When it comes to the world of performance cars today, monstrously powerful SUVs have already established themselves as an accepted, revered, and very desirable class on the market. Originating around pure practicality and go-anywhere capabilities, the SUV used to be not much more than a sparse and function-focused vehicle, but over the decades transformed into a comfortable and often luxurious daily driver for the whole family.

With such a large size and ease of everyday driving, shoving a beefed-up engine into an SUV isn't a super difficult task, and with their big confident ride, such performance only seems natural - and this is now a proven formula with monsters on the market today such as the Jeep Trackhawk and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio laying down power and acceleration previously reserved for supercars.

Back in the 1990s, though, the SUV's full transformation from rugged functional to well-appointed commuter hadn't yet taken shape, and most of them were still without any performance or luxury cred. GMC, though, would turn this on its head, introducing first the Syclone truck, then the follow-up Typhoon as a performance-oriented well-trimmed SUV that's now proven to be far ahead of its time.

Let's take a closer look at the GMC Typhoon.

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Jimmy And The Syclone

As mentioned, the Typhoon wasn't a completely new idea but rather a follow-up to a previous model. Using the same performance bits shoved inside an SUV rather than a truck, the Typhoon's origins were with the Syclone pickup truck that came out in 1991.

Based on the existing workhorse Sonoma pickup, the Syclone only saw production for '91, with 2,998 units produced, making its mark as a special limited-production beast with shocking performance. In particular, a turbocharged V6 powered it, making 280 hp and 350 lb-ft torque, sending that power through an AWD system with viscous coupling to optimize traction for brutal acceleration.

While 280 hp today doesn't sound all that wild, the special tweaks and that AWD system made the Syclone ridiculously fast for '91, outrunning a new Ferrari 348ts in a Car and Driver test.

But, compromises to the truck's functionality had to be made to achieve such performance, especially with stiffer and lower sport suspension eliminating most hauling capacity. Capable of hauling just 500 lbs in its bed, with towing discouraged all-together by GMC, the 2 seat truck may have looked practical, but in reality was far from it.

Moving away from the more utilitarian Sonoma, for 1992, GMC decided to release this drivetrain in a vehicle that could retain much of its practicality while also offering comfort and massive interior space - the S-15 Jimmy. A brother to the Chevy Blazer of the time, the Jimmy was a 2-door SUV with a big interior and had the potential to be a genuine performance threat that could also haul the entire family with it - unlike the Syclone.

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A 2 Year Storm

Also, unlike the Syclone, the Typhoon would last more than one year on sale, hitting the market for '92 and staying there until the end of '93. Other than the two-year sales life and much larger SUV-based interior, the two vehicles were almost identical mechanically, sharing a turbo V6, AWD system, and 4-speed automatic transmission. This was no ordinary turbo V6, though, as the engine's performance revisions had their basis with Buick, who's turbo V6 making experience had peaked in the brutal GNX muscle car four years earlier.

Moving on to various projects, the GMC Syclone's purpose and spirit came from Buick’s pitch to Chevy but instead ended up as a project given to GMC. Also, changing their proposed engine, the 3.8 L Buick V6 was substituted for a 4.3 L Chevy LB4 V6 to adapt it to the truck with greater ease. Taking that 190 hp LB4 motor, the massive power came from additions like Corvette sourced fuel injectors and throttle body, a Mitsubishi turbocharger that was limited to 14 psi of boost, a Garrett intercooler, a new intake manifold, unique graphite head gaskets, and more tweaks bringing it to 280 hp.

The engine wasn’t the only bit with performance-focused improvements either, as a similarly Corvette sourced 4L60 4-speed auto transmission was the only one available, the rock-solid GMC Safari van-based AWD system was subbed in with a 35/65 torque split, suspension received stiffening, and a 3” drop in ride height, a rear limited-slip differential installed, brakes were changed to massive discs upfront and performance drums in the rear.

At the same time, the wheels were enlarged to 16” with 245 width tires. Even cooler, a properly aggressive body kit was given, flaring out the fenders, adding a much more aggressive front bumper and spoiler, and overall making the big boxy SUV look like the performance machine it had now become.

Making the same power and equipped with the same mechanicals as the Syclone, the Typhoon was poised as mentioned as a more practical follow up, thanks to the additional seats and big enclosed trunk allowing for better storage of more "every day" cargo. But, this also meant it was around 200 lbs heavier and marginally slower.

For comparison, the Syclone did a 4.7 0-60 mph run, while the Typhoon managed it in 5.3 - top speed was also limited to 129 mph. Handling was about what you'd expect, being a sportier yet still very much truck-like body-roll filled ride, though with some decent cornering grip up to 0.79 G, for comparison a '92 Corvette had 0.89 Gs of lateral grip.

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The Eye Of The Storm

Trucks and SUVs from the ‘90s weren’t precisely refined or luxurious, and the Jimmy was no exception to that, but the Typhoon did make a similar amount of strides towards interior comfort and niceness as it did towards performance.

Starting with materials, a lot of the interior, like the dashboard, was carry-over cheap plastic from the Jimmy and still rang true to the unrefined nature of SUVs at the time. But, leather seats that were big and comfortable and more leather upholstery, including the door panels and steering wheel, were a huge improvement along with multiple standard features.

Among these great standard features for the time, Typhoon buyers got power locks with keyless entry, power windows, all-black headliner and carpeting, air conditioning, AM/FM radio with cassette player, and more - you also got a Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo gauge cluster in place of the stock Jimmy design to add a more sporty feel.

A big and comfortable interior, ample cargo space, and additional seats made the Typhoon a much more useful alternative to the Syclone, though it still had a (literally) non-existent tow rating and was not recommended for any off-road use whatsoever. Automatic leveling rear suspension came standard, but the Typhoon still carried the Syclone's 500 lbs payload rating in the back.

Though, an enclosed interior made things better with its big 28 cu-ft cargo space. What’s more, you could also get the Typhoon in a plethora of stand-out color schemes, including the iconic all-black paint, Bright Teal, Aspen Blue, Royal Blue Metallic, Garnet Red, Forest Green Metallic, or Frost White - all of which could be offset by grey lower body cladding. While these colors were cool, it's hard to deny that black was the most menacing and badass look for the SUV, and buyers agreed, with over 50% of all Typhoons painted in the color. Fuel Mileage was bad but expected and understandable, being an EPA rating of 15 mpg city / 19 mpg highway.

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Pricing, Then To Now

Sold for an extra year compared to the Syclone, the Typhoon also had higher production figures than its truck brother, with 4,697 made across ‘92 and ‘93, while the Syclone saw 2,995 made for '91. Starting with a base price of $29,530 in 1992, the Typhoon would’ve cost $55,750 in today’s money - and this lines up with modern performance SUVs pretty well, as similar offerings today like the 475 hp Dodge Durango SRT start at around $66,000. For 1992 though, this was a hefty price, as the basic 2-door GMC Jimmy started at $15,022, or $28,360 in today's money.

Ahead of its time, and seeing explosive growth in the class it predicted, the Typhoon is coming into its own as a genuine classic and seeing increasing popularity and attention today. Prices can vary, but typically you'll need to pony up between $20,000-45,000 for a good example of one.

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