The Sketch Monkey has reimagined the GMC Syclone for the 2023 model year, but rather than using the mid-size Canyon as the donor vehicle, his rendering is based on the half-ton Sierra. Instead of picking a regular cab for this design study, Marouane Bembli weirdly chooses the crew cab.
For some reason or another, the Florida-based pixel artist decides on the off-road AT4 trim level instead of something with less ground clearance. Bembli does mention the Sierra was chosen over the Canyon for the way the front end looks. The rendering integrates the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s lower front bumper. The side skirts are sourced from the ZL1 as well.
Digitally modified into a single cab, the muscle-up truck also flaunts a slightly longer bed than the crew-cabbed donor. Syclone bodyside decals and beefy calipers in the same color as the decals also need to be mentioned, along with a set of low-profile tires wrapped around Vossen HF-2 wheels. Lowered suspension, which is a must for a sports truck, is featured as well. The finishing touch concerns the CornerStep rear bumper, smoothed out and augmented with an aerodynamic diffuser underneath said bumper.
Better described as a tribute to the Chevrolet 454 SS rather than the GMC Syclone, this rendering isn’t half bad. At the same time, it can be considered a reminder of that era when the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit was open to experimentation with its pickup trucks. The current lineup is a bit so and so, with the Colorado and Canyon standing out from the crowd. The half-ton Silverado and Sierra don’t have anything to challenge the Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX, and their heavier-duty siblings can’t hold a candle to the revamped Super Duty and Cummins-powered Ram HD.
The 454 SS specified earlier ran from 1990 to the 1993 model year as the hi-po variant of the C/K series. Based on the rear-drive C1500 and Silverado quasi-luxury trim level, the 454 SS takes its name from 454-cube big block hiding underhood. Only available with the standard cab and short bed, the sports truck was originally available in Onyx Black over Garnet Red.
The Syclone, however, left a bigger mark on the American truck scene. Think of it as the pickup truck-bodied equivalent to the Buick GNX. The Grand National’s turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 was initially stuffed into a Chevrolet S-10, but the brass didn’t approve it for series production. GMC took on the project, but switched to a different turbo V6 because the 3.8 in the GNX was too costly of a powerplant for the Sonoma-based Syclone.
Codenamed LB4, the 4.3-liter sixer cranks out 280 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) of torque. By comparison, the heavier 454 SS is rated at 230 horsepower and 385 pound-feet (592 Nm) on full song. Both trucks may seem underpowered by modern standards, but remember that the 1990s were quite a long time ago. That’s three decades of advancements in engine technology, so yeah; we shouldn’t compare apples to oranges here.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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