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2023 GMC Syclone Rendering Looks So Cool You'd Want To Buy One

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.
2023 GMC Syclone rendering 7 photos
Photo: jlord8/Instagram
2023 GMC Syclone rendering2023 GMC Syclone rendering2023 GMC Syclone rendering1991 GMC Syclone1991 GMC Syclone1991 GMC Syclone
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.



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Editor's note: For illustrative purposes, the photo gallery also includes pictures of the original GMC Syclone.

About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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