Matt Farah of Drive isn’t big on done up pickups destined for street use , and I can understand why… It’s very hard to turn a such a vehicle into a sports car, because physics will always have a big part to play in handling.
You can still try to do it, and while the result will never be truly sporty (unless you have like a million dollars to spend and/or are some kind of tuning guru) the extent of your skills will give it charm, character, or not, as the case may be.
This GMC Canyon, for instance, is a nice attempt that would definitely be an experience to drive. As Farah finds out when he gets a go, the turbocharged 3.5-liter straight-five it has under the bonnet makes a really nice noise once opened up, and the rear-mounted turbocharger also adds to the thrill – it even goes well, with a claimed 335 hp at the rear tires.
Handling is also improved via a custom front suspension setup and custom leafs at the back, as well as chunky rims with wide tires, plus a set of bigger brakes up front; strangely, the owner Matt Ochoa opted to leave in the stock drum brakes on the rear.
Scroll down and check it out in detail, in the video posted below.
By Andrei Nedelea
