Porsche was still a relatively low volume manufacturer in the 1990’s and it faced huge challenges importing vehicles in the U.S. Restrictive DOT and EPA regulations drove up the development costs while poor exchange rates meant the company was forced to either raise the costs of its products or make less money on vehicles sold in the U.S.
However, this isn’t a Porsche website and by this point you’re probably wondering how this Porsche preamble is relevant to the GMC Syclone, the hotter version of the GMC Sonoma pickup truck offered by GM in the 90s.
The Syclone featured a turbocharged V6 engine, AWD, and 4-wheel ABS – features that could also be found on the Porsche Turbo, a vehicle that offered similar performance at a far greater price.  As a result of its more-for-less mantra, Syclone was a huge hit among enthusiasts.
The Syclone even claimed the title of fastest stock pickup in the world, as C&D found it took just 4.3 seconds to hit 60 mph.
GM even offered a special edition Syclone known as the Marlboro Syclone, the grand prize for the ten winners of The Marlboro Racing ’92 Contest. Now, 23 years after it hit the market, one of the special edition Syclones is up for grabs.
The lucky winners truly received the ultimate Syclone. With the help American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) and Larry Shinoda, designer of the Corvette Stingray, the black-painted trucks were transformed into targa-topped pickup trucks with a slide-down rear window assembly.
Owners could mount the roof panels in the truck, while a new Guidon hard tonneau cover helped to keep it protected. Look elsewhere on the Marlboro Syclone and you’ll spot Boyd Coddington “Cobra” wheels with Marlboro-emblem center caps wrapped in Goodyear Eagle GS-C tires, PPG “Hot Licks” red paint with white stripes, leather Recaro seats with Simpson five-point harnesses and a custom Momo steering wheel.
A sony sound system, PROMPag performance chip, Borla stainless steel exhaust, and Bell Tech suspension with a 3-inch drop in ride height helped round out the package.
Wander over to eBay now and this special edition special edition truck, the sixth truck in the ten-deep production run, could be yours for $79,995. The seller says (exaggerates?) that the vehicle cost GM $100,000 to make, so you’re practically getting a deal, right?
But you’d better hurry because this Syclone, with just 3,400 miles on the odometer, will be off the market today at 9:30pm.
Comment
How about bringing back something similar to this today. An SS something….pickup, suv from Chevrolet or GMC. Jeep continues to offer a performance GC. I am sure they determined there is a market for this type of vehicle. Come on GM, open up your performance portfolio! Don’t limit it to Corvette and Camaro. Some of us need a more practical, useable vehicle than a rear wheel drive sport coupe. A lot of us are starving for a performance oriented, truck based vehicle.