Capitalizing on the splash caused by the lightning fast 1991 Syclone, GMC introduced the mid-size SUV S-15 Jimmy-based Typhoon in 1992. Syclone production halted just as production of the 1992 model year trucks began, limiting its numbers to just 2,998. The GMC Typhoon is slightly more common with 4,697 units rolling off the assembly line during its two-year (1992 and 1993) production run.
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Much like the Buick Grand National GNX, the high-performance GMC Typhoon should be considered as one of the coolest muscle cars around sporting a V6 engine, and you might be surprised at its current value.
Classic.com keeps records of desirable vehicle sales and publishes the results online for everyone to see. Over the past five years there were 47 GMC Typhoon sales (about 1-percent of the total Typhoons produced) recorded with a total volume of $1.5 million. The high sales volume, along with its corresponding average sale price of $30,991 could make the Typhoon sound like a worthwhile investment.
However, trading classic vehicles is much like playing the stock market, except values can be even more whimsical. Depending on your point of view, the GMC Typhoon’s average sales price so far in 2024, sitting at $22,612 spread over four sales, could indicate either a poor investment, or a great time to get the best deal.
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[Featured image by salguod via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]
What makes the GMC Typhoon special?
The thing that made the GMC Typhoon special was its world class performance. At the heart of that performance is a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 that produces 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a four-speed automatic transmission to all four Firestone Firehawk SVX tires to deliver remarkable acceleration.
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When Car and Driver tested the 1992 GMC Typhoon, they found the drivetrain worked well enough to deliver the SUV’s full power to the road with “barely a chirp from the rubber.” The Typhoon is capable of a sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds and completes the standing quarter-mile in just 14.1 seconds at 95 mph.
According to Car and Driver testing, that’s quick enough to pull ahead of a Ferrari 348 TS (admittedly, one of the cheapest Ferrari models you can get used) under the right conditions, just don’t expect to stay in the lead for much longer than 14.2 seconds. Part of the reason that the Ferrari eventually overtakes the GMC Typhoon is its sensible top speed limiter, set at around 124 mph. The other part is pure aerodynamics, a category in which the Typhoon suffers with its squarish 1990s truck-like profile.
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[Featured image by TKOIII via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
