Tastefully Upgraded: 1991 GMC Syclone

There’s no denying that stuffing a high-performance engine under the hood of a compact pickup truck makes for a fun time, and that’s why it’s easy to love GMC’s Syclone. For the 1991 model year, the company stuffed a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 engine under the hood of the small Sonoma pickup truck, thus creating one of the most unique pickup trucks ever to leave a manufacturer’s assembly line. This tastefully modified 1991 GMC Syclone is available here on eBay, and it’s a remarkably clean specimen of this powerful little truck.

This Syclone is available in Lakeland, Florida with a clean title. There isn’t too much information on the vehicle’s history, but every aspect of the truck is meticulous, even the undercarriage.

Everything on the outside of the truck is original and all of the Syclone-exclusive cladding is intact. If you look closely enough at the front of the vehicle, you can see a larger intercooler peeking from behind the grille.

Each Syclone featured Black exterior paint and a Black interior. This example has a Scanmaster tune and a few aftermarket gauges in the interior, which are important additions because the factory boost gauge had a reputation for providing inaccurate readings. Unfortunately, someone removed the factory air conditioning system, but it should be fairly easy to piece back together.

Under the hood, you’ll find a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 engine with 48,546 miles on it, which pairs to an automatic transmission to drive all four wheels. This truck has upgrades such as a Turbonetics turbocharger, an air-to-air intercooler, an ignition and distributor system from MSD, aftermarket fuel injectors, and more.

At the time of publication, bidding for this Syclone is at $15,900 with the reserve not met. Would you add this rare performance truck to your collection, or would you rather build something from scratch?


Comments

15 responses to “Tastefully Upgraded: 1991 GMC Syclone”

  1. It’s awd, not rwd.

    Like 12
    1. Kevin Barr Avatar
      Kevin Barr

      Thanks for catching that, I updated the article.

      Like 1
  2. Joe Haska Avatar
    Joe Haska

    Because of a friend who has owned several of these ,I have had many opportunities to drive them. If this one is half as clean as it appears, and depending on the reserve, I would definitley buy it. There just cant be that many left in this condition.

    Like 7
  3. A little truck that has whipped all comers so to speak for almost 30 yrs.Add in some tunes parts etc, and it’s still doing it today. Also does not look out of place out on the road like say a 1950’s car did in the early 80’s from a historical perspective, These aged well.

    Like 9
    1. Aged well, but also a stark reminder that we are never getting mini trucks back.. For some reason, everyone needs an F1000 with 2 billion pounds of Torque to haul a bag of cement home from the hardware store.

      …man I miss mini trucks.

      Like 10
      1. F1000, thats a good one
        Thanks for the 😂

        Like 3
      2. theGasHole Avatar
        theGasHole

        Couldn’t agree more! I really miss the small footprint Rangers, Tacomas, S10’s, heck even the B2000! Now everyone seems to prefer those 4 door behemoths with the tiny bed that can’t even handle a sheet of plywood.

        Like 0
      3. DayDreamBeliever Avatar
        DayDreamBeliever

        Well, the Ranger is back, and smaller than the F-Series.
        But they are bigger than the old ones. Most pickups today tend to be of the 4-door variety. People buy them for the family, instead of a car.

        Like 1
      4. JoeNYWF64 Avatar
        JoeNYWF64

        Except for the mini trucks that were FRONT! drive. lol
        Scroll down here for a surprise – the green front drive Chevy pickup – sold in Brazil …
        http://www.cartalk.com/blogs/craig-fitzgerald/2017-honda-ridgeline-return-front-wheel-drive-pickup

        Like 1
      5. DayDreamBeliever Avatar
        DayDreamBeliever

        Well JoeNYWF64

        That’s interesting… A very market-specific ride.

        Like 0
  4. Kirk Wolfe Avatar
    Kirk Wolfe

    I’d like to trow away the turbo and work on a N/A V6. Plus that discount of 2,000 on the price.

    Like 0
  5. Nice looker! Scanmaster is not a tune. It’s the box on top of the steering column. It’s a data display that pulls from the OBD port. Probably has a Turbo Tweak chip in it. Ad mentions alky, but I didn’t see the nozzle and line in the up pipe..

    Like 0
    1. DayDreamBeliever Avatar
      DayDreamBeliever

      Re: Alky, I see a nozzle attached directly in front of the throttle plate, plumbed with braided stainless?

      This one RNM at $16,500

      Like 1
  6. Made it to $16,500 but Reserve Not Met.
    Not sure what this thing is worth, but that seems like a good price, given where we are at the moment.

    Like 1
  7. Buy it and pretend your Clint Eastwood!

    Like 0

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