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One-off 2022 GMC Jimmy shows the convertible SUV that could have been

GMC is seemingly content to let the sixth-generation Ford Bronco take on the Jeep Wrangler on its own. The company left this segment of the market decades ago, but an Arkansas-based builder named Flat Out Autos is bringing the Jimmy back for the 2022 SEMA show. The modern-day Jimmy largely mirrors the Sierra 1500 that it's based on from the tip of the front bumper to the b-pillars. Beyond that, Flat Out Autos added redesigned quarter panels, removed the partition between the cargo box and the cabin, and installed rear seats. It also developed a removable, body-colored hardtop that brings the truck's silhouette in line with the second-generation Jimmy's. Out back, the versatile MultiPro tailgate remains, and the Jimmy keeps the Sierra's rear bumper with a step integrated into each corner. All told, the conversion looks surprisingly good. We bet GMC could sell a lot of these if it decided to jump back into the segment. The interior is mostly Sierra fare, though the front seats tilt forward and carpet lines the cargo box and the inner part of the tailgate. Flat Out Autos hasn't released technical details, so there's no word on what the Jimmy is powered by. More details will presumably be announced in the weeks leading up to the 2022 SEMA show, which opens on November 1, and Flat Out Autos plans to build 25 units.

2018 GMC Sierra Denali can help you tow without breaking a sweat

Towing a trailer once meant that only those who possessed certain knowledge would be able to go fishing, tow a race car or pull a camper safely. For me, it took four long years of practice working a job behind the wheel of a jacked-up Ford F-250, hauling tons upon tons of mowing equipment for my local parks department, to become proficient. Just how far things have come since then became evident after a recent trip to Utah with GMC, in which we used the half-ton Sierra Denali to tow a set of Polaris side-by-sides through the state. Modern safety technology and a suite of electronic aids make towing simple enough that anyone with a driver's license and something to haul can do it. This revelation came behind the leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel of GMC's outgoing 2018 Sierra Denali. Sitting in the plush, heated and cooled captain's chair, I could barely feel the 6,000 pounds I was towing behind me. Even GMC's smallest full-size truck engine, a 5.3-liter V8 generating 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque, felt like overkill for what used to amount to a heavy load. With Utah's pristine landscape, the plush confines of the cabin and the uneventful nature of modern towing, mile after mile just streamed by at highway speeds without incident (or excitement). When we finally reached our destination a few hours later, one of GMC's representatives who had chosen to sit in the rear of the cab asked me what I thought about the drive. I pondered for a few minutes and answered with this: "Modern pickup trucks have removed nearly every skill-based variable once associated with towing. I could drive this truck and trailer confidently with just one finger." Consider the near overabundance of towing-assistance systems in the GMC Sierra Denali that I piloted through Utah. Let's start with the most basic of towing skills — something that's now been relegated to the annals of history: reversing a pickup to meet the trailer's hitch. Once upon a time, this required knowing a truck's dimensions and understanding proximity, as well as having a keen eye, a steady foot for both the gas and the brake and the patience to get it right. Now, though, pickups such as the Sierra Denali offer customers a trailer reverse camera system that helps the driver align truck to hitch with pinpoint accuracy.

Specialty Vehicle Engineering's 750-horsepower GMC Canyon fully revealed

GMC's celebrated Syclone will turn 30 in early 2021, but nothing suggests the company will mark the occasion by releasing a modern interpretation of the pickup. New Jersey-based tuner Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) is taking the matter into its own hands by building a limited number of GMC Canyon trucks with Hellcat-like power. Although the original Syclone received a turbocharged V6, the 2021 model gains a 5.3-liter V8 normally found in bigger vehicles, including the Sierra and Yukon. SVE rebuilt it with forged aluminum pistons, forged steel connecting rods, high-lift valve springs, a custom crankshaft and upgraded fuel injectors among other aftermarket parts. It also added a supercharger to raise the eight's output to 750 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Power flows to the four wheels via a strengthened 8-speed automatic transmission and a permanent all-wheel-drive system. For context, the first Syclone gave the Chevrolet Corvette a run for its money with a fuel-injected, 4.3-liter V6 turbocharged to 280 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. These numbers were spectacular in the early 1990s since the Sonoma that Syclone was based on shipped with the 105-horse Iron Duke four-cylinder as standard. Even compared with the Sonoma GT that got a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V6 with 195 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, the Syclone was impressive. SVE installed six-pistons front calipers that clamp 13.6-inch slotted rotors, and it kept the factory brakes out back. It also lowered the suspension by two inches in the front and five inches in the back, upgraded the shocks, and added a heavy-duty rear sway bar. These modifications help drivers make the most of the extra power, but SVE hasn't published performance specifications (like the truck's zero-to-60-mph time) yet. Surprisingly, the eight-cylinder weighs almost the same as the V6 it replaces so the engine swap doesn't affect weight distribution. Visually, the Syclone can't be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill Canyon. It wears a deep front bumper, has cladding over the rocker panels and rides on 20-inch alloys. Edition-specific emblems round out the look, and the list of options includes a body-colored grille as well as a folding tonneau cover. SVE's images show a truck painted black, which was the only color offered on the 1991 model, but it's available in any factory hue. Inside, the modern-day Syclone gains special floor mats and a numbered plaque on the dashboard. Leather is optional.