The GMC Syclone is a high-performance version of the GMC Sonoma compact pickup truck. Produced in 1991 by GMC along with Production Automotive Services (PAS)—the same company credited with building the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am—the GMC Syclone was the fastest production truck for 1991. Following the Syclone's production, the similarly powered 1992–1993 GMC Typhoon SUV was based on the GMC Jimmy platform. Also following the Syclone, the 1992 GMC Sonoma GT truck was offered as a sport package with the looks of a Syclone but without the price and performance of its turbocharged predecessor. Only 806 Sonoma GTs were produced.
Production run
The GMC Syclone, Typhoon, and Sonoma GT were built by GMC and PAS (Production Automotive Services) of Troy, Michigan, and sold through dealerships. At the time it was introduced, the Syclone was the fastest stock pickup truck being produced in the world. Auto magazines compared its acceleration favorably to a variety of sports cars including the Chevrolet Corvette and—in a memorable comparison test in Car and Driver magazine—a Ferrari 348 ts. The Syclone features a 4.3L turbocharged V6 engine with an automatic transmission and an AWD (all-wheel drive) driveline and 4-wheel anti-lock brakes.
left|thumb|GMC Syclone rear
Both the Syclone and Typhoon trucks feature a Mitsubishi TD06-17C 8cm² turbocharger With this engine, the Syclone produces and of torque. Out of the 2,998, only three were built in 1992. The first 1992 Syclone was used for DOT crash testing while the remaining two are privately owned.
Saudi Syclone
During the 1991 Syclone production, roughly 150 Syclones were officially exported by GMC. Out of the 150 trucks, there were an estimated 113 destined for resale in the Middle East and were modified with a metric dash cluster, leaded fuel chip, and a resonator in place of the catalytic converter. These 113 trucks were shipped to Saudi Arabia to be sold as export sales. These 113 trucks were known as the Saudi Syclones. Not all of the exported Saudi Syclones were sold immediately overseas. Out of the 113 Saudi Syclones, 31 trucks remained unsold and were eventually brought back to the United States. Rather than selling the 31 trucks to the public, GMC set up a lottery where employees could enter their name to be drawn to have the chance at purchasing a Saudi Syclone as a significantly reduced price ($12,500) and had to take delivery through a dealership. It is alleged that not many employees knew of the lottery to purchase one of the Saudi Syclones, so almost everyone who entered got the chance to buy one, which upset a lot of GM employees in various other divisions who felt they missed out. The remaining 69 trucks were distributed throughout Europe for sale where a small number ended up in a German compound for sometime. GMC, desperate to be rid of them, sold them on a "make us an offer" basis. Lucky purchasers managed to get hold of one for a few thousand dollars under their market value.
In 2009, a poor-condition GMC Syclone was scrapped under the U.S. federal government Car Allowance Rebate System (colloquially known as "cash for clunkers"), despite being highly collectible.
Special editions
There were two special-edition 1991 Syclones offered by third parties:
Marlboro Syclone
thumb|The 1991 Marlboro Syclone
The special-edition Marlboro Syclone was the grand prize for the ten winners of The Marlboro Racing '92 Contest. To enter the sweepstakes, a form was filled out which included a questionnaire. All ten trucks were provided to American Sunroof Company (ASC), by Shinoda Design Associates, Inc., in conjunction with Phillip Morris, Inc. With the help of Larry Shinoda, designer of the Corvette Stingray and Boss Mustang, a transformation of the originally black Syclones took place.
Marlboro Syclone custom features include: was retired to the GM Heritage Collection where it was stored and occasionally taken out for car shows until it was auctioned at Barrett Jackson in 2009, selling for $66,000. It is now privately owned, with its last location known to be in Colorado.