Hot Rod
Buick may be puzzled about how to use its great little 3.8L or upgraded 3800-series turbo motors, but another GM division has a grand idea that may just put all of us “boy racers” into GMC S-15 pickups. Recently unveiled at the Chicago auto show is the GMC Syclone, a 3.8L turbocharged and intercooled enhanced version of the legendary Buick Grand National V6 engine with 270 horsepower and 370 lbs-ft. of torque. Lighter than a Grand National Regal, the Syclone (Yes, it’s spelled with an “S.” Maybe it should be a “Slyclone!”) is designed to blast from zero to 60 in under six seconds, with an estimated quarter-mile performance in the 13-second range at about 103 mph! Its low-ridin’ profile is accented by ground-effects panels, air dams, a rear tonneau cover, and a spoiler with deep-tinted glass. The line forms to the left, over there with all the other “boy racers.”