Weekly Craigslist Hidden Treasure: 1993 GMC Typhoon

High-performance SUVs are nothing new, but they are making something of a comeback these days. Case in point: the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Obviously it's quite an extreme example thanks to its 707 hp, but there's also the Ford Edge ST (okay, it's a crossover) and more expensive offerings like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Lamborghini Urus. But nothing from GM? Well, for the moment at least, but this wasn't always the case.

GM was actually one of the first to do a performance SUV way back in the early 1990s. Anyone remember the GMC Typhoon, the SUV version of the Syclone pickup truck? The three-door only Typhoon was based on the GMC Jimmy (the Syclone on the Sonoma) and launched for the 1991 model year.

Like the Syclone, it was powered by a modified version of the same 4.3-liter V6 found in the Jimmy, only output was increased from 190 to 280 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. It also received a Mitsubishi-sourced turbocharger and featured upgraded intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds, fuel system, and even the twin-bore throttle body straight from the 5.7-liter small block V8. Power was directed to all four wheels through a four-speed automatic while a transfer case split that torque 35 percent and 65 percent front and rear, respectively.

With that amount of extra punch, GM also had to add upgraded brakes, a limited slip rear differential, and various other suspension modifications. Its performance specs proved the work was well worth it. Zero to 60 mph was clocked at 5.3 seconds while it completed the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 95 mph. Not bad for an SUV that had a curb weight of over 3,800 pounds.