The GMC Syclone was a class of its own when it was launched in 1991. It's a classic pickup truck unlike another. Although when it comes to pickups, the Dodge Lil’ Red Express was one of the first performance trucks of its time, and came way before GMC even thought of one.
The ‘90s turned out to be the decade of SUVs and the pickups, and sedans were losing their flavor. It was also when finally, the effects of the malaise era seemed to be coming to an end, and horsepower numbers began to rise, along with the economy and spending power.
It was the best advent for the decade to have a truck that could not only race a Ferrari but also trounce it. In case that made your jaw drop, here’s everything else you may have forgotten about the GMC Syclone, 30 years after its limited-production launch.
10 It Was The First Production Hot-Rod Pickup
The 1991-91 GMC Syclone basically combined the best of a hot rod into a pickup. It had turbo power, all-wheel-drive, and a sport-tuned suspension that could not just rival muscle cars but beat expensive sports cars. More on that later.
The suspension was a beefy, sports-calibrated one, with Bilstein shocks and came riding on Firestone Firehawks on aluminum wheels. The all-wheel drive was further supported by a limited-slip differential. The GM Syclone also boasted the first ABS, with disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear.
9 The Engine Had Beastly Power
The GMC Syclone did not use the Grand National engine but a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6, which made 280 horses and 350 lb-ft of torque, which is a whole 115 ponies more than the GMC Sonoma, on which it was based.
Plenty of tuning like low-compression pistons, special intake, and exhaust manifolds as well as a multi-point fuel injection system turned it into a beast, raring to go. And then there was the Mitsubishi turbocharger and the Garret inter-cooler.
8 It Whooped A Ferrari
When the Syclone was introduced, terms like “fastest accelerating vehicle" and "fastest production pickup truck” were bandied about. And they weren’t wrong. The GMC Syclone was put to test against a Ferrari 348ts.
The ‘Rari went 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Commendable, sure. But the Syclone did the same in 5.3 seconds, which did leave the Ferrari team a bit red in the face. So sure, this was a short sprint, in the longer run, Ferrari’s top speed of 166 MPH would have beaten Syclone’s 124 mph, but even then, a win is a win.
7 The GMC Syclone Had In-Your-Face Ads
The GMC Syclone was an amazing performance truck, and GMC knew it, which is why their ads were bold and cutting in wit. They compared the Syclone to the Porsche 911 Carrera 4, and ran with the tagline, "Think of it as a Porsche 911 that really 'hauls'”.
Wonder if Porsche rallied back? But then again, the GMC Syclone was out by 1992, and the Porsche 911 is still going super strong. The Syclone was simply GMC proving a point, it was never really about the longevity of the nameplate.
6 The Special Marlboro Syclones
The winners of the Marlboro Racing contest in ’92 were to be given a special Marlboro Syclone. So out of the total run of the Syclones, which were in black, 10 were done up in red to match the colors of the Marlboro brand.
All 10 of these were sent to the American Sunroof Company, where Larry Shinoda redesigned these grand prizes with Recaro leather seats, a Targa-style roof, special wheels, and a cool steering wheel. The winners had to have been over the moon.
5 Not A Real Off-Roader
Eh, what? Thing is, despite the GMC Syclone’s beefy suspension, the all-wheel-drive, the special tires, and the beastly engine, it was a performance truck meant to be run on race tracks, or roads. It was as street as it could get.
Off-roading was a big no-no, so much so that GMC put a warning notice in the Syclone’s cab that read, rather ominously: “This vehicle is not intended for off-road use. The reduced height of this vehicle will not allow it to clear obstacles commonly encountered in an off-road environment. Off-road operations could result in serious damage to chassis and drivetrain.” Well, can’t have everything, no?
4 Not A Real “Pickup” Either
The GMC Syclone was a pickup truck, right? Well, to be honest, it looked like a pickup truck but its dismal tow and payload ratings proved otherwise. The towing capacity was a grand 2,000 pounds, which meant it could not tow even its own weight.
There was a six-foot bed, sure, but all it could carry was a laughable 500 pounds. So think of it more as a muscle car, or a performance one that looked like a pickup truck. It was simply not built to do the things a truck does.
3 The GMC Syclone Could Have Been A Buick
We know the GMC Syclone came powered with a 4.3-liter turbocharged, intercooled V6 that made 280 horses. 65% of the 350 lb-ft torque was sent to the rear wheels, and 35% was sent to the front. Power went to all four wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission.
That said; the GMC was almost a Buick, considering the Grand National engine was being considered in the fray as well, which was later used in the Sonoma’s twin, the Chevy S-10. But luckily for the GMC, Buick was not very interested.
2 Less Than 3,000 GMC Syclones Were Made
No one even knew what a performance truck was till the GMC Syclone hit the market. And when it did, for an MSRP for roughly $25,000-27,000, without any tow or payload ratings, it was not a pickup that the working class wanted.
Basically, this was an ornamental truck, and it was great to see it in action, but not many truly wanted one. So only 2995 of these were ever made. 10 were turned into the Marlboro trucks, and 113 were shipped off to Saudi Arabia.
1 It’s Still An Affordable Classic
The GMC Syclone was made in collaboration with PAS, as in Production Automotive Services that also made the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am, as well as other GMCs like the Sonoma GT and the Typhoon.
Clearly, the GMC Syclone was a special vehicle, a supercar, wearing the garb of a pickup. Despite the less than 3,000 production number, a GMC Syclone isn’t all that expensive today, and you can find models for as low as $35,000 or thereabouts. Interested?
Sources: Jalopnik, Hemmings