GMC Syclone: the fastest production truck of 1991

The GMC Syclone is a high-performance version of the GMC Sonoma compact pickup. Produced in 1991 by GMC together with Production Automotive Services of Troy, Michigan, the same company credited with building the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am, it was the fastest production truck of the year.

GMC Syclone at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the GMC Syclone.

History of the GMC Syclone

A truck built to be quick

The Syclone was produced in 1991 by GMC and Production Automotive Services, and at the time it was introduced it was the fastest stock pickup truck in the world. Motoring magazines compared its acceleration with sports cars including the Chevrolet Corvette and, in a Car and Driver comparison test, a Ferrari 348 ts. Following the Syclone, GMC built the similarly powered Typhoon SUV for 1992 and 1993 on the Jimmy platform, and then the Sonoma GT, a sport package with the look of a Syclone but without its price and performance. Only 806 Sonoma GTs were built.

Engine and driveline

The Syclone used a 4.3-litre LB4 V6 with a Mitsubishi TD06-17C turbocharger and a Garrett water/air intercooler. Upgrades included hypereutectic pistons, nodular iron main caps, uprated head gaskets, intake and exhaust manifolds and a 48 mm twin-bore throttle body from the 5.7-litre Chevrolet small-block. All Syclones used the 4L60 four-speed automatic, and a BorgWarner 4472 transfer case split torque with 35 percent going to the front wheels and 65 percent to the rear. Both the Syclone and the Typhoon had sport modifications to the standard suspension. The Syclone was the first production truck to receive four-wheel anti-lock brakes, and the engine produced 280 hp and 350 lb-ft.

Performance

When new the Syclone accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 13.4 seconds at 98 mph, according to Car and Driver. Its instrument cluster came from the Pontiac Sunbird Turbo, which had been discontinued in 1990, a year before the Syclone arrived.

Black, and almost all 1991

The 1991 Syclone was available only in black. A wider range of colours was planned for 1992, but the model was cancelled before full production could begin. In total 2,998 Syclones were built, of which only three were made in 1992: the first went to DOT crash testing and the other two are privately owned. About 150 were officially exported by GMC, and 113 of those went to Saudi Arabia with a metric instrument cluster, a leaded-fuel chip and a resonator in place of the catalytic converter. Of those 113, 31 came back unsold and were offered to GMC employees by lottery at $12,500, while 69 were distributed in Europe. Ten Marlboro editions were built as contest prizes with targa roof panels, Recaro seats and a lowered suspension.

Design and features

• Turbocharged V6: a 4.3-litre LB4 with a Mitsubishi turbo and Garrett intercooler.
• All-wheel drive: a BorgWarner 4472 transfer case with a 35/65 torque split.
• Anti-lock brakes: the first production truck to have four-wheel ABS.
• Black only: every 1991 Syclone left the line in black.
• Genuine performance: 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds and a 13.4-second quarter mile.

GMC Syclone versions

• Syclone (1991): the standard production truck, 2,995 built in 1991.
• 1992 Syclones: three built, one used for crash testing.
• Saudi Syclone: 113 export trucks with metric instruments and no catalytic converter.
• Marlboro Syclone: ten contest prizes with targa roofs and Recaro seats.
• Typhoon (1992-1993): the SUV version built on the Jimmy platform.

The Syclone was based on the GMC Sonoma, and its SUV sister was the GMC Typhoon. More performance trucks are in the GMC collection.

Sources

• GMC Syclone, English Wikipedia: production, engine, driveline, performance, exports, special editions