The GMC Typhoon is a high-performance

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...

, produced from 1992 until 1993 by GMC. The Typhoon was based on the 1991

GMC Syclone The GMC Syclone is a high-performance version of the GMC Sonoma pickup truck. Produced in 1991 by GMC (marque), GMC along with Production Automotive Services, Production Automotive Services (PAS)—the same company credited with building the Ponti ...

Description

Like the

, the Typhoon is powered by a 4.3 L LB4 V6 engine with unique pistons, main caps, head gaskets, intake manifolds, fuel system and exhaust manifolds, producing and 360 lb⋅ft (475 N⋅m) of torque. The engine is a modified version of the Vortec engine found in the standard Jimmy, which originally produced . The engine uses a Mitsubishi TD06-17C/8 cm²

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...

producing of boost and a

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Water/Air

intercooler An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines. Internal combustion engines Mo ...

, as well as revised

intake manifold An inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an internal combustion engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinder (engine), cylinders. The word ''manifold (engineering), manifold'' comes from the Old Eng ...

s, fuel system, exhaust manifolds, and a twin-bore throttle body from the 5.7 L

GM Small-Block engine The General Motors LS-based small-block engines are a family of V8 and offshoot V6 engines designed and manufactured by the American automotive company General Motors. Introduced in 1997, the family is a continuation of the earlier first- ...

. The Typhoon sends power to all four wheels through a 4L60 4-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

and a

BorgWarner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and Electric vehicle, e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenu ...

4472 transfer case splitting torque with 35% forward and 65% to the rear wheels. Other features include upgraded brakes, a limited-slip rear differential and sport modifications to the standard suspensions. Unlike the Syclone, the Typhoon featured an air-operated self-leveling rear suspension. During tests by ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published in 1955. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased it from its prior owner Hachette Fi ...

,'' the Typhoon was capable of accelerating from in 5.3 seconds and could do a quarter-mile run in 14.1 seconds at . ''

'' compared the Syclone's performance favorably to the

Ferrari 348 The Ferrari 348 (Type F119) is a mid-engined, V8-powered, two-seat sports car produced by Italian automaker Ferrari, replacing the 328 in 1989 and remaining in production until 1995, when it was replaced by the F355. It was the final V8 model ...

ts,

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953. Throughout eight generations, indicated sequentially as C1 to C8, the Corvette is not ...

, and Nissan 300ZX Turbo. It cost 29,970, though the magazine criticized the plastic interior pieces.

Production and colors

All three model years were built for GMC by

Production Automotive Services Production Automotive Services, Inc. (commonly referred to as PAS) and formally known as Prototype Automotive Services, was a specialty vehicle manufacturer which produced the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am, the 1991 GMC Syclone, the 1992 GMC So ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Aside from a handful of prototypes, only 4,697 Typhoons were built by GMC: 2,497 for 1992, and 2,200 for 1993. Unlike regular production Syclones, Typhoons were offered in various exterior color configurations (body color/lower-body cladding color) that differed by year, with black/black being the most common. 1991 * Typhoon Pre-Production (6 total) 1992 * Midnight Black with Black (1,262 total) * Midnight Black with Gray (130 total) * Frost White with Gray (518 total) * Apple Red with Gray (345 total) * Bright Teal with Gray (132 total) * Forest Green Metallic with Gray (82 total) * Aspen Blue with Gray (28 total) * Raspberry Metallic with Raspberry Metallic (3 total) * Radar Blue with Radar Blue (1 total) 1993 * Midnight Black with Black (1,008 total) * Midnight Black with Gray (98 total) * Frost White with White (532 total) * Frost White with Gray (115 total) * Apple Red with Apple Red (77 total) * Apple Red with Gray (101 total) * Forest Green Metallic with Gray (210 total) * Garnet Red with Gray (24 total) * Royal Blue Metallic with Gray (35 total) * Radar Blue with Radar Blue (1 total)

Notes

References

External links

{{GMC

Typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

Mid-size sport utility vehicles Cars introduced in 1991 Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States