Long before the Ford Lightning or the absolutely crazy Dodge RAM SRT10 that ran on a Viper V10, although after the Dodge Lil’ Red Express found a loophole for maximum power even in the malaise era; there came the GMC Syclone in 1991, from the umbrella brand, General Motors.
Often dubbed as the “worst pickup truck” of its time, the Syclone got this moniker because it was more track-oriented than an actual workhorse. It could not tow or haul much, but boy could it race.
Today, these are prized classics, even though they are just 30 years old. The GMC Syclone also did not fare all that well in sales and like its SUV-twin, the Typhoon, not many were produced as well. Now it has a cult following, and rightly so.
The power and performance that GMC managed to put into this truck three decades ago are still stunning, and the reason why were are still a fan of the GMC Syclone Muscle truck. Muscle cars, please excuse…
Let’s Talk Engines & Power
The GMC Syclone came out in 1991, but honestly, it was always an ‘80s kid. In 1987, the time when the Buick Grand National was being phased out, Buick decided to take a Chevy S-10 and swap in the Buick’s 3.8-liter engine into it, asking the other divisions to consider such a truck. GM passed and so did Chevy, the latter already having the 454 SS as a performance truck. GMC liked the idea but refused to go with the Grand National engine, calling it too expensive a premise.
Surprisingly, GMC took a Sonoma, the Chevy S-10s mechanical twin, and put in an even bigger engine in it. A turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 that made 280 horses and 250 ft-lb of torque, which was about 115 horses and torque, each, more than the Sonoma’s standard engine. Of course, all this power also meant that the insides of the Syclone had to be beefed up. Lower compression pistons as well as special intake and exhaust manifolds had to go in. A multi-point fuel injection system and a twin-bore throttle casing, the latter of which came from the Corvette’s engine were also added in. The turbocharger came from Mitsubishi and was paired with a Garrett water-to-air intercooler.
The Borg-Warner transfer case in the Syclone came from the GMC Safari and there was a tiny bit of the Pontiac as well since the gauges were taken from the Pontiac Sunbird Turbo: the only car to have a turbo boost gauge.
And so the Syclone came to be, deliberately misspelled because there was already a Mercury Cyclone in existence. Or perhaps, the S paid homage to the very first concept, the S-10, or even the base truck, the Sonoma. Either way, the GMC Syclone muscle truck debuted in 1989, with sales rolling out in 1991.
Despite The Speed, Sales & Production Remained Low
The GMC Syclone took the world by storm. Or should we say, it took the racing world by storm? The Syclone hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and did the quarter-mile in a cool 13.4 seconds with a top speed of 124 mph. The SUV form of this vehicle, the GMC Typhoon was a bit heavier at 3,822 pounds, as opposed to the 3,599 pounds of the Syclone, and so a little slower to hit 60 mph, at 5.3 seconds. In 1991, the Syclone could whoop a Ferrari.
But for those who wanted a workhorse, it was disappointing. You could not take the Syclone off-road and according to GMC, towing was “not recommended” either. The 500-pound payload capacity also did not make it a real “pickup”. To add to this, the Syclone came pricey at about $25,970, costing $10k over the Sonoma. This became another doozy.
Although production was always aimed to be limited for the Syclone, only 2,995 pickup trucks were made for the first model year, 1991. And for 1992, GMC made only three more. All in all, 2,998 Syclones were made, with 113 sent off to the Middle East. This number also included the special Marlboro editions made. Meanwhile, for the Typhoon, production stood higher, at 4,697.
The Syclone, Today
It’s been 30 years and despite all the other cooler, more powerful trucks that have come after the Syclone, it remains high vaunted and venerated in the performance and muscle trucks.
If you want one of these classics today, be prepared to shell out more than $30,000 for a well-ridden model. And if you are looking for something shinier and better kept, these can cost you more than $50,000. And we’d still call them a steal!
Had the Syclone still been alive, what would have it looked like, or powered like? Here’s the answer, brought to you by Specialty Vehicle Engineering in Florida, who made a 750-horsepower 2021 GMC Syclone performance truck, based on a 2021 GMC Canyon. Along with jetting 750 horses, the 5.3-liter V8 in this truck makes 600 ft-lb torque, and some 50 of these are being made, in case you want to take on a Raptor, just for kicks.
Sources: TopSpeed, FourWheeler, Hemmings, CarBuzz