The $26,000 GMC Pickup That Humiliated a Ferrari in 1991

Thirty-three years ago, GMC engineers did something that still makes car enthusiasts smile. They raided the corporate parts bin, grabbed bits from Chevy S-10s, Corvettes, and even Astro vans, and pieced together a compact pickup that would go on to embarrass a $122,000 Ferrari. The result was the 1991 GMC Syclone, a low-slung, turbocharged monster that accidentally created the muscle-truck segment—and then vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

3-liter V6 with a Mitsubishi turbocharger, a Corvette four-speed automatic transmission, and an all-wheel-drive system borrowed from a minivan. The formula worked. 4 seconds. 5. The Syclone cost $25,970. The Ferrari? $122,180.

But here’s the catch. The Syclone couldn’t tow a thing. Its official towing capacity was zero pounds, and its payload maxed out at 500. The bed was mostly for show. Sales stalled during the early ’90s recession, and GMC pulled the plug after just 2,995 units. Today, Ford and Ram rule the muscle-truck world with the Raptor R and TRX, both pushing over 700 horsepower and selling for six figures.

GMC’s most powerful Sierra offers 420 horses. It’s a great work truck. But it’s no Ferrari killer. And that’s a shame.