GMC Syclone
Back in the 1980s, GM has experimented with turbocharged engines, which was much in sync with industry trends at the moment. However, the most famous of them all was the Buick Grand National or Buick GNX. It featured a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine with fewer than five-second 0 to 60 mph times. And with that kind of firepower, those black Buicks were terrorizing the drag strips and stoplights.
But by the early 1990s, the Buicks were gone, so the GM engineers were looking for a place to install their turbo hardware. They decided to make a sports truck out of the Chevrolet S10, a compact pickup with diminutive four-cylinder power. So GM took an ordinary S10 body shell and installed a 4.3-liter V6 with a turbocharger good for 280 HP. They added a special four-speed automatic from a Corvette and performance-based all-wheel drive.
The Syclone could sprint to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds, making it faster than the current Ferrari. The key was its light weight, small dimensions and lots of torque from that turbocharged engine. However, the price was significantly higher than the regular model, so they built less than 3,000. And, almost all of them came in the signature black color.
However, the Syclone wasn’t the first performance truck, but it was the first turbocharged compact pickup, making it unusual and unique. Today, GMC Syclone is a coveted collector vehicle. Best of all, it is still so fast, it can hold its own against younger, more powerful cars.