Chrysler kicked off the performance truck genre in the late 1970s with the Dodge Li'l Red Express. Over at General Motors, the GMC Syclone and Chevrolet 454 SS are classics in their own rights. Of these three, the Syclone is the rarest of the bunch, with General Motors producing a total of 2,998 units.
Based on the GMC Sonoma, the Syclone also happens to be more powerful than both. Internally referred to as LB4, the compact truck's 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 develops 280 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) at full chatter. It's also tremendously fast, with Car and Driver clocking 13.4 seconds in the quarter mile and 4.3 seconds from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour).
Only available in black, the Syclone is – without a shadow of a doubt – one of the coolest series-production trucks of all time. What's particularly interesting about the Syclone is that you can get one without breaking the bank. The median sale value is $25,000 or thereabouts, which is less than the starting price of a 2024 model year Ford Ranger XL 2WD.
The Syclone we'll be covering today is one of those trucks. Listed on Cars & Bids with a high bid of $20,000 at press time, chassis number 1GDCT14Z1M8802174 definitely deserves your attention. A one-owner truck with 24,200 miles (38,946 kilometers) to its name, this fellow is offered with plenty of service records, manufacturer's literature, and a Bluetooth head unit. The owner sadly passed away last year.
Modifications further include a body-color hard tonneau bed cover, purple pinstriping, chrome-finished stock wheels, upgraded cams, high-clearance forged pistons from Mahle, a Kenne Bell intake and intercooler, and a Mitsubishi TD06H-20G turbo instead of the original TD06-17C.
Photo: TheAutoPaddock on Cars & Bids
The polar opposite of a garage queen, chassis number 1GDCT14Z1M8802174 does have a few imperfections, beginning with scratches and rock chips. The cloth upholstery and carpeting also show a bit of wear, and the sagging headliner is currently held by pins. A crack in the dashboard, some underbody rust, and a faulty 4WAL antilock brake system are also noted. The truth of the matter is, all of these problems can be fixed on a budget.
The bad news is that the engine ticks under acceleration in the mid-RPM range. The selling dealer representing the vehicle on behalf of the title owner's estate also reports that the shifter is hard to disengage out of park. Oh, and one more thing: the ABS/brake light is on. These issues may put off even the most mechanically inclined among us, but looking at the bigger picture, a tech with decades of experience on GM trucks can sort them all out.
In preparation for the sale, the selling dealer performed a number of services to ensure the Syclone's roadworthiness, beginning with an OEM retune by TurboTweak and an A/C recharge. When it comes to recently replaced items, the list comprises the air-conditioning accumulator and condenser, heater core, tonneau cover struts, valve cover gasket, spark plugs, ignition wires, distributor assembly, brake master cylinder, and torque converter.
That said, what price do you think is reasonable for this one-owner Syclone? Even if bidding gets to $30,000, that's still pretty good value for such a rare and low-mileage truck. Suppose spending a further $10,000 to fix the aforementioned niggles, and that would still be less money than the $40,895 that GM asks for the 2024 model year GMC Canyon Elevation 4WD.
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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