A 32-Year-Old Truck is Sold for $226,000. I Believed We Were Through With This.

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      I’m not easily surprised by car auction results anymore, but this one certainly caught me off guard. There was a period when everything on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids was going absolutely insane, especially during COVID, and it seemed like even common cars were shattering auction records weekly. However, in the past year or two, prices began to decline and things started to normalize. Then someone goes and spends $226,000 on a 1993 GMC Typhoon. Can we not put an end to this?

      Let’s try to understand why someone would pay Porsche 911 GT3 prices for a 32-year-old GMC SUV. To begin with, it’s quite rare. GMC produced only 4,697 Typhoons over two years, with just 345 in Apple Red like this one. This particular model also has only 668 miles on it, keeping it in pristine condition, and collectors are always prepared to pay a premium for classics with low mileage. Additionally, the Typhoon has a dedicated fan base, as it was the first true American performance SUV and, at the time, one of the fastest vehicles available.

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      The Typhoon was essentially the SUV counterpart of the GMC Syclone pickup, equipped with the same 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine that generated 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. However, it felt more appropriate in SUV form since who really needs to combine speed with hauling materials from Home Depot? The power, delivered through a four-speed automatic to all four wheels, enabled it to reach 60 mph in 5.3 seconds back in the day. This made it quicker than a Ferrari 348ts. The Typhoon also completed the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds, which was close on the heels of the Acura NSX then, and remains impressive today. It accomplished all this as a body-on-frame SUV with a base price of just $29,530, which is less than half the cost of the Ferrari. It even featured self-leveling rear suspension back in 1993.

      This particular vehicle is in as remarkable condition as one would expect. It appears to have been driven straight from the dealership to a tightly sealed garage, only awakening from its three-decade slumber recently. The only drawback of such originality is its old set of Firestone Firehawk SVX tires, which should be replaced if the new owner intends to drive it as it was meant to be.

      The Typhoon is undoubtedly striking, too, with its distinctive two-box design, three-door layout, and large square headlights. Did GM solely equip its designers with rulers to create this?

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      That’s all well and good, but does that truly justify an old SUV with a Fisher Price dashboard and basic leather being worth more than a new, fully equipped, 530-horsepower Range Rover? For $226,000, I could have purchased my first condo and a brand-new Honda Civic Type R, with some money left over.

      All things considered, the Typhoon's appeal is understandable. It’s a unique example of American automotive design, and GM deserves recognition for having the boldness to produce such a vehicle during that era. I also recognize the value in paying a significant amount for a mint-condition Typhoon with barely more than dealership mileage. Whoever is paying a quarter of a million dollars for a three-decade-old Chevy SUV likely resides in an upscale home and has other impressive cars in their collection, so it’s probably not a big deal for them. But for the rest of us, this price tag seems utterly irrational.

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