The Forgotten GMC Pickup That Beat A Ferrari 348 In The Quarter-Mile

I like to imagine that someone cackled and said, “It’s ALIVE,” as lightning flashed when one heck of a Franken-truck was built by GMC. The forgotten pickup literally raided spare parts bins to exist in limited numbers. As General Motors took a gamble on developing a muscle truck, it made a few mistakes.

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It accidentally sparked the muscle-truck wars, which are currently dominated by the Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX. Plus, the street-oriented truck accidentally crushed a Ferrari 348 in the quarter-mile at a fraction of the cost. So, General Motors ended up embarrassing itself.

Things got worse for the brand as GMC pulled the plug on its monstrosity way too early. The project was completely abandoned, as this legendary truck quickly disappeared. GMC basically handed the muscle truck segment to its biggest rivals after accidentally inventing it. If an equivalent affordable model existed today, it would fly off the lots.

General Motors Built A Muscle Truck With Spare Parts

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Roughly 30 years ago, GMC made the wild decision to build a street-performance truck, designed as a halo vehicle to revitalize the brand’s utilitarian image. So, this goal already has an issue. A muscle truck goes against the traditional utilitarian principles of being useful or practical, as these vehicles tend to maximize driver enjoyment without the ability to tow very well.

But the project was green-lit, and engineers took to raiding parts bins to build this tiny monster truck. The pickup has a Chevy S-10 or GMC Sonoma base. The lower suspension components from the S-10 give it a lowered stance. It received a Mitsubishi TD06-17C turbocharger and a Garrett water-to-air intercooler.

Plus, it borrowed its BorgWarner all-wheel-drive transfer case from the GMC Safari and Chevrolet Astro vans. The truck borrowed the 48mm twin-bored throttle body from the Chevy Corvette C4 to increase airflow as well. A four-speed automatic transmission from the Corvette completes the build. But it did have a few unique traits. For example, it has model-specific front spoilers and distinct aerodynamic body cladding.

The 1991 GMC Syclone Beat The Ferrari 348 At A Fraction Of The Cost

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One extremely important piece of hardware in the 1991 GMC Syclone is the 262 cubic-inch 4.3-liter OHV 90-degree V6 that delivers 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the Mitsubishi turbocharger, Corvette transmission and other components, this truck was able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. It crushes a quarter mile in about 13.4 seconds at 98 miles per hour with a top speed of 124 mph.

This truck ended up racing the Ferrari 348 in a quarter-mile. The Ferrari 348 has a 3.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine with 296 hp and 238 lb-ft of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.6 seconds and covers a quarter mile in around 14.3 seconds with a top speed of 171 mph.

When they met to race for a Car and Driver showdown, the Syclone left the Ferrari 348 Transversale Spider in the dust by reaching the 0 to 60 mph mark in 4.3 seconds compared to 5.6 seconds for the Ferrari. It won the quarter-mile race with a 14.1-second time while the Ferrari crossed the finish line at 14.5 seconds.

GMC Syclone Vs Competitors

This was embarrassing for the 348, as this race allowed the Syclone to earn its famous “Ferrari Killer” nickname. It was the fastest stock production truck in the world! The 1991 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds, so this truck was a sports car murderer.

The 1991 GMC Syclone had an MSRP of $25,970 while the Ferrari 348 Transversale Spider started at $122,180. The sports car was embarrassed by a truck with a starting price $95,210 lower. Too bad this legendary racing upset didn’t provide enough faith in the GMC Syclone for General Motors to keep it alive.

But the Syclone Wasn’t Great At Traditional Truck Things​

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Unfortunately, the GMC Syclone didn’t last long, as it wasn’t very good at practical truck tasks. The Syclone had an officially rated towing capacity of zero pounds, so that’s not good for a pickup truck’s utility. On top of that, the Syclone has a payload capacity that’s limited to 500 pounds. It looked like a regular truck; however, its bed was pretty much ornamental due to the pickup’s suspension and drivetrain setup.

The all-wheel-drive system and transmission were basically developed for rapid acceleration, not pulling heavy loads. On top of those problems, the truck features aerodynamic body cladding that’s paired with a lowered, sports-tuned suspension. So, it wasn’t equipped to go off-roading, and GMC advised drivers to stick to the pavement.

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GMC was getting cold feet because the pickup wasn’t exactly helping its utilitarian image, and it launched during the early 1990s economic recession. As a result, it faced sluggish sales, as buyers considered its price too high for a novelty truck. A number of models were just sitting at dealerships, taking up space.

Then General Motors decided to shift its resources to the GMC Typhoon instead, to provide an athletic option with seating for up to five passengers before totally killing the project. Only 2,995 Syclone trucks were produced in 1991, followed by three models in 1992. The exact number of surviving models is unknown, but around 1,800 to 2,500 of them may still exist.

Now GMC Sits On The Muscle Truck Sidelines​

Ford

The 1991 GMC Syclone may have launched the muscle truck segment, but it exited the space too quickly to take advantage of its power and essentially handed it over to Ram and Ford. After decades, GMC still doesn’t have a truck that’s well-equipped to compete with the highly popular Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX, when it could’ve dominated them.

The 2026 Ford F-150 Raptor R packs a punch with a 5.2-liter V8 engine that delivers 720 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.6 seconds and completes a quarter mile in 12.4 seconds. It can tow up to 10,000 pounds and carry a payload of up to 2,235 pounds. Also, it has an MSRP of $112,000, but due to high demand and dealership markups, it typically goes for between $130,000 and $145,000.

Ram

Next, the 2026 Ram 1500 TRX SRT comes in hot with its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 with 777 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds and covers a quarter mile in roughly 12.2 seconds. This truck can tow up to 8,100 pounds and carry a payload of up to 1,400 pounds. It has an MSRP of $99,995.

The most powerful full-size 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 uses a 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.3 seconds with a 5.4-second quarter-mile time. This truck tows up to 13,100 pounds and carries a payload of up to 2,274 pounds. So, at least it’s good at truck stuff. But can you imagine if GMC still offered an affordable compact sports truck today? People are more than willing to spend serious money on novelty pickups now.

Source: Hagerty, Zero To 60 Times