(By Tom Lohnes) – Even almost 30 years later, the GMC Syclone is a force to be reckoned with. With its Turbocharged V6 engine and mind-boggling 4.3 second 0-60 time, the Syclone is still absurdly fast for a truck. Today, I thought I’d list a couple cars that the Syclone is still faster than. Let’s go!
Starting with the 2020 Ford Mustang GT, a 5.0-liter V8 powered, 460 horsepower, 6-speed manual monster can do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. That’s right, the Mustang GT is 0.2 seconds slower to 60 miles an hour than a 30-year-old midsize truck. The Mustang does catch the Syclone up in the ¼ mile though, with it running a 12.9 instead of the Syclone’s 13.4. The Mustang sure isn’t slow and that truck sure is fast.
Next up is the 2001 Lamborghini Diablo. Doing 0-60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, the V12 powered Lambo is a tenth off of the Syclone, but like the Mustang, just edges it out down the strip. The Diablo runs a 13.0, so 0.4 seconds quicker, but still pretty good for a truck.
Our Last contender is the Ford F-150 Raptor. Doing the run to 60 in 5.2 seconds, the Raptor is no slouch, but it’s 450 horsepower twin-turbo V6 only runs the truck down the quarter in 14.3 seconds, which is 0.9 seconds slower than the GMC.
Pricing wise, the Syclone was the deal of the century but prices quickly rose with Syclones we found sitting at a cool $30,000. This does make the Syclone cheaper than any one of the vehicles listed above, so maybe give it a look. Oh, and my little brother wants one for his first car but dad seems suspect of that idea.
John Lingenfelter had built an intercooled, twin turbo’d 427 Syclone years ago. Every year he’d bring it with one of his Corvettes to Car & Driver magazine’s “Supercar Shootout’s”, and run it against the Lambo’s, Ferraris, and all. It’d kick all their asses until it would invariably break the transmission.
That drive train in a Camaro would of been off the charts!
Journalistic pet peeve:
* would’ve been * or * would have been *
It’s a contraction. The word ‘of’ is incorrect.
Also: “drivetrain”.
Agreed. It would’ve been a great drivetrain for a Camaro.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Apparently I’m an Idiot David (a happy one though)
I kills me that the headline is written “Cyclone”
A car guy did that.
Maybe, the next time(s) this story is run, it will have the correct automotive spelling.
Or, not.
At the time of production for legality reasons Mercury still held the Copyright on the nameplate. When Ford let go of the Futura copyright Pepboys took it for one of their tire lines.
If it were a Ford, I’d have to slap Lohnes’ fingers with a ruler. Since it’s a GM, who cares.
Is this your first piece, Tom?
Well done, and pay no attention to the guys in the balcony.