January 6, 2025 • 41 mins
What if a single truck could ignite a lifelong passion for performance vehicles? Unlock the secrets of General Motors’ legendary performance trucks and take a nostalgic cruise through automotive history with us.
Everett J.
#autolooks
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, it was an early love affair for me.
I saw one out on the street and I thought,
oh, that is nice.
And I always thought, when I get older,
this is something I'm going to want to get.
It was a 1992 GMC 454 SS and the person who
owned it dropped it right to the ground.
They added the rear fiberglass roll bar
with the KC lights on top, full ground
effects kit and aftermarket wheels
(00:21):
Literally just not completely slammed to
the ground, but pretty low.
This thing was cool.
Being a person who loves cars and loves the
aftermarket industry of people who make
vehicles look better, this appealed to me.
Well, for the next two years, this was my
dream vehicle that I was going to get.
When I graduated high school, I was able to
afford to get my own vehicle.
Well, eventually that would change as I
(00:43):
slowly moved on to other vehicles and my
love affair constantly changed with what I
was going to get and it never wound up
happening.
But that early date, that 454 SS from
General Motors in the early 90s, showed me
aftermarket modifications coming straight
from the factory and how it piqued my
interest in aftermarket pickup trucks.
Today, autolux is going to take a look at
(01:04):
the aftermarket special editions from
General Motors or, as we like to call them,
the GM performance trucks.
Welcome back to the Autolux podcast.
I am your host, as always, the doctor to
the automotive industry, mr Everett Jay,
coming to you from our host website at
(01:25):
autoluxnet.
If you haven't been there, stop by check it
out.
Read some of the reviews.
Check out some of the ratings.
Go to the corporate links website page hell,
even the help pages, and you can build
yourself your own 454 SS on 3Dtuningcom.
If you haven't stopped by, check it out.
Build your own garage.
Make some amazing vehicles.
Hell.
Just over the past week, I've actually
created the layout I'm going to be using to
(01:45):
build my new toy, my 2022 Toyota Tacoma.
Yes, I'm finally moving into the
aftermarket four-wheel drive pickup truck
industry Not GM like we're going to be
talking about in this podcast, but it is
something and I have created it.
So, if you find Everett J's personal garage
on 3D Tuning, stop by, check it out.
See some of the cool vehicles in the hell.
Go, build your own.
And then, after that, like I said, stop by
(02:06):
the website.
Read some of the views.
Check out some of the ratings.
Go to cover links website page.
Find all the information.
Find this podcast on the autoluxnet website
and see all the trucks that we're going to
be talking about in today's podcast.
The autolux podcast is brought to you by
ecom entertainment group, distributed by
podbeam.
If you'd like to get in touch with us, send
us an email over at email at autoluxnet.
So, like I said in the beginning, gmc
(02:27):
performance trucks or let me rephrase that,
general Motors performance trucks coming
from GMC, chevrolet and even Holden Because,
yes, holden existed and still created
aftermarket pickup trucks built off their
General Motors platforms and their own
dedicated platforms.
We're going to be talking about all those
on today's podcast in one little
performance truck at the end that everybody
(02:48):
has forgotten about from the early 2000s.
Now we're going to start the episode off
taking a look at the aftermarket
modifications to the GMC Sierra and
Chevrolet Silverados of the past.
They've all had them.
If you want to get early entry into what
they consider a sport appeal, look as we
call it on the Aut71 and Trail Boss sport
(03:09):
packages.
They're essentially just off-road chassis
packages come with skid plates for the
(03:29):
bottom of your front engine and heavy duty
shock absorbers for the Z71s.
On the Trail Boss, you basically get just a
standard sport looking package.
It looks like it goes off-road but it
doesn't, because all it is are black
accents and a sport appeal.
It gives you the appeal that you're going
to go off-road but not actually have the
ability of going off-road.
It's not much more than your standard
(03:50):
Silverado and, as we talked about in a
previous podcast outlined in the podcast
Special Editions, there's a reason why car
companies do this Listen to the podcast
after this one.
From there we move up to the ZR2 and the
ZR2 Bison of today, a full off-road package
with a 4-inch lift, 3 inches higher than
the standard Z71.
(04:16):
So the Z71 is only increased by 1 inch over
a standard 4-wheel drive product from GMC
and Chevrolet.
Where the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison are made
for off-road applications, they have a full
boxed ladder frame, they use larger wheels
and axle bearings to ensure longevity of
off-road applications and having standard
31 inch all-terrain tires, these things are
meant to go off-road straight from the
factory floor and to do this they add in
(04:38):
side fender flares, aluminum wheels and on
the bison models you get a full heavy duty
off-road model, like the bison is
essentially just drive off the lot and go
mudding.
This thing is equivalent of a base model
ford raptor, where the zr2 be the
equivalent of ram rebel when you move back
into the z71, which would be the fx4 from
(05:00):
ford, or the trail boss, which would be
just the Tremor from Ford.
They all look like they go off-road but
they don't.
But the ZR2s and the ZR2 Bisons are made
factory made to go off-road.
These are vehicles you buy and literally
drive out into the bush in.
Now, if you don't know how to maintain
these things and don't know how to keep
them clean so you don't destroy your
heavy-duty bearings and full off-road
(05:20):
ability suspension systems, you're
literally going to blow them apart.
Key to keeping vehicles in good shape is
regular maintenance and keeping your
vehicle clean.
I stress this a lot and in my own household
my vehicle is always a lot cleaner than my
wife's on the outside.
Why?
Because I live in Canada.
We get salt and sand all over my vehicles.
Especially now with my truck, with more
(05:40):
exposure for my suspension systems and my
undercarriage.
I need to keep it clean so that salt and
sand doesn't get in and start destroying it.
My previous Borrego I had this issue and
every winter if I went too long without
cleaning it, I would start to feel like my
suspension system was starting to get you
feel kind of like a crunching in it, almost
like there's something getting jammed in it.
(06:01):
And this is something I stress with people
who buy something like a ZR2 and a ZR2
Bison Keep it clean, because that mud will
get inside of there, it'll work its way
right in, it'll destroy your suspension
system.
So, trust me, keep it clean.
And if you can't take it to a car wash
because they have those signs up that say
no mudders, invest in a pressure washer.
Just be cautious when you're doing your
undercarriage because the pressure can
(06:21):
damage your lines.
Just a little extra from the doctor of the
automotive industry, mr Emperor J Keep them
clean.
From there we move into the vehicle that
made me fall in love with the GMC
performance trucks, the 454 SS.
From 1990 to 1993, this half ton C1500
pickup truck from Chevrolet came with a 7.4
liter V8 pumping out 230 horsepower in the
(06:44):
early 90s.
Now it doesn't seem a lot by today's
standards, but in the early 90s 230
horsepower is pretty good.
They only came as black trim with black
grille as well.
So that's how you could tell the 454 SS
from a standard Silverado.
They had an upgraded suspension with
blistered gas-filled absorbers and a front
stabilizer bar to ensure that the ratio was
set for going fast In 1992, they saw the
(07:06):
red and white exterior colors with blue,
beige and gray interiors.
So in all you can get a black one, a red
one and a white one.
But they came as straight colors with the
grills, all body moldings, even the door
handles, blending in with the standard
color Solid.
We're not talking solid like those Pontiac
Bonnevilles from back in the 90s that had
the hubcaps the exact same color as the
(07:28):
exterior of the car no, that was still
different, but all solid color.
These were made to be their sport appeal
Street cruisers With over 16,953 sold and
with over 13,000 of them sold just within
the year 1990.
So we're talking about making nearly 77
percent of all the sales being.
In 1990 the 454 ss became one of the top
(07:51):
performance street trucks out there,
competing against the likes of the
lightning.
Let's already say back in the 90s they had
the dodge dakota with the shelby, but the
ram didn't have a sport model until we got
the SRT later on.
Back in the early days of the original SVT
Lightnings, the 454 SS was its only main
competition and actually I had a cousin
(08:12):
that had one of these and, like I say, it
was a cool truck.
Today you are hard pressed to find these,
considering the fact that, throughout their
entire production of three years, little
less than 17,000 of them made them out the
door, where, by today's standards, there'd
be less than 10,000 of them in existence
still Not as less as my old Brego, but
still a lot less.
(08:33):
The 454 SS actually had a future
counterpart.
Ford released the second generation of the
SBT Lightning, and Dodge went after the
Speed Truck Championship for the Guinness
Book of World Records with their SRT
Viper-powered Dodge Ram 1500.
Chevrolet decided to go after this market
as well, figuring that people still wanted
a performance truck, and to do that.
(08:54):
From 2003 to 2005, they released the
Silverado SS, essentially the rebirth of
the 454 SS.
Now, unlike the original, this one was a
lot more powerful.
It had an upgraded drivetrain, with
exterior and interior all completely redone
for a sport appeal.
Now inclusive was 6-liter Vortec
(09:16):
high-output V8 pumping out 345 horsepower
and 380 pounds-feet of torque.
Oh yeah, the Vortecs are fun.
My first full-time job outside of college.
I worked for a door company in town and my
delivery truck.
Because I was the warehouse manager, I had
to go out and drop stuff off.
My delivery truck was a GMC 1500 with this
(09:37):
same six liter Vortex V8 underneath the
hood and, trust me, I had a lot of fun in
that truck when the boss wasn't around,
when I got to bring it home, even to move
into my new house, it was fun and I kind of
missed that truck.
I always wish I could have gotten it from
them, but, uh, it was cool for the time.
The z60 performance suspension essentially
taking the suspension system from a
(09:57):
corvette and beefing it up for the weight
of a full-size pickup truck now, now these
things came with 20-inch aluminum wheels.
We're not talking about the tires, we're
talking about the wheels.
At 21-inch, their exterior colors came in
black, victory red, blue metallic and
silver birch metallic.
Now, the blue metallic is the one you saw
the most.
(10:17):
It was originally introduced in the blue
metallic to go up against the SRT Ram and
SVT Lightning, both vehicles utilizing red
as their standard color.
Now, we do know that the SS did come in
Chevrolet's Victory Red, the same red that
they used on their stock cars.
But why was the blue metallic one pushed
more so?
Well, chevrolet's main color is blue and
(10:39):
they like to showcase that this thing is
blue as well.
Hell, everybody thinks about Corvettes.
Blue is one of the main colors that always
comes to mind when you think of Corvettes
as well, with black and red as well, but
blue being one that overshadows, same with
Camaros.
Blue is a General Motors color and they
wanted to differentiate themselves from
both the SRT Ram and the SBT Lightning.
(10:59):
If the Lightning was smart, they would have
utilized blue and white as their main
colors.
They would have utilized blue and white as
their main colors because lightning blue,
purple, pink and white.
Think about it.
I actually do know somebody that has a
chevrolet ss and it's his baby, his little
performance trucks, and when we're talking
about and he told me about it, he's like,
yeah, and that's my truck over there.
I'm like, oh, what do you got his chevrolet
ss.
It's like, you know, he thought it was cool,
(11:19):
but he's like, you know, I'm talking to a
car guy, I don't know how he's gonna deal.
Like nobody kept the ss's, the srt rams.
The people who bought those kept those, the
sbt lightnings if you had a red one, you
naturally wanted to add the decal from fast
and furious on the back would make it seem
like you're delivering parts like paul
walker.
But the ss never had the cult following,
even though it was the rebirth of the 454
(11:41):
SS.
Funny thing is is that the SS in 2006 came
back, but it came back as the Intimidator
SS, a special edition Chevrolet SS built in
honor of Dale Earnhardt.
The late Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, in its
last year of the SS production, made them
all Intimidator SSs.
(12:03):
They only came in black with the very same
similar SS styling as the original ones
from 2003 to 2005.
But whereas the original SS's sold in high
volume, the Intimidator SS, being a limited
production truck, only sold 933.
Odd number, but it was made to honor Dale
Earnhardt.
This has become a collectible that people
(12:24):
don't think of.
Gotta remember we're all looking at
investment vehicles for the future.
An SS may not be an investment vehicle that
you would think of, but the Intimidator SS,
considering the fact it was built in honor
of one of the best stock car racers of all
time, dale Earnhardt, and that its
production was less than a thousand units,
this is a truck to look out for if you're
(12:45):
looking for something for a collection.
Now, from 1989 to 1997 chevrolet had the
454 ss and they've also had their z71s.
They did include a sidestep variation
called the silverado sport equipment
package, with a six and a half foot fleet
side body style.
They came in black, red or white with a
(13:06):
pure black grill and sport decals on the
side.
They were built as their off-road sport
counterpart.
This is a precursor to what we have now
with the Trail Boss editions of their
Silverados.
Now these also came two-wheel drive for the
street or four-wheel drive, so you can have
them as an entry level to the 454 as a two
wheel drive fleet side, or you can have it
(13:27):
as a four wheel drive Z71.
Now, like the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison for
Chevrolet, gmc also has their own variation.
Now see where GM and Chevrolet are the
exact same cars.
They're built in the same factory.
They run with the same equipment.
They're built on the same frames.
Trust me, I've worked in the factory in St
(13:47):
Thomas, ontario, that builds the General
Motors truck frames, and when I worked
there they built all the ones for the GMC
Sierras, chevrolet Silverados and at that
point in time, the Hummer H2s.
And these frames also went to underpin both
the Yukon and the Suburbans.
Oh, and the Tahoes back in the day, and
that's one of those weird ones too.
Why does Chevrolet only have the Suburban,
(14:08):
while General Motors where GMC?
Has both the Tahoe and the Yukon Story for
a future time.
Gmc's counterpart to the ZR2s is the AT4s.
Now, like the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison, both
come in Silverado and now the Colorado
counterpart.
The AT4 and AT4X also comes as Sierra and
(14:29):
Canyon counterparts.
Now the Altering X models are the top of
the lines, similar to the ZR2 Bisons.
They both come with a 5.3 liter V8 with a
performance exhaust 365 horsepower but with
a little bit smaller rims.
They on 18 inch rims, a sport bar, led
off-road light package, black accents.
Eventually, with the introduction of the x
(14:51):
models, the standard at4 was upgraded to
have the 6 liter v8, with the at4x getting
the 6.6 liter duramax v8.
Their suspension systems are very similar
to that of the Z71s.
They're not much higher up with the AT4X,
being similar to more of the ZR2 Bison.
But the Bison from Chevrolet is built more
(15:12):
with heavy duty off-road abilities.
So GMC wants to differentiate themselves
from Chevrolet.
They want Chevrolet to be the main
competitor for the Ford Raptor where they
want GM to be the main competitor for the
Dodge Rebel.
They don't want to go all-in.
The GMC is not the all-in products for
off-road abilities.
They still have the abilities to do it, but
they're not all-in.
(15:33):
They're not made for going fast off-road.
They're just made for going off-road.
That's where the AT4 and AT4X come in.
If you're one of these people that just
want to go off-road in their pickup truck,
that's what you should get.
The build quality is much better than the
Chevrolets and they're built for slow-going
fun off-road.
Now if you just want to go balls-deep,
drive it to the wall off-road, then get
(15:54):
yourself a ZR2 Bison Now.
From there we move on to our Sonoma and
S10s.
Now, before the Colorados and the Canyons,
we had the Sonoma and the S10s Back in the
day.
They had a lot of different special
editions where midsize pickup trucks were
the entry level for special editions
because they were the cheaper alternative.
(16:14):
You have to think about it.
The people who are more likely to spend
money on aftermarket modifications for
vehicles are more people inclined to buy
entry level products.
They're not the ones that can afford these
$60,000 vehicles.
No, they're the people that can afford the
$20,000 to $30,000 vehicles.
They buy them, they keep them and they
upgrade them to what they want.
That's where the Sonoma and S10 came in and
why they had more special editions than the
(16:36):
Sierra and Silverados.
Now, to start it out, we have the S10.
Baja.
Gmc gave us their off-road variation.
Now this Baja also gave us the Blazer Bajas
as well.
They came as Midnight Black, apple Red and
Frost White, where the Blazer Bajas also
added in yellow.
Now the Baja edition was more of the Z71.
(16:57):
It was more of an appearance package Now.
They did include a top roll bar with
off-road lights, a tube grille and an
underbody shield.
These are all made to enhance your off-road
applications, but they weren't built with
full off-road suspension systems.
They were essentially just a lift kit and a
sport appearance package.
So in all in all, the S10 Bajas were not
(17:19):
made for full off-road abilities.
Now, like the 454 SS from the Silverado,
chevrolet also gave us one of the fastest
and most capable midsize pickup trucks of
all time, the only one faster than it being
the Shelby Dakota.
But you have to remember that's a
partnership between both Dodge and Shelby
General Motors on their own.
(17:40):
After the rise of the Buick GNX, they gave
us the Chevrolet Cyclone pickup truck with
its sibling, the Typhoon, only available in
1991.
This was an all-wheel drive,
high-performance mid-size pickup truck with
a 4.3 liter LB4 turbo V6 engine.
(18:02):
These things were fast.
The unfortunate thing with them is that
they only came in automatic transmission
and all-wheel drive.
There was no two-wheel, melt your tires off.
Rear-wheel drive applications, only
all-wheel drive.
And if you're wondering where that turbo
came from, that turbo was not from General
Motors.
It was from a company that knows
(18:22):
turbochargers better than anyone else.
It was a Mitsubishi TD0617C turbocharger
that they added to the S10.
Yes, the turbo wasn't even American made,
it was from Japan.
But you have to remember this is at a time
where the American pickup truck market was
also inclusive of Japanese products.
(18:43):
Now, from 1991, they built 2,995 of them
and the funny thing is they were only ever
badged as 1991 models.
But they did build three of them in 1992
before they cut production.
So, with an overall of 2,998 produced, less
than 3,000 ever made.
(19:04):
These were insane pickup trucks.
They included upgraded head gaskets, intake
manifolds, exhaust manifolds and a throttle
body from a 5.7 liter small block V8 jammed
in this little V6.
Four-wheel anti-lock brakes would keep you
glued to the road and this was the very
first truck to ever include a four-wheel
anti-lock brake system.
(19:24):
The very first truck to ever include a
four-wheel anti-lock brake system.
They pulled the gauges from a Pontiac
Sunbird Turbo, an overall production of the
Cyclone, the Typhoon and its other sibling
from General Motors, which we'll get to
after this.
113 Cyclones were shipped to Saudi Arabia,
(19:46):
called the Saudi Cyclones.
They included a metric dash cluster, leaded
fuel chip and a resonator in place of the
catalytic converter.
31 of the trucks were never sold and
brought home to be sold off in a lottery to
General Motors employees at a reduced price
of $12,500.
So you can actually find a Saudi cyclone in
North America.
31 of them exist and, like I said, we like
to talk about collector vehicles you may
(20:06):
look at.
There are 31 saudi cyclones in existence in
north america.
We get it.
The cyclone is already limited, with less
than 3 000 of them out there, but these are
31 special edition ones that were made for
saudi arabia in full metric, a resonator
and a leaded fuel chip.
Next to this, they also had the marlboro
(20:26):
cyclone.
Yes, back in the day General Motors teamed
up with Marlboro Cigarettes because back in
the 90s we were allowed to do things like
this.
This was for the Marlboro Racing 92.
They wanted to make it a special edition
pickup truck and because Ford had decided
not to make a convertible Ranger and Dodge
only had the Shelby convertible pickup
(20:47):
trucks, general Motors wanted to take their
ultimate sport pickup truck and give them
away.
The Marlboro Cyclones 10 of them ever being
made were given away.
It was a grand prize by Marlboro Racing.
These ones were essentially standard
Cyclones shipped to American Sunroof
Company, who turned it into a Targa roof
with a tonneau cover, ppg Hotlix, red paint,
(21:09):
a Momo Evolution steering wheel, complete
Sony sound system, an SS exhaust Beltec,
suspension, which dropped the overall
appearance of the vehicle by three inches.
This was dropped right down.
10 of them in existence, one of the most
sought after and highest collectible
variations of the Cyclones out there.
(21:30):
The Marlboro Cyclones only came in red,
with 10 in existence, no other
modifications, except for appearance
packages made to them only because it was
made for Marlboro Racing as a grand prize.
Added to this, in 1992, which is kind of
funny because it was the year that the
Cyclones disappeared from the market they
gave us the Indy Cyclones.
(21:50):
It was used in the 1992 Indy 500 and
essentially was just a sticker package.
On top of that, in 1992, they also had the
PPG Cyclone, a multicolored silver, magenta
and aqua paint scheme with a modified light
bar.
This was a safety truck for the indy 500 as
well in 1992.
So they had the indy cyclone and the ppg
(22:11):
cyclone, specially made cyclones for only
those.
Now, if you want to find these ones, you're
only going to be able to find them in
general motors museums, but not for sale at
all.
Now, like we said in the beginning, the
cyclones had a counterpart for GM.
The GMC Sonoma GT came out after the end of
the Cyclones In 1992, gmc got their chance,
(22:34):
but the variation that General Motors had
with the Sonoma GT wasn't as powerful as
the Cyclone because they didn't want to
saturate the waters of the Cyclone sales.
So the GMC Sonoma GT came as a non-turbo,
4.3 liter L35 V6, a full sports performance
package with a lower price option than the
Cyclones.
The GMC Sonoma GT was essentially the
(22:54):
entry-level Cyclones 806 of them were
produced in all and they also came as black,
red, white, aspen, blue, teal and the most
famous one you can find of the GMC Sonoma
GT Forest Green.
Yeah, they had it.
It was an amazing little truck, really cool
and something that you can look for.
Everybody goes out and tries to find the
(23:16):
Cyclone, but a GMC Sonoma GT may not be as
powerful and as fun as the Cyclone, but
essentially it's a GMC counterpart to it.
Next to that, chevrolet also had the S10
Cameo in 1990, essentially just a standard
appearance package for people who didn't
want to pay the full amount to get
themselves a Cyclone essentially just a
sport appearance package.
Later on, from 1994 to 1997, they had the
(23:39):
ZR5 Sport Packager, both the S10 and the
Sonoma LS and SLS crew cabs.
This was again just a sport appearance
package.
The ZR5s for the street, again, chevrolet
would give us because we had the 454 SS.
The S10 would have to come with its own SS
model.
As 1992 was the end of the Cyclone
(24:01):
production, they waited a year before they
finally gave us the SS S10, a
high-performance package Utilizing a 4.3
liter V6, essentially the rebirth engine of
the Cyclone, from 180 to 200 horsepower.
This thing included a limited slip
differential and lowered suspension.
16-inch wheels similar to that of the
(24:23):
Camaros came on it and these little bad
boys SS S10s came as single cab, only with
a step side, from 96 to 1998.
This was GM attempting to bring back the
Cyclone without going full in.
Now, from 1994 to 1997, we had the ZR2
package.
Now we already talked about the Baja
(24:43):
package, but the ZR2, as we have now the
ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison, the original ZR2
package was essentially a step up from the
Baja.
It was a full-scale off-road package with a
4-inch lift.
So again it was 3 inches higher than the
Z71 product.
A full-box ladder frame, larger wheel and
axle bearings, 31-inch all-terrain tires
and side fender flares with aluminum wheels
(25:06):
gave you that full off-road ability.
These things were fun.
But near the end of the S10 production from
1999 to 2003, general Motors gave us the
ZQ8 Sport package.
Essentially it was the S10, ss or Extreme
models that we all saw.
The ZQ8 was essentially a sport package
(25:27):
that was added on on top of buying an S10SS,
or, as most of them would be called, the
Extreme Package from 1999 to 2003.
This could be added to the Sonoma as well,
but without badging.
It dropped the height by two inches, gave
you a thicker front sway bar and upgraded
cast aluminum wheels and trim kit.
Give you a thicker front sway bar and
upgraded cast aluminum wheels and trim kit.
(25:48):
They came in both single or club cab with
the third door option to make rear access a
lot better, and they could both be had with
either a regular box or sidestep option,
making this sport package even more fun.
But after we lost the S10 and the Sonomas,
(26:09):
general Motors by 2003 replaced them with
brand new vehicles called the Canyons and
Colorados.
These would include the same special
editions as their larger brothers the Z71
off-road package, the Trail Boss appearance
package, the ZR2 and AT4s package.
Now, the ZR2 and the AT4s for the Canyons
in Colorado would be a little bit different
than their larger brethren, with a three
(26:29):
and a half inch wider track and two inch
lift compared to the four inch lift that
the Silverados would get.
It had dynamic suspension, a more
aggressive look, rock sliders, cowl hood
and a 3.6 liter V6 or 2.8 liter Duramax
diesel engine.
One thing that only GMC has gotten into
with the AT4Xs is diesels.
(26:50):
Chevrolet doesn't involve them.
With the ZR2 Bisons, only the Canyon models
can be had with the Duramax diesels,
because we all know when you go off-road
you want the torque that comes with diesel.
Now, similar to the previous package with
the S10s and Sonomas, the ZQ8 and Extreme
packages were still available.
Now, with the SS gone, it was now just the
(27:11):
ZQ8 package or the top-of-the-line Extreme
Performance package.
These were only two-wheel drive models with
the lowered suspension sub two-inch lower,
but they came with 17-inch wheels instead
of the original 18s.
Extended cabs with a third door or a
regular standard box, as fleet side or step
side boxes were no longer available by 2003.
(27:33):
They were gone.
Added to this, the other side of the pond,
holden would also have the Colorado LSX
Sport Appearance Package for 2008 and the
HSV Colorado for all performance packets.
This would come becoming both street and
off-road abilities.
Yes, hsv gave us the only Colorado that
North American was want.
(27:54):
But on the other side of the pond, now from
the Canyons and Colorados, we go back in
time to our original crossover utility
truck market.
From 1969 to 1977, we had the El Camino,
sprint and Cabarellos models.
Now the El Camino SS or Sprint SP models
(28:16):
came with an L48350 4-barrel or an LS3400
big block or even the LS5454 big block
models to give the standard El Camino a
little bit more grunt to its growth.
The Calabaro Diablo and El Camino Black
Knight counterparts from 1978 to 1981 were
(28:36):
essentially more of a performance package
for the standard crossover utility truck
market, either coming with a two-barrel V6
or four-barrel V8, these made it seem like
they were more powerful than the standard
El Camino or Cabarello models, but all in
all they were just appearance package.
It was like sticking the flaming chicken on
(28:56):
the hood of an El Camino.
That's all it really was.
Now, if you wanted to go all in, you wanted
to get something really fun and really fast.
The old Ford Rancheros with Torino styling
from the 1970s were really cool.
And to fight these bad boys in the 1980s we
got the El Camino SS Sport Decor From 1983
(29:17):
to 87, they were essentially a Monte Carlo
SS front clip added onto the standard El
Camino.
They moved the exhaust from the rear to the
side, gave us full ground effects kit and
aluminum wheels.
But these weren't made by General Motors,
they were made by Choo Choo Customs.
I'm not talking about Valentine's Day with
you know I choo choo choo's you, but that
(29:37):
was the actual name of the company, choo
Choo Customs.
The El Camino SS Sport Decor, these things
were essentially the Monte Carlo SS with a
box on it.
They were fun, they were fast, they looked
cool and you can haul shit around.
So why not?
But unfortunately by 1987, the crossover
utility truck market in the United States
(29:58):
would come to an end.
This would be reborn in the early 2000s for
a short period of time.
But in its place, on the other side of the
pond, holden was still holding on to the
Ute models and with it the Ute had tons of
amazing products, not just the HSV, but the
Ute itself had fun, fast models.
(30:19):
You get the Ute SV6 with the 3.6 liter high
output V6 pumping out 261 horsepower.
Or you can move up from that and get the
Ute SS or the SSV with the 6 liter Gen 3 V8,
essentially utilizing the same appearance
package as the Commodore SS modified for a
truck box.
From that you hit the top of the line
(30:40):
before you jump into the HSV stable, with
the USSV Redline with upgraded Brembo
brakes, 19-inch alloy wheels and an FE3
Super Sport suspension system.
This was made for fun.
This wasn't a pickup truck made to go out
and just do grocery grab.
No, this was made to have fun and with
(31:01):
nearly all of them, including ton of box
covers, it would even stick to the road.
If you want an amazing drift vehicle and if
you've ever seen the Silvias added with
truck boxes and how much fun they are to go
drifting in, get a Ute SSV Redline.
But if you live on my side of the pond, go
out and find the Alcamino SS's.
You could do the same thing with them if
you drop a more powerful engine in them.
(31:22):
Now from here we move up into HSV territory
with the HSV Maloo, which included a full
body kit.
Now the Maloo came from 1990 to 2020.
30 years of production, it was essentially
the fastest production pickup truck with
its R8 package at 168 miles per hour.
(31:44):
This wouldn't be the fastest overall pickup
truck that's still held by the SRT Ram but
the fastest crossover utility pickup truck
of all time the R8 Maloo at 168 miles per
hour never been beaten to this day.
It came only with a V8, with either an LS1,
ls2, or an LS9 supercharged V8, essentially
(32:05):
just stripped from a Corvette and thrown
into a truck body.
The R8, the R8SV, the GTS, the GTS-R and
the GTS-RW were all variations of the Maloo,
each one having more power and alternate
features.
Only four of the GTS-R W1s exist and were
essentially made from leftover GTS-R bodies.
(32:27):
They didn't sell the last four of them.
So what General Motors did?
They enhanced it, gave it a W1 nomenclature
and resold them.
Now makes them the most valuable crossover
utility pickup truck in existence in the
world.
They are worth over $1 million each now.
So if you've ever seen a GTSR, w1, hsv,
(32:47):
maloo for sale, expect to spend big bucks
and they only increase in value every
single year.
And the funny thing is there's only four of
them ever made and each one of them is a
different color.
There's an orange, a yellow, a gray and a
green one, so yours won't even be the same
as the next one.
You see Now with the Holden Ute, there's
one amazing thing about it is that when
(33:09):
Holden started selling the Commodores into
North America and selling them as the
Pontiac G8 and the Chevrolet Caprice again,
the Pontiac G8, just before General Motors
pulled the plug on it released the G8 Ute
concept.
It was greenlit for production but
unfortunately the financial fallout in 2008
killed the project.
(33:29):
It came with V8 power and, had it arrived,
the G8 Ute would be the rebirth of the
Alcaminio SS from the North American
marketplace.
Unfortunately, we never got that
marketplace.
Unfortunately we never got that, and this
would take the part of the last GM
performance truck and the only dedicated
built performance truck ever made by
General Motors.
You see where Plymouth had created the
(33:50):
Prowler and Chrysler gave us the PT Cruiser,
chevrolet gave us the HHR to go after the
PT Cruiser, but they gave us something else.
Since the fall of the Plymouth Prowler,
general Motors saw that people like
retro-inspired vehicles, but they didn't
want to create a Prowler counterpart
because they knew the trunk space was
limited.
Instead, they gave us the Chevrolet SSR,
(34:12):
built from 2003 to 2006,.
It was the only vehicle to ever use the old
54 design formula.
And if you're ever wondering what SSR means,
it's a super sport roadster.
It was a pickup truck.
General Motors cracked the code of what
failed the Prowler Trunk space.
Because when you drop the top on a Plymouth
(34:32):
Prowler you couldn't put anything but a
suit bag in the back.
That's why they created that Plymouth
Prowler trailer to go along with it.
General Motors created the SSR to give us
the performance pickup truck.
This was similar to what the original
Dakota Shelby convertibles were, but more
powerful.
From 2003 to 2004, the SSR came with a 5.3
(34:53):
liter LM4 V8.
But from 2005 to 2006, you'll want to go
after these ones because these ones came
with Corvette inspired 6 liter LS2 V8s with
more power.
2005-2006, you'll want to go after these
ones because these ones came with
Corvette-inspired 6-liter LS2 V8s with more
power.
The same LS2 used for the Chevrolet
Corvette, the Trailblazer SS and the
Pontiac GTO, unlike the Cyclones of the
past, could be had with a manual
(35:14):
transmission.
So if you're looking for a fun stick shift
from the past, the SSR is it A full
convertible top that when it was dropped
you still had trunk space.
It reignited the feeling of the El Camino
SS with Camaro looks and Corvette power all
into one simple package, hell.
In 2003, when they released it into the
market, they even made it the Indy 500 pace
(35:34):
vehicle, becoming one of the few pace
trucks the Indy 500 has ever had.
It ran on the GM the gmt 368 platform,
which underpinned the trail blazer, envoy,
bravada, rainier, ascender and even the 97x.
So they could build these, even in limited
amounts, and still make money at it,
because the platform that underpinned it
was underpinning so many other vehicles.
(35:56):
General motors loves platform building and
they did this with the ssr to ensure that,
even if they weren't selling like hotcakes,
they could still make their money off of.
Now, unlike the Cyclones of Passive, which
only had 3,000 of them ever made, the SSR
went on to produce 24, end of the 2000s and
the rise of the teen years retro was being
(36:24):
pushed aside for new designs of the future,
and for that GM would say goodbye to the
SSR, the last one being produced in March
17, 2006, being a black and silver SSR.
They were essentially killed off due to
weak sales, where General Motors, by the
end of 2005, had over 300 days worth of
(36:46):
inventory.
They were an amazing little package A retro
design, camaro appeal, truck versatility
and Corvette power jammed into a package.
But unfortunately sports car market was
dying in a North American climate and this
little SR would not make it.
So GM's last mainstay into street
performance trucks was gone and with the G8
(37:07):
Ute never arriving, it would become GM's
last performance truck for the streets.
Today we have lots of off-road variations
with the ZR2, zr2 Bisons, at4, at4x, the
Trail Bosses, the Z71s.
They're all built for off-road abilities,
but for street there's nothing.
In the GMC performance race Now, companies
like Lingenfelter have looked at creating
(37:30):
brand new variations of the Cyclone Hell.
They've even created a bandit-inspired
Silverado.
But unfortunately in today's marketplace
going fast on the streets is a big no-no.
No matter where you go in the world, places
are clamping down on street racing.
So the only place where you can have the
ability to go as fast as we want is
(37:50):
off-road.
And for that the big three know this and
hell, even the Japanese pickup truck market
knows this that off-road performance trucks
are the only way to go.
So today GM's performance trucks are built
for the back roads, not for the city
streets.
And throughout its history General Motors
had a lot of great performance pickup
trucks, starting out in the 1970s with the
(38:11):
original Alcaminos and Calabarros and
moving all the way up to the SSRs, the
Silverados, the Sierras, the Canyons and
the Colorados of today.
General Motors has created a lot of amazing
performance pickup trucks, a lot more than
the competition has ever made.
When you take a look at the Ranger, the
F-150, the Dakota and the Ram, you don't
(38:32):
find as many sport variations of them Maybe
sport packages or rebel packages, tremors,
fx Sports but it's not to the scale that
General Motors did.
Gm was the performance truck king.
Even though they don't hold the title for
the fastest pickup truck in the world, they
still hold the title for the fastest
crossover utility pickup truck or truck in
the entire world with the Maloo R8.
(38:54):
Maybe sometime in the future we'll see a
rebirth of either the Alcamino or even the
SSR, but for today, like we've said on this
podcast, there's a multitude of vehicles we
have talked about that you should put on
your collector list.
These are vehicles you should be buying to
save, to make money for your future.
The ssr could actually be one of them,
especially if you get a hold of the
original 2003 and d500 pace truck.
(39:16):
So gmc performance trucks they're good
they're.
They were an inspiration of myself back in
my early days and they're something I look
forward to seeing more of in the future.
So if you yourself ever owned one of these
vehicles or known anybody that has owned
these vehicles, send us a message.
Click the bottom at the bottom.
Send us a message.
Tell us about the performance trucks or
General Motors that you have owned or you
have seen or you have been in contact with
(39:38):
in some form.
If you've got great stories, send it to us.
We're going to talk about it, how.
We'll even put it up on the website and
tell everybody else about it.
We love hearing stories from the people
that listen to our podcast, and if you can
think of any of the gmc performance trucks
that we haven't talked about, please send
us an email and we'll pop them up in future
episodes.
And after you've done that, click the like
button at the bottom to like, follow and
(39:58):
and keep in touch with the AutoLooks
podcast and the AutoLooksnet website for
all our future endeavors and all of our
great future podcasts that are coming to us
this year and in the future.
And after that, stop by the website, read
some of the reviews, check out some of the
ratings.
Go to the Corporate Links website page.
Check out the help pages for cool pages,
clothing accessories, anything you could
think of.
(40:23):
Autolooks likes to keep you in touch with
the automotive world that surrounds us,
from kids' products all the way up to just
having fun and creating 3D parts.
It's all available on the Autoluxnet
website.
The Autolux Podcast is brought to you by
Ecom Entertainment Group and distributed by
Podbeamcom.
If you'd like to get in touch with us, send
us an email over at email at Autoluxnet.
So from myself, everett Jay, the autoluxnet
podcast and pawdemecom, strap yourself in
(40:43):
for this one fun wild ride that both myself,
everett Jay and General Motors is going to
take us on in the performance truck future
that we all look forward to.
Thank you.
Well, it was an early love affair for me.
I saw one out on the street and I thought,
oh, that is nice.
And I always thought, when I get older,
this is something I'm going to want to get.
It was a 1992 GMC 454 SS and the person who
owned it dropped it right to the ground.
They added the rear fiberglass roll bar
with the KC lights on top, full ground
effects kit and aftermarket wheels
(00:21):
Literally just not completely slammed to
the ground, but pretty low.
This thing was cool.
Being a person who loves cars and loves the
aftermarket industry of people who make
vehicles look better, this appealed to me.
Well, for the next two years, this was my
dream vehicle that I was going to get.
When I graduated high school, I was able to
afford to get my own vehicle.
Well, eventually that would change as I
(00:43):
slowly moved on to other vehicles and my
love affair constantly changed with what I
was going to get and it never wound up
happening.
But that early date, that 454 SS from
General Motors in the early 90s, showed me
aftermarket modifications coming straight
from the factory and how it piqued my
interest in aftermarket pickup trucks.
Today, autolux is going to take a look at
(01:04):
the aftermarket special editions from
General Motors or, as we like to call them,
the GM performance trucks.
Welcome back to the Autolux podcast.
I am your host, as always, the doctor to
the automotive industry, mr Everett Jay,
coming to you from our host website at
(01:25):
autoluxnet.
If you haven't been there, stop by check it
out.
Read some of the reviews.
Check out some of the ratings.
Go to the corporate links website page hell,
even the help pages, and you can build
yourself your own 454 SS on 3Dtuningcom.
If you haven't stopped by, check it out.
Build your own garage.
Make some amazing vehicles.
Hell.
Just over the past week, I've actually
created the layout I'm going to be using to
(01:45):
build my new toy, my 2022 Toyota Tacoma.
Yes, I'm finally moving into the
aftermarket four-wheel drive pickup truck
industry Not GM like we're going to be
talking about in this podcast, but it is
something and I have created it.
So, if you find Everett J's personal garage
on 3D Tuning, stop by, check it out.
See some of the cool vehicles in the hell.
Go, build your own.
And then, after that, like I said, stop by
(02:06):
the website.
Read some of the views.
Check out some of the ratings.
Go to cover links website page.
Find all the information.
Find this podcast on the autoluxnet website
and see all the trucks that we're going to
be talking about in today's podcast.
The autolux podcast is brought to you by
ecom entertainment group, distributed by
podbeam.
If you'd like to get in touch with us, send
us an email over at email at autoluxnet.
So, like I said in the beginning, gmc
(02:27):
performance trucks or let me rephrase that,
general Motors performance trucks coming
from GMC, chevrolet and even Holden Because,
yes, holden existed and still created
aftermarket pickup trucks built off their
General Motors platforms and their own
dedicated platforms.
We're going to be talking about all those
on today's podcast in one little
performance truck at the end that everybody
(02:48):
has forgotten about from the early 2000s.
Now we're going to start the episode off
taking a look at the aftermarket
modifications to the GMC Sierra and
Chevrolet Silverados of the past.
They've all had them.
If you want to get early entry into what
they consider a sport appeal, look as we
call it on the Aut71 and Trail Boss sport
(03:09):
packages.
They're essentially just off-road chassis
packages come with skid plates for the
(03:29):
bottom of your front engine and heavy duty
shock absorbers for the Z71s.
On the Trail Boss, you basically get just a
standard sport looking package.
It looks like it goes off-road but it
doesn't, because all it is are black
accents and a sport appeal.
It gives you the appeal that you're going
to go off-road but not actually have the
ability of going off-road.
It's not much more than your standard
(03:50):
Silverado and, as we talked about in a
previous podcast outlined in the podcast
Special Editions, there's a reason why car
companies do this Listen to the podcast
after this one.
From there we move up to the ZR2 and the
ZR2 Bison of today, a full off-road package
with a 4-inch lift, 3 inches higher than
the standard Z71.
(04:16):
So the Z71 is only increased by 1 inch over
a standard 4-wheel drive product from GMC
and Chevrolet.
Where the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison are made
for off-road applications, they have a full
boxed ladder frame, they use larger wheels
and axle bearings to ensure longevity of
off-road applications and having standard
31 inch all-terrain tires, these things are
meant to go off-road straight from the
factory floor and to do this they add in
(04:38):
side fender flares, aluminum wheels and on
the bison models you get a full heavy duty
off-road model, like the bison is
essentially just drive off the lot and go
mudding.
This thing is equivalent of a base model
ford raptor, where the zr2 be the
equivalent of ram rebel when you move back
into the z71, which would be the fx4 from
(05:00):
ford, or the trail boss, which would be
just the Tremor from Ford.
They all look like they go off-road but
they don't.
But the ZR2s and the ZR2 Bisons are made
factory made to go off-road.
These are vehicles you buy and literally
drive out into the bush in.
Now, if you don't know how to maintain
these things and don't know how to keep
them clean so you don't destroy your
heavy-duty bearings and full off-road
(05:20):
ability suspension systems, you're
literally going to blow them apart.
Key to keeping vehicles in good shape is
regular maintenance and keeping your
vehicle clean.
I stress this a lot and in my own household
my vehicle is always a lot cleaner than my
wife's on the outside.
Why?
Because I live in Canada.
We get salt and sand all over my vehicles.
Especially now with my truck, with more
(05:40):
exposure for my suspension systems and my
undercarriage.
I need to keep it clean so that salt and
sand doesn't get in and start destroying it.
My previous Borrego I had this issue and
every winter if I went too long without
cleaning it, I would start to feel like my
suspension system was starting to get you
feel kind of like a crunching in it, almost
like there's something getting jammed in it.
(06:01):
And this is something I stress with people
who buy something like a ZR2 and a ZR2
Bison Keep it clean, because that mud will
get inside of there, it'll work its way
right in, it'll destroy your suspension
system.
So, trust me, keep it clean.
And if you can't take it to a car wash
because they have those signs up that say
no mudders, invest in a pressure washer.
Just be cautious when you're doing your
undercarriage because the pressure can
(06:21):
damage your lines.
Just a little extra from the doctor of the
automotive industry, mr Emperor J Keep them
clean.
From there we move into the vehicle that
made me fall in love with the GMC
performance trucks, the 454 SS.
From 1990 to 1993, this half ton C1500
pickup truck from Chevrolet came with a 7.4
liter V8 pumping out 230 horsepower in the
(06:44):
early 90s.
Now it doesn't seem a lot by today's
standards, but in the early 90s 230
horsepower is pretty good.
They only came as black trim with black
grille as well.
So that's how you could tell the 454 SS
from a standard Silverado.
They had an upgraded suspension with
blistered gas-filled absorbers and a front
stabilizer bar to ensure that the ratio was
set for going fast In 1992, they saw the
(07:06):
red and white exterior colors with blue,
beige and gray interiors.
So in all you can get a black one, a red
one and a white one.
But they came as straight colors with the
grills, all body moldings, even the door
handles, blending in with the standard
color Solid.
We're not talking solid like those Pontiac
Bonnevilles from back in the 90s that had
the hubcaps the exact same color as the
(07:28):
exterior of the car no, that was still
different, but all solid color.
These were made to be their sport appeal
Street cruisers With over 16,953 sold and
with over 13,000 of them sold just within
the year 1990.
So we're talking about making nearly 77
percent of all the sales being.
In 1990 the 454 ss became one of the top
(07:51):
performance street trucks out there,
competing against the likes of the
lightning.
Let's already say back in the 90s they had
the dodge dakota with the shelby, but the
ram didn't have a sport model until we got
the SRT later on.
Back in the early days of the original SVT
Lightnings, the 454 SS was its only main
competition and actually I had a cousin
(08:12):
that had one of these and, like I say, it
was a cool truck.
Today you are hard pressed to find these,
considering the fact that, throughout their
entire production of three years, little
less than 17,000 of them made them out the
door, where, by today's standards, there'd
be less than 10,000 of them in existence
still Not as less as my old Brego, but
still a lot less.
(08:33):
The 454 SS actually had a future
counterpart.
Ford released the second generation of the
SBT Lightning, and Dodge went after the
Speed Truck Championship for the Guinness
Book of World Records with their SRT
Viper-powered Dodge Ram 1500.
Chevrolet decided to go after this market
as well, figuring that people still wanted
a performance truck, and to do that.
(08:54):
From 2003 to 2005, they released the
Silverado SS, essentially the rebirth of
the 454 SS.
Now, unlike the original, this one was a
lot more powerful.
It had an upgraded drivetrain, with
exterior and interior all completely redone
for a sport appeal.
Now inclusive was 6-liter Vortec
(09:16):
high-output V8 pumping out 345 horsepower
and 380 pounds-feet of torque.
Oh yeah, the Vortecs are fun.
My first full-time job outside of college.
I worked for a door company in town and my
delivery truck.
Because I was the warehouse manager, I had
to go out and drop stuff off.
My delivery truck was a GMC 1500 with this
(09:37):
same six liter Vortex V8 underneath the
hood and, trust me, I had a lot of fun in
that truck when the boss wasn't around,
when I got to bring it home, even to move
into my new house, it was fun and I kind of
missed that truck.
I always wish I could have gotten it from
them, but, uh, it was cool for the time.
The z60 performance suspension essentially
taking the suspension system from a
(09:57):
corvette and beefing it up for the weight
of a full-size pickup truck now, now these
things came with 20-inch aluminum wheels.
We're not talking about the tires, we're
talking about the wheels.
At 21-inch, their exterior colors came in
black, victory red, blue metallic and
silver birch metallic.
Now, the blue metallic is the one you saw
the most.
(10:17):
It was originally introduced in the blue
metallic to go up against the SRT Ram and
SVT Lightning, both vehicles utilizing red
as their standard color.
Now, we do know that the SS did come in
Chevrolet's Victory Red, the same red that
they used on their stock cars.
But why was the blue metallic one pushed
more so?
Well, chevrolet's main color is blue and
(10:39):
they like to showcase that this thing is
blue as well.
Hell, everybody thinks about Corvettes.
Blue is one of the main colors that always
comes to mind when you think of Corvettes
as well, with black and red as well, but
blue being one that overshadows, same with
Camaros.
Blue is a General Motors color and they
wanted to differentiate themselves from
both the SRT Ram and the SBT Lightning.
(10:59):
If the Lightning was smart, they would have
utilized blue and white as their main
colors.
They would have utilized blue and white as
their main colors because lightning blue,
purple, pink and white.
Think about it.
I actually do know somebody that has a
chevrolet ss and it's his baby, his little
performance trucks, and when we're talking
about and he told me about it, he's like,
yeah, and that's my truck over there.
I'm like, oh, what do you got his chevrolet
ss.
It's like, you know, he thought it was cool,
(11:19):
but he's like, you know, I'm talking to a
car guy, I don't know how he's gonna deal.
Like nobody kept the ss's, the srt rams.
The people who bought those kept those, the
sbt lightnings if you had a red one, you
naturally wanted to add the decal from fast
and furious on the back would make it seem
like you're delivering parts like paul
walker.
But the ss never had the cult following,
even though it was the rebirth of the 454
(11:41):
SS.
Funny thing is is that the SS in 2006 came
back, but it came back as the Intimidator
SS, a special edition Chevrolet SS built in
honor of Dale Earnhardt.
The late Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, in its
last year of the SS production, made them
all Intimidator SSs.
(12:03):
They only came in black with the very same
similar SS styling as the original ones
from 2003 to 2005.
But whereas the original SS's sold in high
volume, the Intimidator SS, being a limited
production truck, only sold 933.
Odd number, but it was made to honor Dale
Earnhardt.
This has become a collectible that people
(12:24):
don't think of.
Gotta remember we're all looking at
investment vehicles for the future.
An SS may not be an investment vehicle that
you would think of, but the Intimidator SS,
considering the fact it was built in honor
of one of the best stock car racers of all
time, dale Earnhardt, and that its
production was less than a thousand units,
this is a truck to look out for if you're
(12:45):
looking for something for a collection.
Now, from 1989 to 1997 chevrolet had the
454 ss and they've also had their z71s.
They did include a sidestep variation
called the silverado sport equipment
package, with a six and a half foot fleet
side body style.
They came in black, red or white with a
(13:06):
pure black grill and sport decals on the
side.
They were built as their off-road sport
counterpart.
This is a precursor to what we have now
with the Trail Boss editions of their
Silverados.
Now these also came two-wheel drive for the
street or four-wheel drive, so you can have
them as an entry level to the 454 as a two
wheel drive fleet side, or you can have it
(13:27):
as a four wheel drive Z71.
Now, like the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison for
Chevrolet, gmc also has their own variation.
Now see where GM and Chevrolet are the
exact same cars.
They're built in the same factory.
They run with the same equipment.
They're built on the same frames.
Trust me, I've worked in the factory in St
(13:47):
Thomas, ontario, that builds the General
Motors truck frames, and when I worked
there they built all the ones for the GMC
Sierras, chevrolet Silverados and at that
point in time, the Hummer H2s.
And these frames also went to underpin both
the Yukon and the Suburbans.
Oh, and the Tahoes back in the day, and
that's one of those weird ones too.
Why does Chevrolet only have the Suburban,
(14:08):
while General Motors where GMC?
Has both the Tahoe and the Yukon Story for
a future time.
Gmc's counterpart to the ZR2s is the AT4s.
Now, like the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison, both
come in Silverado and now the Colorado
counterpart.
The AT4 and AT4X also comes as Sierra and
(14:29):
Canyon counterparts.
Now the Altering X models are the top of
the lines, similar to the ZR2 Bisons.
They both come with a 5.3 liter V8 with a
performance exhaust 365 horsepower but with
a little bit smaller rims.
They on 18 inch rims, a sport bar, led
off-road light package, black accents.
Eventually, with the introduction of the x
(14:51):
models, the standard at4 was upgraded to
have the 6 liter v8, with the at4x getting
the 6.6 liter duramax v8.
Their suspension systems are very similar
to that of the Z71s.
They're not much higher up with the AT4X,
being similar to more of the ZR2 Bison.
But the Bison from Chevrolet is built more
(15:12):
with heavy duty off-road abilities.
So GMC wants to differentiate themselves
from Chevrolet.
They want Chevrolet to be the main
competitor for the Ford Raptor where they
want GM to be the main competitor for the
Dodge Rebel.
They don't want to go all-in.
The GMC is not the all-in products for
off-road abilities.
They still have the abilities to do it, but
they're not all-in.
(15:33):
They're not made for going fast off-road.
They're just made for going off-road.
That's where the AT4 and AT4X come in.
If you're one of these people that just
want to go off-road in their pickup truck,
that's what you should get.
The build quality is much better than the
Chevrolets and they're built for slow-going
fun off-road.
Now if you just want to go balls-deep,
drive it to the wall off-road, then get
(15:54):
yourself a ZR2 Bison Now.
From there we move on to our Sonoma and
S10s.
Now, before the Colorados and the Canyons,
we had the Sonoma and the S10s Back in the
day.
They had a lot of different special
editions where midsize pickup trucks were
the entry level for special editions
because they were the cheaper alternative.
(16:14):
You have to think about it.
The people who are more likely to spend
money on aftermarket modifications for
vehicles are more people inclined to buy
entry level products.
They're not the ones that can afford these
$60,000 vehicles.
No, they're the people that can afford the
$20,000 to $30,000 vehicles.
They buy them, they keep them and they
upgrade them to what they want.
That's where the Sonoma and S10 came in and
why they had more special editions than the
(16:36):
Sierra and Silverados.
Now, to start it out, we have the S10.
Baja.
Gmc gave us their off-road variation.
Now this Baja also gave us the Blazer Bajas
as well.
They came as Midnight Black, apple Red and
Frost White, where the Blazer Bajas also
added in yellow.
Now the Baja edition was more of the Z71.
(16:57):
It was more of an appearance package Now.
They did include a top roll bar with
off-road lights, a tube grille and an
underbody shield.
These are all made to enhance your off-road
applications, but they weren't built with
full off-road suspension systems.
They were essentially just a lift kit and a
sport appearance package.
So in all in all, the S10 Bajas were not
(17:19):
made for full off-road abilities.
Now, like the 454 SS from the Silverado,
chevrolet also gave us one of the fastest
and most capable midsize pickup trucks of
all time, the only one faster than it being
the Shelby Dakota.
But you have to remember that's a
partnership between both Dodge and Shelby
General Motors on their own.
(17:40):
After the rise of the Buick GNX, they gave
us the Chevrolet Cyclone pickup truck with
its sibling, the Typhoon, only available in
1991.
This was an all-wheel drive,
high-performance mid-size pickup truck with
a 4.3 liter LB4 turbo V6 engine.
(18:02):
These things were fast.
The unfortunate thing with them is that
they only came in automatic transmission
and all-wheel drive.
There was no two-wheel, melt your tires off.
Rear-wheel drive applications, only
all-wheel drive.
And if you're wondering where that turbo
came from, that turbo was not from General
Motors.
It was from a company that knows
(18:22):
turbochargers better than anyone else.
It was a Mitsubishi TD0617C turbocharger
that they added to the S10.
Yes, the turbo wasn't even American made,
it was from Japan.
But you have to remember this is at a time
where the American pickup truck market was
also inclusive of Japanese products.
(18:43):
Now, from 1991, they built 2,995 of them
and the funny thing is they were only ever
badged as 1991 models.
But they did build three of them in 1992
before they cut production.
So, with an overall of 2,998 produced, less
than 3,000 ever made.
(19:04):
These were insane pickup trucks.
They included upgraded head gaskets, intake
manifolds, exhaust manifolds and a throttle
body from a 5.7 liter small block V8 jammed
in this little V6.
Four-wheel anti-lock brakes would keep you
glued to the road and this was the very
first truck to ever include a four-wheel
anti-lock brake system.
(19:24):
The very first truck to ever include a
four-wheel anti-lock brake system.
They pulled the gauges from a Pontiac
Sunbird Turbo, an overall production of the
Cyclone, the Typhoon and its other sibling
from General Motors, which we'll get to
after this.
113 Cyclones were shipped to Saudi Arabia,
(19:46):
called the Saudi Cyclones.
They included a metric dash cluster, leaded
fuel chip and a resonator in place of the
catalytic converter.
31 of the trucks were never sold and
brought home to be sold off in a lottery to
General Motors employees at a reduced price
of $12,500.
So you can actually find a Saudi cyclone in
North America.
31 of them exist and, like I said, we like
to talk about collector vehicles you may
(20:06):
look at.
There are 31 saudi cyclones in existence in
north america.
We get it.
The cyclone is already limited, with less
than 3 000 of them out there, but these are
31 special edition ones that were made for
saudi arabia in full metric, a resonator
and a leaded fuel chip.
Next to this, they also had the marlboro
(20:26):
cyclone.
Yes, back in the day General Motors teamed
up with Marlboro Cigarettes because back in
the 90s we were allowed to do things like
this.
This was for the Marlboro Racing 92.
They wanted to make it a special edition
pickup truck and because Ford had decided
not to make a convertible Ranger and Dodge
only had the Shelby convertible pickup
(20:47):
trucks, general Motors wanted to take their
ultimate sport pickup truck and give them
away.
The Marlboro Cyclones 10 of them ever being
made were given away.
It was a grand prize by Marlboro Racing.
These ones were essentially standard
Cyclones shipped to American Sunroof
Company, who turned it into a Targa roof
with a tonneau cover, ppg Hotlix, red paint,
(21:09):
a Momo Evolution steering wheel, complete
Sony sound system, an SS exhaust Beltec,
suspension, which dropped the overall
appearance of the vehicle by three inches.
This was dropped right down.
10 of them in existence, one of the most
sought after and highest collectible
variations of the Cyclones out there.
(21:30):
The Marlboro Cyclones only came in red,
with 10 in existence, no other
modifications, except for appearance
packages made to them only because it was
made for Marlboro Racing as a grand prize.
Added to this, in 1992, which is kind of
funny because it was the year that the
Cyclones disappeared from the market they
gave us the Indy Cyclones.
(21:50):
It was used in the 1992 Indy 500 and
essentially was just a sticker package.
On top of that, in 1992, they also had the
PPG Cyclone, a multicolored silver, magenta
and aqua paint scheme with a modified light
bar.
This was a safety truck for the indy 500 as
well in 1992.
So they had the indy cyclone and the ppg
(22:11):
cyclone, specially made cyclones for only
those.
Now, if you want to find these ones, you're
only going to be able to find them in
general motors museums, but not for sale at
all.
Now, like we said in the beginning, the
cyclones had a counterpart for GM.
The GMC Sonoma GT came out after the end of
the Cyclones In 1992, gmc got their chance,
(22:34):
but the variation that General Motors had
with the Sonoma GT wasn't as powerful as
the Cyclone because they didn't want to
saturate the waters of the Cyclone sales.
So the GMC Sonoma GT came as a non-turbo,
4.3 liter L35 V6, a full sports performance
package with a lower price option than the
Cyclones.
The GMC Sonoma GT was essentially the
(22:54):
entry-level Cyclones 806 of them were
produced in all and they also came as black,
red, white, aspen, blue, teal and the most
famous one you can find of the GMC Sonoma
GT Forest Green.
Yeah, they had it.
It was an amazing little truck, really cool
and something that you can look for.
Everybody goes out and tries to find the
(23:16):
Cyclone, but a GMC Sonoma GT may not be as
powerful and as fun as the Cyclone, but
essentially it's a GMC counterpart to it.
Next to that, chevrolet also had the S10
Cameo in 1990, essentially just a standard
appearance package for people who didn't
want to pay the full amount to get
themselves a Cyclone essentially just a
sport appearance package.
Later on, from 1994 to 1997, they had the
(23:39):
ZR5 Sport Packager, both the S10 and the
Sonoma LS and SLS crew cabs.
This was again just a sport appearance
package.
The ZR5s for the street, again, chevrolet
would give us because we had the 454 SS.
The S10 would have to come with its own SS
model.
As 1992 was the end of the Cyclone
(24:01):
production, they waited a year before they
finally gave us the SS S10, a
high-performance package Utilizing a 4.3
liter V6, essentially the rebirth engine of
the Cyclone, from 180 to 200 horsepower.
This thing included a limited slip
differential and lowered suspension.
16-inch wheels similar to that of the
(24:23):
Camaros came on it and these little bad
boys SS S10s came as single cab, only with
a step side, from 96 to 1998.
This was GM attempting to bring back the
Cyclone without going full in.
Now, from 1994 to 1997, we had the ZR2
package.
Now we already talked about the Baja
(24:43):
package, but the ZR2, as we have now the
ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison, the original ZR2
package was essentially a step up from the
Baja.
It was a full-scale off-road package with a
4-inch lift.
So again it was 3 inches higher than the
Z71 product.
A full-box ladder frame, larger wheel and
axle bearings, 31-inch all-terrain tires
and side fender flares with aluminum wheels
(25:06):
gave you that full off-road ability.
These things were fun.
But near the end of the S10 production from
1999 to 2003, general Motors gave us the
ZQ8 Sport package.
Essentially it was the S10, ss or Extreme
models that we all saw.
The ZQ8 was essentially a sport package
(25:27):
that was added on on top of buying an S10SS,
or, as most of them would be called, the
Extreme Package from 1999 to 2003.
This could be added to the Sonoma as well,
but without badging.
It dropped the height by two inches, gave
you a thicker front sway bar and upgraded
cast aluminum wheels and trim kit.
Give you a thicker front sway bar and
upgraded cast aluminum wheels and trim kit.
(25:48):
They came in both single or club cab with
the third door option to make rear access a
lot better, and they could both be had with
either a regular box or sidestep option,
making this sport package even more fun.
But after we lost the S10 and the Sonomas,
(26:09):
general Motors by 2003 replaced them with
brand new vehicles called the Canyons and
Colorados.
These would include the same special
editions as their larger brothers the Z71
off-road package, the Trail Boss appearance
package, the ZR2 and AT4s package.
Now, the ZR2 and the AT4s for the Canyons
in Colorado would be a little bit different
than their larger brethren, with a three
(26:29):
and a half inch wider track and two inch
lift compared to the four inch lift that
the Silverados would get.
It had dynamic suspension, a more
aggressive look, rock sliders, cowl hood
and a 3.6 liter V6 or 2.8 liter Duramax
diesel engine.
One thing that only GMC has gotten into
with the AT4Xs is diesels.
(26:50):
Chevrolet doesn't involve them.
With the ZR2 Bisons, only the Canyon models
can be had with the Duramax diesels,
because we all know when you go off-road
you want the torque that comes with diesel.
Now, similar to the previous package with
the S10s and Sonomas, the ZQ8 and Extreme
packages were still available.
Now, with the SS gone, it was now just the
(27:11):
ZQ8 package or the top-of-the-line Extreme
Performance package.
These were only two-wheel drive models with
the lowered suspension sub two-inch lower,
but they came with 17-inch wheels instead
of the original 18s.
Extended cabs with a third door or a
regular standard box, as fleet side or step
side boxes were no longer available by 2003.
(27:33):
They were gone.
Added to this, the other side of the pond,
holden would also have the Colorado LSX
Sport Appearance Package for 2008 and the
HSV Colorado for all performance packets.
This would come becoming both street and
off-road abilities.
Yes, hsv gave us the only Colorado that
North American was want.
(27:54):
But on the other side of the pond, now from
the Canyons and Colorados, we go back in
time to our original crossover utility
truck market.
From 1969 to 1977, we had the El Camino,
sprint and Cabarellos models.
Now the El Camino SS or Sprint SP models
(28:16):
came with an L48350 4-barrel or an LS3400
big block or even the LS5454 big block
models to give the standard El Camino a
little bit more grunt to its growth.
The Calabaro Diablo and El Camino Black
Knight counterparts from 1978 to 1981 were
(28:36):
essentially more of a performance package
for the standard crossover utility truck
market, either coming with a two-barrel V6
or four-barrel V8, these made it seem like
they were more powerful than the standard
El Camino or Cabarello models, but all in
all they were just appearance package.
It was like sticking the flaming chicken on
(28:56):
the hood of an El Camino.
That's all it really was.
Now, if you wanted to go all in, you wanted
to get something really fun and really fast.
The old Ford Rancheros with Torino styling
from the 1970s were really cool.
And to fight these bad boys in the 1980s we
got the El Camino SS Sport Decor From 1983
(29:17):
to 87, they were essentially a Monte Carlo
SS front clip added onto the standard El
Camino.
They moved the exhaust from the rear to the
side, gave us full ground effects kit and
aluminum wheels.
But these weren't made by General Motors,
they were made by Choo Choo Customs.
I'm not talking about Valentine's Day with
you know I choo choo choo's you, but that
(29:37):
was the actual name of the company, choo
Choo Customs.
The El Camino SS Sport Decor, these things
were essentially the Monte Carlo SS with a
box on it.
They were fun, they were fast, they looked
cool and you can haul shit around.
So why not?
But unfortunately by 1987, the crossover
utility truck market in the United States
(29:58):
would come to an end.
This would be reborn in the early 2000s for
a short period of time.
But in its place, on the other side of the
pond, holden was still holding on to the
Ute models and with it the Ute had tons of
amazing products, not just the HSV, but the
Ute itself had fun, fast models.
(30:19):
You get the Ute SV6 with the 3.6 liter high
output V6 pumping out 261 horsepower.
Or you can move up from that and get the
Ute SS or the SSV with the 6 liter Gen 3 V8,
essentially utilizing the same appearance
package as the Commodore SS modified for a
truck box.
From that you hit the top of the line
(30:40):
before you jump into the HSV stable, with
the USSV Redline with upgraded Brembo
brakes, 19-inch alloy wheels and an FE3
Super Sport suspension system.
This was made for fun.
This wasn't a pickup truck made to go out
and just do grocery grab.
No, this was made to have fun and with
(31:01):
nearly all of them, including ton of box
covers, it would even stick to the road.
If you want an amazing drift vehicle and if
you've ever seen the Silvias added with
truck boxes and how much fun they are to go
drifting in, get a Ute SSV Redline.
But if you live on my side of the pond, go
out and find the Alcamino SS's.
You could do the same thing with them if
you drop a more powerful engine in them.
(31:22):
Now from here we move up into HSV territory
with the HSV Maloo, which included a full
body kit.
Now the Maloo came from 1990 to 2020.
30 years of production, it was essentially
the fastest production pickup truck with
its R8 package at 168 miles per hour.
(31:44):
This wouldn't be the fastest overall pickup
truck that's still held by the SRT Ram but
the fastest crossover utility pickup truck
of all time the R8 Maloo at 168 miles per
hour never been beaten to this day.
It came only with a V8, with either an LS1,
ls2, or an LS9 supercharged V8, essentially
(32:05):
just stripped from a Corvette and thrown
into a truck body.
The R8, the R8SV, the GTS, the GTS-R and
the GTS-RW were all variations of the Maloo,
each one having more power and alternate
features.
Only four of the GTS-R W1s exist and were
essentially made from leftover GTS-R bodies.
(32:27):
They didn't sell the last four of them.
So what General Motors did?
They enhanced it, gave it a W1 nomenclature
and resold them.
Now makes them the most valuable crossover
utility pickup truck in existence in the
world.
They are worth over $1 million each now.
So if you've ever seen a GTSR, w1, hsv,
(32:47):
maloo for sale, expect to spend big bucks
and they only increase in value every
single year.
And the funny thing is there's only four of
them ever made and each one of them is a
different color.
There's an orange, a yellow, a gray and a
green one, so yours won't even be the same
as the next one.
You see Now with the Holden Ute, there's
one amazing thing about it is that when
(33:09):
Holden started selling the Commodores into
North America and selling them as the
Pontiac G8 and the Chevrolet Caprice again,
the Pontiac G8, just before General Motors
pulled the plug on it released the G8 Ute
concept.
It was greenlit for production but
unfortunately the financial fallout in 2008
killed the project.
(33:29):
It came with V8 power and, had it arrived,
the G8 Ute would be the rebirth of the
Alcaminio SS from the North American
marketplace.
Unfortunately, we never got that
marketplace.
Unfortunately we never got that, and this
would take the part of the last GM
performance truck and the only dedicated
built performance truck ever made by
General Motors.
You see where Plymouth had created the
(33:50):
Prowler and Chrysler gave us the PT Cruiser,
chevrolet gave us the HHR to go after the
PT Cruiser, but they gave us something else.
Since the fall of the Plymouth Prowler,
general Motors saw that people like
retro-inspired vehicles, but they didn't
want to create a Prowler counterpart
because they knew the trunk space was
limited.
Instead, they gave us the Chevrolet SSR,
(34:12):
built from 2003 to 2006,.
It was the only vehicle to ever use the old
54 design formula.
And if you're ever wondering what SSR means,
it's a super sport roadster.
It was a pickup truck.
General Motors cracked the code of what
failed the Prowler Trunk space.
Because when you drop the top on a Plymouth
(34:32):
Prowler you couldn't put anything but a
suit bag in the back.
That's why they created that Plymouth
Prowler trailer to go along with it.
General Motors created the SSR to give us
the performance pickup truck.
This was similar to what the original
Dakota Shelby convertibles were, but more
powerful.
From 2003 to 2004, the SSR came with a 5.3
(34:53):
liter LM4 V8.
But from 2005 to 2006, you'll want to go
after these ones because these ones came
with Corvette inspired 6 liter LS2 V8s with
more power.
2005-2006, you'll want to go after these
ones because these ones came with
Corvette-inspired 6-liter LS2 V8s with more
power.
The same LS2 used for the Chevrolet
Corvette, the Trailblazer SS and the
Pontiac GTO, unlike the Cyclones of the
past, could be had with a manual
(35:14):
transmission.
So if you're looking for a fun stick shift
from the past, the SSR is it A full
convertible top that when it was dropped
you still had trunk space.
It reignited the feeling of the El Camino
SS with Camaro looks and Corvette power all
into one simple package, hell.
In 2003, when they released it into the
market, they even made it the Indy 500 pace
(35:34):
vehicle, becoming one of the few pace
trucks the Indy 500 has ever had.
It ran on the GM the gmt 368 platform,
which underpinned the trail blazer, envoy,
bravada, rainier, ascender and even the 97x.
So they could build these, even in limited
amounts, and still make money at it,
because the platform that underpinned it
was underpinning so many other vehicles.
(35:56):
General motors loves platform building and
they did this with the ssr to ensure that,
even if they weren't selling like hotcakes,
they could still make their money off of.
Now, unlike the Cyclones of Passive, which
only had 3,000 of them ever made, the SSR
went on to produce 24, end of the 2000s and
the rise of the teen years retro was being
(36:24):
pushed aside for new designs of the future,
and for that GM would say goodbye to the
SSR, the last one being produced in March
17, 2006, being a black and silver SSR.
They were essentially killed off due to
weak sales, where General Motors, by the
end of 2005, had over 300 days worth of
(36:46):
inventory.
They were an amazing little package A retro
design, camaro appeal, truck versatility
and Corvette power jammed into a package.
But unfortunately sports car market was
dying in a North American climate and this
little SR would not make it.
So GM's last mainstay into street
performance trucks was gone and with the G8
(37:07):
Ute never arriving, it would become GM's
last performance truck for the streets.
Today we have lots of off-road variations
with the ZR2, zr2 Bisons, at4, at4x, the
Trail Bosses, the Z71s.
They're all built for off-road abilities,
but for street there's nothing.
In the GMC performance race Now, companies
like Lingenfelter have looked at creating
(37:30):
brand new variations of the Cyclone Hell.
They've even created a bandit-inspired
Silverado.
But unfortunately in today's marketplace
going fast on the streets is a big no-no.
No matter where you go in the world, places
are clamping down on street racing.
So the only place where you can have the
ability to go as fast as we want is
(37:50):
off-road.
And for that the big three know this and
hell, even the Japanese pickup truck market
knows this that off-road performance trucks
are the only way to go.
So today GM's performance trucks are built
for the back roads, not for the city
streets.
And throughout its history General Motors
had a lot of great performance pickup
trucks, starting out in the 1970s with the
(38:11):
original Alcaminos and Calabarros and
moving all the way up to the SSRs, the
Silverados, the Sierras, the Canyons and
the Colorados of today.
General Motors has created a lot of amazing
performance pickup trucks, a lot more than
the competition has ever made.
When you take a look at the Ranger, the
F-150, the Dakota and the Ram, you don't
(38:32):
find as many sport variations of them Maybe
sport packages or rebel packages, tremors,
fx Sports but it's not to the scale that
General Motors did.
Gm was the performance truck king.
Even though they don't hold the title for
the fastest pickup truck in the world, they
still hold the title for the fastest
crossover utility pickup truck or truck in
the entire world with the Maloo R8.
(38:54):
Maybe sometime in the future we'll see a
rebirth of either the Alcamino or even the
SSR, but for today, like we've said on this
podcast, there's a multitude of vehicles we
have talked about that you should put on
your collector list.
These are vehicles you should be buying to
save, to make money for your future.
The ssr could actually be one of them,
especially if you get a hold of the
original 2003 and d500 pace truck.
(39:16):
So gmc performance trucks they're good
they're.
They were an inspiration of myself back in
my early days and they're something I look
forward to seeing more of in the future.
So if you yourself ever owned one of these
vehicles or known anybody that has owned
these vehicles, send us a message.
Click the bottom at the bottom.
Send us a message.
Tell us about the performance trucks or
General Motors that you have owned or you
have seen or you have been in contact with
(39:38):
in some form.
If you've got great stories, send it to us.
We're going to talk about it, how.
We'll even put it up on the website and
tell everybody else about it.
We love hearing stories from the people
that listen to our podcast, and if you can
think of any of the gmc performance trucks
that we haven't talked about, please send
us an email and we'll pop them up in future
episodes.
And after you've done that, click the like
button at the bottom to like, follow and
(39:58):
and keep in touch with the AutoLooks
podcast and the AutoLooksnet website for
all our future endeavors and all of our
great future podcasts that are coming to us
this year and in the future.
And after that, stop by the website, read
some of the reviews, check out some of the
ratings.
Go to the Corporate Links website page.
Check out the help pages for cool pages,
clothing accessories, anything you could
think of.
(40:23):
Autolooks likes to keep you in touch with
the automotive world that surrounds us,
from kids' products all the way up to just
having fun and creating 3D parts.
It's all available on the Autoluxnet
website.
The Autolux Podcast is brought to you by
Ecom Entertainment Group and distributed by
Podbeamcom.
If you'd like to get in touch with us, send
us an email over at email at Autoluxnet.
So from myself, everett Jay, the autoluxnet
podcast and pawdemecom, strap yourself in
(40:43):
for this one fun wild ride that both myself,
everett Jay and General Motors is going to
take us on in the performance truck future
that we all look forward to.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!