A GMC truck from the middle of the last century was often built for work most drivers never see. Some crossed beaches. Others hauled freight across the country, and one engine spent its later years pumping water in the desert for thousands of hours.
Here are six of them, from a wartime amphibian to a turbocharged 1990s SUV. Each one earns its place with a sourced detail, not a tall tale from the parts counter.
1. 1942–1945 GMC DUKW
The DUKW took its name from GM’s own code letters. D stood for 1942, the year it arrived, and U meant utility. K meant all-wheel drive, while W meant dual rear axles. Soldiers simply called it the “Duck.”
At first, the military rejected the six-wheeler, according to HistoryNet’s DUKW profile. Then a Coast Guard vessel ran aground near Provincetown, Massachusetts, and an early DUKW turned out to be the only way to save its seven crewmen. After that, the Duck went to Guadalcanal in late 1942 and to Sicily in July 1943. GM built 21,147 by 1945. Today most survivors carry tourists instead of troops.
2. 1959–1961 GMC DLR 8000 “Crackerbox”
GMC drew the DLR 8000 on a clean sheet for 1959. Its short cab used mostly aluminum, with fiberglass fenders and grille. Underneath, it had independent front suspension and air springs on every axle.
The frame was the clever part. According to Curbside Classic’s history of the Crackerbox, GMC welded it from specially formed steel parts instead of riveting C-channel, so it came out about 50% lighter. Power came from a Detroit 6-71 two-stroke diesel rated at 189 gross horsepower at 1,800 rpm. However, the air-ride models lasted only through 1961, because the independent front end soon looked maintenance-intensive to penny-pinching fleets. The basic crackerbox cab-over carried on until 1969.
3. 1960–1966 GMC 9000-series Twin Six truck
GMC made its Twin Six V12 by putting two 351-cubic-inch V6s on a single block casting. The result displaced 702 cubic inches. From 1960 through 1966, buyers could get it in 7000- and 9000-series trucks, both conventional and cab-over.
The numbers show how stout it was. Mac’s Motor City Garage lists 275 gross horsepower at 2,400 rpm, 630 lb-ft of torque and 1,485 pounds ready to run. In fact, the crankshaft forging alone weighed nearly 200 pounds, and the sump held four gallons of oil. Later, irrigation pumps in the American Southwest put the engine to work, where it earned a name for running 15,000 hours or more with only minor maintenance.
4. 1963 GMC pickup with the 305 V6
GMC gave its light pickups an engine designed with heavy trucks in mind. The 60-degree V6 arrived in 1960, and the gas 305-cubic-inch version became the standard pickup engine. Its block is a bit deeper and beefier than Chevrolet’s 60-degree V6, according to Curbside Classic’s look at a 1963 GMC pickup.
Output was modest, at some 135 or 140 horsepower. Still, the writer praises its low-end torque, and the family stretched from 305 to 478 cubic inches for heavier work. As Chevrolet V8s took over GMC pickups, the V6 moved to entry-level duty. Even so, GMC kept it in its trucks until 1978.
5. 1969–1987 GMC Astro 95
The Astro 95 replaced the crude crackerbox cab-over in 1969. Curbside Classic calls it the best-styled and most modern cab-over semi of its time. Chevrolet sold a twin, the Titan, until 1980.
Base power came from the Detroit Diesel 6-71N, with the 8V-71 and Cummins N-series as options, according to Curbside Classic’s GMC semi roundup. For 1972, GMC added the 12V-71, which stayed available through 1978 but was rarely ordered. Then the Cummins KT450 and Caterpillar 3406 joined the list for 1977. As a result, the Astro outlived the Titan by seven years and stayed in production until 1987, after Volvo AB bought a majority of GMC’s heavy-truck line.
6. 1992–1993 GMC Typhoon
The Typhoon is a compact SUV, not a pickup, but its hardware came from GMC’s truck side. GMC built it with Production Automotive Services of Troy, Michigan, and based it on the Syclone. A Mitsubishi turbocharger fed its 4.3-liter V6 with 14 psi of boost.
According to Conceptcarz, the engine made 280 horsepower and 360 lb-ft. A 4L60 four-speed automatic and a Borg-Warner 4472 transfer case sent that power to all four wheels, good for 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. GMC built 4,697 Typhoons over two model years. Conceptcarz also records a 1993 Typhoon that sold at Bonhams’ 2024 Amelia Island auction for $22,400.
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