2008 GMC Sierra

General Motors is one of the largest suppliers of marine engines in the world. When the folks at GM Powertrain wanted to build a vehicle that celebrated that fact, its thoughts turned to the current line of GM trucks. The truck it would help build just isn't any old truck, but rather a brand new '08 GMC with a Duramax diesel engine. Why a diesel you ask? Well it turns out that GM will be releasing a marine version of the Duramax engine through Gale Banks Engineering. Diesel boats just may be the next big thing, as the current crop of gassers often have a fuel economy average in the low single digits, so even a few extra miles per gallon would be a huge savings.

To promote its new line of marinized Duramax crate engines, GM commissioned Jason Plotke from Innovative Automotive Group to build a marine-themed GMC. What's interesting about this truck is that it's not just a high-dollar paint job on wheels. The interior, suspension, and powertrain have all been modified by IAG, with some help along the way from the folks at Banks. The truck is very usable, very drivable, and is actually pretty darn fast. There's even some history behind the project, as the paint scheme (called "Razzle Dazzle" camouflage) was used on Naval battleships during the First World War.

The finished product of all this effort is a piece of well-executed rolling art that is just as powerful as it is visually striking. There's no doubt that as this truck makes its rounds, it will have the entire marine community thinking twice about their fuel-chugging gas motors, and many will be looking to make the exciting and money-saving switch to diesel crate engines.

It's not often that one gets to see an idea turned into reality. Back in the planning stages of this vehicle, a visual rendering was made to show what a marinized Duramax might look like. Aside from a few changes, such as the hood and the lights, it turned out to be right on.

Often, many show trucks are left painfully stock in the power department. Not so with this GMC, as it has been outfitted with a Banks Six-Gun, air intake, exhaust, and intercooler. The end result is an estimated 500 flywheel horsepower, up from a stock rating.

One of the nicest features of the truck is its interior, which was done with Katzkin carbon fiber leather in the seats, doors, dash, and headliner. The passenger-side gauges are from Auto Meter, while the in-dash instruments are from US Speedo.