Grunge-era Syclone Marlboro Edition is a Red-Hot Relic
One of only 10 built, this high-dollar build might just be the holy grail of GM’s turbo trucks.
The early ’90s were a sad time in the world of performance automobiles. Well, for the most part anyway. “Sports” cars in general just didn’t have much power, though things were admittedly getting better. In fact, as crazy as it sounds today, the best high performance vehicles on the market weren’t cars at all. They were trucks and SUVs. Namely, the GMC Syclone and Typhoon.
The GMC Syclone exploded onto the scene in 1991 as a high performance version of the regular old Sonoma compact pickup. Armed with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6, the little pickup immediately became the quickest production truck in the world. Output was rated at 280 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, good enough for a 4.6 second 0-60 time and 13.4 second quarter mile.
Those numbers hold up well even today, and were downright scary back in 1991. Still, a mere 2,995 GMC Syclone pickups were built in 1991, and only 3 in 1992. But the one you’re looking at right now, a special-edition Marlboro Syclone, makes the regular truck look like a mass produced vehicle. Only ten of the smokin’ hot Marlboro trucks were built. And all of them went to the winners of The Marlboro Racing ‘92 Contest.
Each of the 10 trucks reportedly cost over $100,000 to build, as they feature a number of enhancements. The builds were spearheaded by Larry Shinoda himself, designer of iconic cars like the Corvette Stingray. All ten sport a removable targa-style roof panel with bed storage, Boyd Coddington wheels, PPG “Hot Licks” red paint, and a Guidon tonneau cover.
Performance add-ons include a PROMPaq performance chip and Borla stainless steel exhaust. The Marlboro GMC Syclone trucks were lowered three inches thanks to a BellTech suspension. Finally, the interior sports racy Recaro leather seats with five point harnesses and a Momo steering wheel.
This particular Marlboro GMC Syclone is number 6 of 10. Plus, it was formerly owned by renowned custom car builder Tom Argue. With a mere 3,435 miles on the clock, it’s about as nice an example as you’ll find. And with an asking price of $79,995, likely the most expensive. But considering the fact that we’ve never even seen one up for sale, maybe that’s a smoking hot deal after all!
