado and GMC Sierra.


The two different engine sizes - 2.5 and 2.8L turbo-diesel’s sports a variable-geometry turbocharger for the most efficient power across the rpm range and for better smoothness a balanced shaft is implicated.  Both motors are designed to promote long lasting, dependable performance, and with new high quality engineering and technology, GM hopes to knock to down to frequency of maintenance.

Engine Ratings
2.8L turbo-diesel
180 horsepower
346 lb.-ft. of torque
available six-speed automatic transmission.

2.5L is rated
150 horsepower
258 lb.-ft. of torque
available six-speed automatic transmission

A smaller sized truck with good gas millage and impressive torque numbers - should make for a good selling point when those turbo-diesels hit the market here in America.

General Motors has yet to announce an official launch date for the two vehicles, but said, last month, that the Colorado/Canyon pair “will join the all-new 2014 Silverado and Sierra 1500s, and the upcoming Silverado and Sierra HDs, to give Chevrolet and GMC the industry’s most comprehensive lineups of pickups, helping customers choose the right truck for their needs.”

New Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban: GM's 2015 SUV Fleet

GM: Still on Top of the SUV Market

Ford really doesn't have much of an answer for the all-new redesigned Tahoe, Yukon and Suburban. With GM's newly redesigned Silverado and Seirra already making noise, their 2015 SUV's should have no problem keeping up with the competition.

Both the trucks and the SUV's boast a 5.3-liter V8 with direct injection, and continuously variable valve timing that can generate 355 horsepower and runs through a 6-speed automatic transmission. With this combination added in with the fact that they are lighting then their predecessors and a cylinder deactivation system, GM's SUV's are set in place to get better gas millage than any of the Ford and Dodges SUV's.

New Age Interior

The interior has been redesigned to fit the new age look that it has been desperately needing. The stereo system is available with Bluetooth streaming capability, as part of Chevy MyLink, and includes Pandora web radio. There are plenty USB power ports placed all over the inside for convenience, and there is also a 110-volt, wall-style power outlet that some consumers will also find convenient.

Gadgets and Extras

Other cool stuff includes available lane departure warning, collision avoidance and all sorts of other tech goodies. New for the, Denali Yukon, it comes with the Magnetic Ride Control found in the high end sports cars and even in the Cadillac Escalade.

Exterior Lines

The exteriors are visually linked to their pickup-truck counterparts,but  GM does guarantee that no exterior parts are shared with the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra. And some of their newly designed exterior is also fitted for more aerodynamics, which will also help with gas Millage.

Pricing

No word yet on pricing, but depending on what options a consumer will opt. for will affect the price, and if you're already spending some good money I will be willing to bet that someone will probably go fully loaded.