GMC is primarily known for its premium-oriented SUVs and trucks based on Chevrolet products. But at some point, the company rolled out a pair of really cool performance vehicles. I'm talking about the Syclone and the Typhoon.
Both went into production in the early 1990s and spawned only a few thousand units each. Built from 1992 to 1993, the Typhoon SUV was GMC's follow-up on the Syclone. The latter arrived in 1991 as a high-performance version of the GMC Sonoma pickup truck and instantly made a name for itself as the world's quickest production hauler.
The Syclone was rather short-lived, with 2,995 units produced in 1991 and only three trucks sold in 1992. Sadly, the hauler that became famous for outgunning the Ferrari 348 never received a successor. But come 2022, and we got a brand-new Syclone in digital form. Based on the current Sierra 1500 truck, this unofficial 2023 Syclone would look right at home in a GMC dealership.
While it retains the overall design and shape of the Sierra 1500, it spices things up with a blacked-out grille, tinted headlamps, and body-colored bumpers. And, of course, it comes in single-cab format, a layout we rarely see on modern trucks.
But of course, it's the extremely low ride height and the turbine-style wheels that set it apart from modern performance trucks. Because while most of the beefed-up haulers you can buy today are also oriented toward off-road fun, this virtual revival of the Syclone is all about road and track performance.
Perhaps it would be a solid competitor for the Ram 1500 TRX "Street Fighter?" No, this truck isn't real either, but it's very similar thanks to its high-performance drivetrain and single-cab layout.
What would such a truck hide under the hood, you ask? Well, the current Silverado/Sierra lineup comes with a range-topping 6.2-liter V8 mill good for a solid 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque. That's enough for a single-cab truck to run impressively quickly, but a modern Syclone would deserve something a bit more powerful.
Yup, I'm thinking about the supercharged V8 that Cadillac currently offers in the Escalade-V. It's rated at 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet (885 Nm) of torque, figures that enable the massive SUV to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start in only 4.4 seconds. And I bet a single-cab Sierra with proper suspension upgrades would be notably quicker than that.
Is a modern Syclone doable? I'd say yes because GMC has the means and parts to put such a monster together. Will General Motors do it? Don't get your hopes up. But hey, if you're dying to have a modern Syclone in your driveway, the folks over at Specialty Vehicle Engineering are making one.
The Syclone was rather short-lived, with 2,995 units produced in 1991 and only three trucks sold in 1992. Sadly, the hauler that became famous for outgunning the Ferrari 348 never received a successor. But come 2022, and we got a brand-new Syclone in digital form. Based on the current Sierra 1500 truck, this unofficial 2023 Syclone would look right at home in a GMC dealership.
While it retains the overall design and shape of the Sierra 1500, it spices things up with a blacked-out grille, tinted headlamps, and body-colored bumpers. And, of course, it comes in single-cab format, a layout we rarely see on modern trucks.
But of course, it's the extremely low ride height and the turbine-style wheels that set it apart from modern performance trucks. Because while most of the beefed-up haulers you can buy today are also oriented toward off-road fun, this virtual revival of the Syclone is all about road and track performance.
Perhaps it would be a solid competitor for the Ram 1500 TRX "Street Fighter?" No, this truck isn't real either, but it's very similar thanks to its high-performance drivetrain and single-cab layout.
What would such a truck hide under the hood, you ask? Well, the current Silverado/Sierra lineup comes with a range-topping 6.2-liter V8 mill good for a solid 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque. That's enough for a single-cab truck to run impressively quickly, but a modern Syclone would deserve something a bit more powerful.
Yup, I'm thinking about the supercharged V8 that Cadillac currently offers in the Escalade-V. It's rated at 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet (885 Nm) of torque, figures that enable the massive SUV to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start in only 4.4 seconds. And I bet a single-cab Sierra with proper suspension upgrades would be notably quicker than that.
Is a modern Syclone doable? I'd say yes because GMC has the means and parts to put such a monster together. Will General Motors do it? Don't get your hopes up. But hey, if you're dying to have a modern Syclone in your driveway, the folks over at Specialty Vehicle Engineering are making one.