Yukon Denali

It's a common question: "What if GMC had built its upscale Yukon Denali on the full-size Suburban platform, instead of the shorter wheelbase, standard Yukon?" GMC has dealt up an answer, and it makes a splendid-looking rig. Bob Kern, GMC's director of new product technology and specialty vehicles, tells the story:

"Denny O'Donnell, brand manager for the Yukon line, came to me and said, 'Build me a bad-ass truck.' So we did!"

The basis for this one-off Denali EX was a Sony Suburban, in itself a special limited-edition project between Pontiac-GMC, Neiman-Marcus, and Sony. It's chock full of video gear and other electronic entertainment hardware, and could be ordered right out of the Neiman-Marcus catalog.

Grafting on the Denali front sheetmetal was relatively straightforward, but by no means a bolt-on job. The real issue, according to Kern, was the Denali's unique lower body cladding. Remember, the Yukon rides on a shorter wheelbase than the Sub does, and its doors are shaped differently. Therefore, most of the body cladding had to be hand cut, then pieced together to make it all fit. The finished job looks as factory as can be.

Sony Suburbans, and thus the Denali EX, pack 480-watt stereo systems, a 9-inch video monitor, and four smaller monitors mounted in the front and middle seatbacks. There are VCR, cassette, and CD players, several sets of headphones, five sets of speakers and woofers, and, of course, a Sony PlayStation game console. Fill this one up with kids, and drive it across the country: You'll never hear, "Are we there yet?"

The only performance modification was the installation of a Vortech supercharger, giving the 5.7-liter V-8 a bit more juice to haul all this hardware. If there's one place where this extra special Denali falls short, it's in the wheel and tire department. The EX uses standard Denali/Escalade 16-inch wheels, plated in a sickly-looking greenish gold. They look a little wimpy compared to the husky 18-inch alloy rolling stock so commonly installed on Suburbans, especially considering the EX's in-your-face Denali front end.

Could there be a Super-size Yukon Denali in GMC's future? "Another reason we built the EX is to test-market and 'clinic' the concept for possible production." With an all-new Suburban, GMC version that will be called Yukon XL, coming to market for 2000, it's do-able-and seems like a fine idea to us.

Double TakeAnother Breathtaking Lincoln Pickup?When Lincoln rolled out the Blackwood concept vehicle at this year's L.A. Auto Show, many people were expecting something different. Perhaps something a bit more like what you see pictured here. Whether or not the four-door, short-box, woody-style Blackwood, which has since received production approval, is the right Lincoln truck will be determined by its performance in the marketplace. But if what you really want is a Lincolnesque F-150 SuperCab, Bill Thomas has your truck.

Thomas' San Bernardino, California-based company, Full Effect, is quite familiar with finding niches that need filling in the Ford truck product lineup. His first effort was a SuperCab version of the first-generation Ford SVT Lightning pickup. As you may remember, that truck was available only in standard cab form. FE's conversions used all factory body panels, and looked for all the world as if they rolled down the line in Dearborn. This time, Thomas cannibalized a Navigator for its front clip and several other bits. His goal was to build a high-performance luxo pickup that goes beyond the new Lightning, which is still offered only as a standard cab.