For several years after the performance version of the S-Series pickup was dropped from GM’s lineup, rumors floated and lingered of a turbo V6-powered, prototype truck that wore Buick’s “Turbo-6” insignia, and coincidentally was powered by the potent 3.8 mill that had powered the Grand National until 1987. It was said that that prototype led to the development of the world’s fastest-production pickup to date.

Many of the Buick turbo Regal and GMC Syclone/Typhoon variations that have supposedly been built in the past are not much more than hopeful rumors, things of speculation that even many corners of the web can not for sure verify. What can be said for sure is that GM’s Heritage Center owns the only white Syclone in existence, and that a GNX insider actually did build a white T-Type, GNX look-a-like, called the “X-Ray.”

Otherwise, Production Auto Services, who was also responsible for the turbo Trans Am in 1989, headed the Syclone and Typhoon fleet for GM’s truck sector. GMC themselves had not yet established any kind of compact sport truck market that could keep-up with the compacts of Japan, but ironically, it would be an intercooled turbo from Mitsubishi that would make the “SyTy” trucks into a performance powerhouse.

Truthfully, the cast iron, 4.3-liter V6 of a lot of our childhoods was a torque-happy motor. It made sense that GM–both on the Chevy and GMC side–used them in their smaller trucks and Astro/Safari vans. Without the all-wheel transfer case of the Safari, the nearly flawless traction setup of the Syclone and Typhoon would have never been possible.

It was from the Safari fleet that GMC and Production Auto Services borrowed the all-wheel system for the turbo performance lineup, and thanks to Mitsubishi’s forced-induction technology, a Vortec V6 rumored to put-out some 330 horses on the dyno was also able to make full use of them. This in spite of the fact that GMC advertised the Syclone–and later its SUV sibling–as having only 280 brake horsepower.

More than its subtle ground effects and sophisticated platform under an otherwise plain pickup, the Syclone’s turbo V6 is what made it one of GM’s greatest door-slammers, even by today’s standards of custom and performance. The Typhoon, though slightly heavier than its older brother, was nearly as much of a turbo-6, Corvette killer as it’s all-black predecessor had been just before.

The main difference of course, was in the sport-utility layout of the Blazer/Jimmy truck itself. Another departure from the Syclone, with its SUV version was that the Typhoon was far more luxurious, featuring a leather interior for five where the Syclone only featured a cloth for two.

Needless to say, there have been some fascinating variations done of the SyTys since the early ’90s, but none shocks and surprises like our featured ride, ’93 Typhoon #1541. This can be considered either a stroke of genius or an act of sacrilege, but with a blown small-block that packs 700 horses with a shot of nitrous, our featured Typhoon is an early-’90s ride that’s not ready to play, “Full House.”

That’s because if this V8-hybrid, compact SUV isn’t the fastest on the road, then it more than qualifies as one of the most ferocious. Good looks and plenty of go are what we’re all about, and this blown Typhoon from KruzinUSA.com combines both…but it does it so by leaving the 6-shooter behind!