1993 Gmc Typhoon Base Sport Utility 2-door 4.3l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GMC Canyon next generation previewed with off-road AT4X trim

GMC is preparing to give the Canyon, its smallest and most affordable pickup, a complete makeover. While we won't see the truck for a few months, the company released a preview image to give us an idea of what to expect and confirmed the lineup will include an AT4X model. Although the teaser keeps most of the sheetmetal hidden, the truck appears to receive a more chiseled hood and concave door skins that should make it look less slab-sided. The fenders are eye-catching as well: They're more punched-out that the current-generation model's. Keep in mind that we're looking at the AT4X trim, which will be positioned as the off-road champion of the range and should consequently get a brawnier-looking design. Other off-road goodies include big Goodyear Wrangler tires wrapped around 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, plastic wheel arch flares, and rock rails. GMC is keeping additional details under wraps, but we're guessing suspension tweaks are part of the package as well. After all, the current-generation AT4 benefits from a one-inch suspension lift and skid plates, among other upgrades. This isn't the first time we've seen or heard of the Canyon AT4X. Our spy photographers caught a camouflaged prototype that looks taller and considerably more rugged than the AT4 in July 2021, and the Canyon AT4 OVRLANDX concept introduced in August 2021 seemingly previewed some of the features that will trickle down to the production model, including the rock rails and wheel arches. GMC will unveil the next-generation Canyon this summer, and we expect to hear more about it in the coming weeks. And, if a new Canyon is around the corner, that likely means that the next Chevrolet Colorado isn't far behind. Both will compete directly against the new Ford Ranger, which has only been unveiled for overseas markets as of writing and which will spawn a range-topping, V6-powered Raptor. Another competitor the duo will need to fend off is the Nissan Frontier, which got its first update since the 2005 model year for 2022. Already offered on the 2022 Sierra, the outdoorsy AT4X trim will spread across the GMC range in the coming years. Nothing is official yet, but earlier spy shots strongly suggest that the Sierra Heavy Duty will be treated to the AT4X treatment in the not-too-distant future. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

GMC to get own model not shared with Chevy?

For years, GMC has existed as a brand without a single unique product, reconstituting Chevrolet trucks, SUVs and crossovers with more frosting in exchange for a few extra dollars. The Sierra is a Silverado, the Acadia a Traverse, and the Terrain an Equinox, although admittedly the latter pair are visually differentiated to a significant degree.
GMC could be set to expand beyond its Chevy-based roots, though. During last week's Detroit Auto Show press days, GM's product boss Mark Reuss was asked whether there'd ever be a GMC that wasn't taken from Chevy. "Oh, yes, you will," Reuss told the media. "The health of GMC is astonishingly good from a consideration standpoint." Reuss wouldn't elaborate on what the model could be, although we're quite happy to make some guesses. GMC has its bases fairly well covered, with a mid-size and full-size crossover, as well as a mid-size, full-size and HD pickup. We doubt GMC will be building a family sedan, sports car, or hatchback, so really, the only place we can see the brand going is into a smaller crossover.
Automotive News points out that the most recent small GMC showcar, the 2010 Granite concept (shown above), won't see production according to General Motors. That vehicle likely would have rode on GM's compact vehicle architecture, known internally as Gamma II, which underpins the Chevy Spark and Sonic, as well as the Buick Encore (and its overseas Opel/Vauxhall/Chevy counterparts).

Junkyard Gem: 1973 GMC Sierra Grande Camper Special

Starting in the 1973 model year, General Motors introduced the "Rounded Line" family of C/K-series Chevrolet and GMC trucks, and sales of the pickup versions continued all the way through 1987. Nice examples of these trucks can sell for large money, but the junkyard teaches us that not all collectible vehicles are worth rescuing and fixing up. Here's a reinforcement of that lesson, courtesy of a first-year GMC C2500 Camper Special with the high-zoot Sierra Grande trim level, found in a self-service yard just outside of Denver, Colorado. I'm no GM truck expert, but I know enough to stay clear of the battles over what to call this pickup. Let's just say it's a three-quarter-ton, rear-wheel-drive third-gen C-Series with really cool badges. Yes, I bought this badge for my garage wall, and it was totally worth the $4.23. GM came up with the Camper Special package during the late 1960s, when removable pickup campers became popular, and for 1973 it included heavy-duty springs and a wiring harness made to plug into the connectors on slide-in truck campers. It also included woodsy-looking badges, but someone pried the ones off this truck before I could buy them. This may well have been a one-owner truck, because it still had original warranty paperwork inside. Here we see that it was purchased new on August 2, 1973 (which happens to be the day that George Brett got his very first hit in the big leagues) by a resident of Compton, California. Yes, that Compton. The build tag tells us that this Camper Special was born at the Fremont Assembly plant in California, which became the GM-Toyota NUMMI venture in 1984 and is now the Tesla Factory. I think most 1973 C/K pickups sold new in Colorado would have come from Pontiac Assembly in Michigan. There was a time, not many years ago, when a genuine 454-cubic-inch (that's 7.4 liters to those of you sweating under the oppressive weight of the French Empire's Measurement System) big-block Chevrolet engine would have been yanked out and purchased within hours of hitting the rows of a yard like this. These days, engine-swappers can get more power with less weight from any number of donor vehicles. If this engine is the original 454, it was rated at 240 horsepower and 355 pound-feet (down from 270 hp in 1972 due to emissions-related changes). This truck had a three-speed automatic transmission, like most optioned-up Detroit pickups of its era.