In the late 1920s, General Motors added companion nameplates to Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac. The idea was to broaden market coverage and fill the price gaps between makes. Pontiac was introduced as the companion to Oakland in 1926 and quickly sold more cars than its parent, which was discontinued in 1931.

The 1937-’38 Pontiacs are sought out by collectors for several reasons. For starters, there was no longer a wood skeleton to rot or warp in a Pontiac body. General Motors bodies were now all steel, including the “Turret Top” roof of sedans and coupes in place of a fabric roof panel. Secondly, the channel-section frame with a central X member was beefed up. In addition, Pontiac replaced its troublesome Dubonnet system that was not very durable with a better independent front suspension. A Hotchkiss rear drive replaced a torque tube system that improved traction in all Pontiacs by this time.

Although engineering improvements are great, it is style that appeals first to a potential buyer, and the Pontiacs had plenty of style. The 1937 and ’38 Pontiacs featured wonderful Art Deco streamlining with swoopy pontoon fenders that bulged from the body, plus rounded hoods that towered over the fenders, butterfly hoods, teardrop-shaped headlamp housings, split windshields and rear suicide doors. 

The 1937 and ’38 Pontiac was not a gussied-up Chevrolet. Pontiacs used GM’s new, larger B bodies shared with Oldsmobile, LaSalle and smaller Buicks. One does not have to be a contortionist to get into a relatively roomy ’37 or ’38 Poncho. 

Of course, Pontiac’s Silver Streaks must be mentioned. They were designed by Franklin Q. Hershey and were first applied to Pontiacs in 1935. This design feature on the hoods and trunks of Pontiacs identifies them from several blocks away. Hershey allegedly saw a photo of an old French Napier race car with finned oil coolers jutting out from the top of the hood and was inspired to create the Silver Streaks.

In 1937, Hershey produced a grille ensemble consisting of five groupings split down the middle by the Silver Streak. The top grille element ran the length of the hood. Another distinctive feature was the 39-degree slant of the windshield. Virgil Exner, later to be famous at Chrysler Corp., made detail changes to the 1938 Pontiac. He designed a grille with 14 bars that were bisected with a Silver Streak. On the hood sides were 10 louvers for six-cylinder cars and 12 slots for the eights. In the center of the front bumper was an Indian head insignia.

Inside, a rectangular cluster housed the bar speedometer and axillary gauges in front of the driver featuring black graphics over ivory faces. For ’37, there was an generator “idiot light,” replaced in ’38 with an ammeter. The Pontiac interior featured comfortable “living room sofa seats,” and the back seat seemed miles away from the front seat thanks to the large body affording a spacious interior. The clutch and brake pedals jutted out from the floor that was nearly flat with only some transmission intrusion. 

For both model years, Pontiac offered a flathead six and eight. The six generated 85-hp — equal to Ford’s Flathead V-8 that year! The eight-in-a-line flattie produced 100 hp. Both engines were vibration-free and quiet. 

The Pontiac line included two- and four-passenger coupes; two- and four-door sedans with either a flatback or a bustle-back trunk; a convertible coupe; four-door station wagon; and four-door convertible sedan, its first. Because the open-top sedan was only offered in 1937 and 1938, and only as a flatback, it is a sought-after model. Pontiac shared its convertible sedan body with Buick, LaSalle and Cadillac while Chevrolet never offered the body style in the United States.

The undisputed image model of the Pontiac lineup was the new four-door convertible sedan. Out of 179,244 Pontiacs produced in 1937, Pontiac authority John Gunnell uncovered that just 1,266 convertible sedans were made. The threadbare 1930s were bad enough, but a recession hit in 1938 slowed the United States’ crawl out of the Great Depression and caused Pontiac output to tumble to a low of 77,713 cars. Speculating on that figure, the number of fliptop sedans built in 1938 was probably less than 520 units, because they were the most expensive model in the Pontiac line.

Documented Pontiac convertible sedan survivors include 13 examples from 1937 and just 3 from 1938. The featured vehicle is the 24th constructed in 1938 and is powered by the inline six. It has the column-mounted gear shifter that was first offered in ’38. Other features include safety glass, a lock button on the parking brake, heater and radio.

The owners’ history of the featured car can be traced to the beginning. A Mr. Childs bought it in 1938 and later traded it in for a new Chevrolet in 1947. An 18-year-old U.S. Navy recruiter bought the car at that point. He drove it 2,000 miles to Florida for flight school and 3,000 miles to San Diego for his carrier-based assignment. During the Korean War, the Poncho was stored outside. Upon his return from Korea, the original and faded dark-blue Pontiac was repainted beige. The sailor sold the car to an engineer student in 1952 who kept it until 1958. Ken Walker, of Sacramento, Calif., owned the soft top sedan from 1958 to 1960. Tom Stroup, also of Sacramento, was the caretaker from 1960 to 1985. John Edwards, who moved from Sacramento to Sheldon, Wash., had the convertible sedan from 1985 to 2015. From 2015 to his 2023 death, the Pontiac was owned by Don Bougher of Keizer, Ore. He founded the Pontiac-Oakland Club International in 1972.

With components of the Pontiac in various states of disrepair, Edwards decided to bring the soft-top sedan back to its former glory. For 10 years, he collected NOS parts for a future restoration. In 2003 he began a complete body-off restoration. The home restoration was an incredible investment of dedication, time, skill and money. During the restoration, Edwards had it repainted 1938 Winona Maroon for the body and black for the fenders. This color combination provides flair that really displays the lines on the car. The restoration cost reportedly exceeded $100,000.

In 2013, Edwards’ droptop sedan was one of ten cars invited to an indoor exhibition celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Pontiac. It won a platinum level trophy at the 400-plus car show.

In 2015, Edwards’ sun worshipping sedan participated in the eminent Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance in Oregon where the convertible won first place in class. This was a first for Pontiac at the event. It was a surprise that the home restoration, although impeccable, qualified to be entered.

When Edwards learned he only had a few months to live, he sold the Pontiac to Bougher, who bought it sight-unseen, because he found it too good to pass up since it was a turn-key car without any flaws. Bougher found the Pontiac to be a “see and be seen in” car, and enjoyed the convertible as long as he could.

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Prior to living in Milford, Dela., where Larry and Susan Sullivan now have room for an old pickup, they lived in Jersey City, N.J., which is across the Hudson River from New York City. Jersey City is congested, with buildings erected close together; even the houses that were built there during the 1930s and 1940s are so close together that there is no space for a driveway between them. So, if the houses have a front porch, residents often put their car’s hood or trunk under the deck and hope the other end of the vehicle does not go over the public sidewalk. In short, there was no room for a collector vehicle at the Sullivans’ home in Jersey City.

Since gaining more space in their move to Delaware, Larry and Susan purchased the featured 1950 International Harvester L110 pickup. The truck was found on the side of a Virginia road with a “for sale” sign in it.

“I was looking for a project like a Ford or Chevy, because they are the easiest to get parts,” Larry said. “But prices for them have shot through the stratosphere due to the auctions on TV. Everyone thought that their rust buckets were gold!” Susan encouraged him to buy the International.

IH was the last company to come out with an all-new postwar pickup design. At General Motors, the Chevrolet and GMC trucks had been totally restyled for 1947, as was the Willys pickup inspired by the World War II jeep. Ford and Dodge modernized their pickups in 1948, and Studebaker introduced a more contemporary pickup in 1949. By 1950, the postwar sellers’ market had faded, so it was a good thing that International featured all-new skin for that year. Ted Ornas is credited with the design.

The 1950 International featured fashionable, up-to-date lines that were squarer than before. The pickup, though, did not break from tradition and had separate fenders that bulged from the body, and continued to incorporate running boards. The front fender tops were level and without any valleys. The domed hood still towered over the fenders, but it was spread out wider and flatter. The wide, blunt grille had two horizontal bars at the lower end and 19 vertical slots above the double strips. The headlamps were firmly fixed into keyhole shapes with rectangular parking lenses below. There was a one-piece curved windshield and a divided backlite, both sealed in the cab with a rubberized molding. The pickup rode a 115-inch wheelbase, and the 6.5-foot-long box had a metal cargo floor.

There is a lot of exposed metal that is painted in the IH’s interior. The floor extends “Oklahoma flat” with clutch and brake floor pedals toward the toe board. The instrument panel is broad and flat with two round dials in front of the driver. The left circle contains four gauges: the voltmeter is at the 1 o’clock position, the temperature at the 4 o’clock, the oil pressure at the 7 o’clock, and the fuel is at 11. The circle on the right houses the odometer and the 80-mph speedometer. Gauges use white markings against black backgrounds. Aside from monitoring the mechanical health of the truck, there are no “infotainment” features.

At the center of the instrument panel is the ignition to start the pickup. On the left are two pull knobs. The top knob is for the wipers, and the bottom knob for the lights. To the right of the keyhole, on the top, is the throttle knob that adjusts the fuel and air mixture, and a lower knob works the choke to help start the engine.

The synchronized three-speed manual is column mounted, and the emergency brake has a claw-shaped handle. Larry’s pickup has a block-off plate where the optional radio would be mounted.

“The big, chrome ashtray sits prominently in the center, embossed with the name ‘International,’” Larry notes. There is a button horn in the center of the steering wheel with IH’s three diamond logo. The more familiar IH corn binder emblem that looks like a person on a tractor was designed by Raymond Loewy. The hubcaps have this IH emblem.

A 1950 print advertisement for the International pickup stated, “The Comfort-Vision Cab will put a smile on your face. The roomiest cab on the road.  You get full front visibility through the one-piece Sweptright windshield. You get more positive steering control from a more comfortable driving position.  You get new maneuverability, shortest practical turning circle.”

In addition to a new body, the 1950 International also had a new engine.  It was an overhead-valve six-cylinder that was called “Silver Diamond.” This 220.5-cid six produced 100 hp with 173.5 lb.-ft. of torque.

The components of Larry and Susan’s pickup were in various states of disrepair when they purchased it.

“The cloth-covered wires were brittle and causing electrical shorts,” Larry said. “The front end was all worn out, as was the leaf springs, shocks, exhaust system, cooling system, radiator and water pump.

“I replaced leaf springs and shocks at Glen’s Performance in Lincoln, Delaware, as well as repaired wipers, door window tracks and gaskets,” Larry continued. “Big work was done at William T. Wadkins Garage in Milford.  Bill is an IH aficionado and completely rewired top to bottom while converting from 6 to 12 volts. He acquired the parts to rebuild the front end and braking system, rebuilt the carburetor and cleaned out the gas tank. The radiator was sent out to get boiled out and braised, and the water pump was rebuilt.”

With the challenges came rewards. Larry and Susan now have their own personal time machine. Larry enjoys the old school feel from the front I-beam axle, making this presentable hobby hauler ride and sound like a truck from 75 years ago. The low-gear pickup is not for four-lane highways, but for two lane roads, and so Larry drives on scenic, low-traffic byways.

“No electric beeping or a voice telling you how to drive,” Larry says. “Just a fun ride. You’re driving it. It is not driving you.”

The pickup body is drenched in dark green paint while the four fenders have black plumage.

“The interior ceiling and floor are black, as well as the vinyl seat and door panels,” Larry added.

Larry says the easiest way to know his IH pickup is a 1950 model is by its internal door hinges (1950 IH trucks have internal hinges while the ’51 and ’52 have external hinges). He learned this fact from a woman at a car show. She was a little girl when her father bought a new 1950 International pickup and was delighted that Larry let her sit in his truck.

Larry noted that the cargo floor in his truck is metal while earlier IH cargo floors were made of wood. He constructed oak wood railings for the cargo box and also used oak to replace the very damaged metal running boards.

“It’s not perfect, but we’re not trying to make it perfect,” Larry says. “It doesn’t win many awards, but it always makes people smile.”

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Jim Dworschack owns a piece of history in his 1948 Nash pickup. His prized piece of memorabilia is so uncommon, it was rarely seen — even when new.

“The Nash pickup I have I first saw in the early ’70s, when I made a trip to the Nash Club member’s house… in Oswego, Illinois,” said Jim, a resident of Soldiers Grove, Wis. “I had never seen a Nash pickup before, hence the journey to see it.” 

Actually, what Jim saw was parts of the pickup, because owner Bob Moser had taken it apart to restore it. Although Jim only saw pieces, he said, “It turns out to be the only one I have seen other than the prototype truck.”

The prototype Nash pickup he’s referring to had a 1942 Nash 600 front clip and cabin up to the B pillar. A panel was welded to the car body, behind the B pillar, to form the pickup cab. The fabrication was placed on a 1936 Nash frame. Perfect Steel Body Co. provided a pickup box, and the rear fenders came from a 1941 Ambassador.

The prototype pickup was used by the Nash plant until it was gifted to a retiring engineer in the late 1950s. This engineer traded it in at Walter Rambler, of Madison, Wis. The dealership then used it as a shop truck. Later, one of the dealership’s mechanics bought it for use on his farm. This technician’s son disassembled it, like Jim’s truck, for a long period of time. In 1980, Nash Club member Don Lope bought and reassembled it.

Before buying Bob’s truck, Jim was going to build his own Nash pickup.

“I am aware of two pickups that were made by people using big Nash truck cabs on sedan chassis coupled with a vintage pickup bed from another make, and two just cut-down donor sedans, home jobs.”

Bringing the Nash pickup back to life had become a stalled project for Bob, although Jim didn’t know it at the time he first saw it.

“After not seeing Bob Moser for perhaps 10 years, I bumped into him at the ’86 Nash meet,” Jim said. “I told him about my idea of how to make a Nash pickup. When I got done telling him the details, he just looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you buy mine?’ So, I did.”

Jim restored the Nash back to its original configuration. 

“Upon going to get the pickup, I found it all just as I remembered seeing it about 14 years previously,” Jim said. “The cab had been restored and the chassis painted. Essentially, I bought a pile of pieces, and within a year, had it restored and on the road in 1987.” The result was a mechanically sound, cosmetically appealing and road worthy truck.

The cab and front clip of Jim’s 1948 Nash pickup is based on the Ambassador model of that year, so it looks similar to the prototype Nash pickup, which had a 1942 Nash 600 front clip. (Like other manufacturers, Nash carried over its 1942 bodies for several years after World War II ended.) Since Nash didn’t go to unibody construction until 1949, Jim’s Nash uses the 1948 Ambassador’s separate frame-and-body construction. 

“These pickups were built on the ’48 convertible chassis, which had some extra reinforcing on the standard ’48 frame,” Jim said. “The entire driveline was the normal Nash Ambassador Six, overdrive transmission, with the sedan’s normal 4.4:1 rear-axle ratio. The sheet metal is the basic Ambassador four-door sedan. The roof was modified, of course, with the creation of sheet metal behind the driver’s seat. With the headliner removed, one can see the welded seam across the roof where the cab rear section stamping was welded to the standard four-door sedan roof. The backlight consists of three windows similar to the Advance-Design Chevrolet. 

“The cab and all stampings had to be made at the Seaman body plant in Milwaukee, as there were no sheet metal stamping facilities at the Kenosha facility at the time,” Jim explained.

Additional parts on the pickup not found on a ’48 Ambassador sedan are heavy-duty springs and shocks, as well as pickup-sized rear leaf springs.

“The bed, I think, was made by Heil for Nash,” Jim said. “Spacers were made in order to be able to use the standard rear fenders.” Since Heil was in Milwaukee, Jim’s theory is logical.

As on earlier versions of pickups built by the Independents, Jim’s 1948 Nash pickup benefitted from passenger car styling cues and comforts. 

“All appointments inside are the same as the Ambassador, including the famous Weather Eye heating system, sedan seat, etc. The door panels and below-the-dash kick panels are Masonite with a leatherette-type grain stamped on them. The headliner cardboard also has leatherette-type grain finish. The floor is covered with the standard passenger car rubber floor mat. Even the wood-grained dash and window surrounds are what the autos would have.”

Jim’s pickup was originally a company truck for Nash’s Milwaukee body plant. According to Nash Club member Bernie Turco, by 1954 this pickup was being used by Jensen Crankshaft of Kenosha. Bob Moser bought it from Jensen in the late ’60s.

It has been said that the Nash pickup would have had a hefty price tag, which is probably why it didn’t catch on with the public.

“I talked with a Nash member who worked at a Nash dealership in ’48, when the dealer received promotional information from the company. He remembers the pickup costing about twice as much as a basic Ambassador. I have never seen production figures for the pickup, but like the big (Nash) trucks, they are thought to have far more sales oversees than domestically, and likely for the same reason — cost.

“Bernie recollected that the 1-1/2-ton Nash trucks were assembled in shops on 30th Avenue at the Kenosha plant (not on an assembly line). We speculated that it was likely the pickups were likewise assembled in these shops. The pickups, while being on the convertible chassis, were different enough that they wouldn’t likely mesh with the standard production line.”

The original exterior color of Jim’s truck was red, which is how he painted it in 1987. 

“All trim was chrome plated, as on the car, except the rear bumper was specific to the pickup and painted,” Jim said. “Over the years, I lettered the doors with the original Nash lettering, as shown in the factory photo.”

As can be surmised from being based on a convertible chassis, the pickup has 1940s sedan road manners, but with the added benefit of a pickup truck’s carrying capabilities.

“The truck drives and steers easily, just like a car, because it essentially is a car!” Jim says. “Being a car chassis, it has a long, low look to it, very un-pickup like for the era.”

Despite being restored, Jim’s pickup continues to occasionally work. In addition to giving Sunday rides, the Nash does double-duty hauling wood, furniture and Nash parts. After all, it is a pickup!

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For more than a half century, America’s most popular truck has been the Ford F-150, and many people probably assume it was also the first truck. However, the first truck was built several years before the Ford Motor Co. was even incorporated. 

In 1896, Daimler built what is recognized as the first truck, and six years later — more than a century before today’s Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck — Studebaker laid claim in 1902 to building America’s first electric truck.

Since neither the 1896 Daimler nor the 1902 Studebaker truck are common sights, few would know what either vehicle looked like unless shown photos. However, William Eggers has built replicas of both trucks that are stylistically faithful to the originals and bring their history to life. 

The wiz behind the trucks

Known as “Wild Bill” because of his love for motorcycles, William Eggers began tinkering around at age six, well before attending vocational grammar and high school. When he was 12 years old, he made a wooden go-cart with his family’s old lawn mower. Eggers was buzzing along Sunrise Highway in Queens, New York, until the police caught up with him and brought him home. After they left, his mother said, “I’m so proud of what you made.” 

Eggers then took construction technology in college “until they said I know more than the professors and I’m wasting my time,” he recalls.

For 55 years, Eggers was a carpenter contractor in Manhattan until the Sept. 11 tragedy. Now retired to Goshen, Conn., his projects take about a year to complete.

Eggers is currently reproducing the first aircraft that was made by Gottlieb Daimler and not the Wright Brothers.

“I’m having too much fun in my shop seven days a week.” 

Eggers has expanded his skill set beyond carpenter to engineer, sculptor and welder, all without a computer. In addition to recreating early vehicles, Eggers refurbishes old motorcycles. The vehicles that Eggers has recreated are often sold to museums and private collectors. Besides the 1896 Daimler and 1902 Studebaker trucks, he has duplicated the 1867 Roper, the first coal-fire-steam motorcycle; an 1865 Wells Fargo stagecoach; and the chariots used by Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd in the movie “Ben Hur.” 

Recreating the earliest trucks

Inventor Gottlieb Daimler was determined to find applications for his engine, and he applied it to a motorcycle, trolley car and the first truck. His truck was basically a carriage with an engine.

The engine was called a Phoenix, a two-cylinder unit that produced 4 hp and could propel the Daimler truck to a top speed of 6 mph. It could run on gasoline, coal gas or lamp fuel.   

The Daimler’s engine was located in the back of the truck. Two helical springs were used to protect the engine, which was sensitive to road vibrations.  The engine was behind the rear axle and drove that axle with a chain. A bench seat was in front. There was a steering wheel which directed chains to move the leaf-sprung front axle right or left. The hauler had a payload of 3,307 lbs., and its wooden sides could drop down to make a flatbed. This first truck was used to deliver beer kegs to taverns in London.

Eggers also made a replica of an 1898 Daimler commercial vehicle. “This was the first truck with the engine in the front,” Eggers says.

The 1902 Studebaker electric commercial vehicle was powered by a single Westinghouse standard vehicle motor.  It was rated at 40 volts (pressure to make electrons move) and 24 amperes (amount of current). This resulted in 1.5 hp. The top speed was 13 mph with a driving range of 40 miles per charge.  The motor was under the bench seat and moved the rear wheels with a chain.

The Studebaker had a tiller for steering, and there were two brake systems with one working on the rear axle drums and the other working on the countershaft of the motor. Both brakes were foot operated. There were four speeds forward as well as four speeds for backward motion. The electric speed control was at the seat to the driver’s left. There were semi-elliptical front springs and full-elliptical rear springs.

Eggers obtained measurements of the early trucks by going on the internet at his local library. 

“I made my own scale ruler to measure any part,” he said.

With any project, he starts construction by building the frame and wheels and then moves onto the body and fittings. For the Daimler, Eggers was able to determine the body was built from mahogany. 

“All the steel brass fittings I made myself,” he says. “The springs came from the Amish off their carriages. The chain is stock and fits factory gears.”

He notes the original Daimler truck rolled on hard iron wheels.

“I have a steel band around the wheels for strength and a rubber inset, because when I sold it, the new owners did not want steel ruining the floors.” 

One is hard-pressed to tell the difference between the original Daimler truck and Eggers’ reproduction. One divergence is the powerplants. Instead of the original Phoenix engine, Eggers installed a Kohler. “It has about two times the original power in one cylinder.”  

Eggers’ 1902 Studebaker truck recreation is likewise faithful to the original. Again, he went to the library to find pictures of the original.  

Again, Eggers created the brass fittings and built the body.

“Dark wood is mahogany, and painted wood is popular,” he says, adding that the “lamp oil lights are from the Amish…. all springs from the Amish. Axles are also from the Amish, adjusted for my needs.” 

Since obtaining an electric Studebaker engine would be impossible, Eggers used a Leeson Motor Speedmaster 24-volt system with two deep-cycle 12-volt batteries. Unlike the original, which had four forward and four reverse gears, Eggers’ model has one gear forward and one reverse.

Although Eggers does not own a computer, he has a website. All of his projects can be seen at www.williameggersmotorcycles.com. 

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Cars and trucks often depict points in time and symbolize the world in which they were created. Some even become “segment busters” that establish a new vehicle category. One such segment buster was the compact truck offered in the United States by multiple Japanese manufacturers during the 1970s.

Japanese pickups became the ideal type of hauler in the United States during the fuel-starved 1970s when the norm was odd-even days of gasoline rationing, long gas lines and high prices for whatever gas might be available. Overnight, these compact pickups became money-saving alternatives to those who needed to haul, but didn’t need much carry capacity or power to do it. Adding to their appeal, many found that the compact Japanese pickups could be cosmetically and mechanically customized, attracting many young men to them during the 1970s.

Datsun and Toyota were among those Japanese manufacturers that offered compact trucks for 1970, and in 1972, Mazda’s entry joined them. Meanwhile, Detroit’s Big Three offered no mini pickups and had none on the drawing boards. To quickly get into the compact truck game, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. entered into joint ventures with Japanese brands that already offered compact trucks. Chevrolet brought out the badge-engineered Isuzu Faster as the Chevy LUV (light utility vehicle) while Ford offered the Courier based upon a Mazda B-series pickup. Both began to be sold in the United States for 1972.

These compact pickups all had overhead-cam, inline four-cylinder engines in front, a rear axle, a four-speed manual transmission and an independent front suspension paired with a leaf-spring rear suspension. For 1974, Toyota’s little pickup had 106 hp, Datsun’s pickup touted 100 hp, Mazda’s version had 85 hp, the Chevy LUV put out 75 hp and the Ford Courier was good for 74 hp. Then Mazda stirred things up, and between 1974 and 1977, it offered the Rotary Power pickup, now referred to by enthusiasts as the REPU (pronounced rhee-poo, an acronym for Rotary Engine Pick-Up).

The Mazda REPU was the first and only rotary engine-powered pickup. Mazda’s Wankel (pronounced van-kel) engine is a combustion engine that makes crank power by rotation motion rather than reciprocating motion, as on a regular internal-combustion engine. The Wankel uses a triangular rotor that revolves in a chamber. In contrast, a piston moves up and down in an internal-combustion engine’s cylinder. There are fewer moving parts in a Wankel, and it is also smaller and lighter for a given horsepower than a conventional internal-combustion engine. Compared to the competition, the Mazda REPU made 110 hp, besting all other compact pickups of the day.

To match its unique power plant, Mazda’s rotary pickup had a distinct design with rectilinear styling. Like other pickups of the time, the cab was short and the bed was long. Pronounced lip flares around the wheels were stamped into the front and rear fenders that suggested muscular haunches. Track width, both front and rear, was greater than the competition, and the REPU was shod with larger tires. Low-beam headlamps were outside of the grille and within the grille were the high-beam headlamps in an arrangement reminiscent of the 1962 Dodge Dart. A large “Rotary Power” call out was on the tailgate.

These charming details and promise of more power caught the eye and swayed original owners to buy the REPU. The sporty steering wheel with two U-shaped spokes, the floor shifter, the pleated door panels and seat upholstery and the deep-pile-cut carpet gave the interior plenty of flair for the day. Woodgrain inserts on the instrument panel further provided the Mazda with a touch of refinement. Also on the instrument panel was a row of three round, deeply hooded gauges with white lettering on black faces. The three instruments included a 110-mph speedometer plus odometer; an 8,000-rpm tachometer; and the third dial housed the coolant level, ammeter and fuel capacity. The only seating option was a bench seat with a low backrest.

In printed advertisements of the day, Mazda said the rotary-engine truck came with power-assisted front disc brakes and a stabilizer bar and a warranty unmatched by any other light truck. Specifically, a 50,000-mile or three-year engine warranty. Rod Serling, of “Twilight Zone” fame, did television ads and hawked the 1974 Mazda REPU as “The pickup with pick up.”

Colton Broderick is the proud owner of the featured 1974 REPU. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., resident said, “I had been working for a shop called Lucky7Racing for a few years as a mechanic fixing rotary engines and the toys they are sold in. I was drawn in immediately to the classic body lines of the Mazda Rotary Power pickups. They were simple but spoke to me.” Broderick knew these trucks were innovative, ahead of the curve and a trend setter, and he eventually found one of his own.

“I personally like the aggressive fender flares, the unique and tasteful rotor-shaped hood emblem in the middle of the grille, the optional ‘Rotary Power’ on the tailgate, and the passenger-side battery box cover just in front of the rear tire,” Broderick says of the REPU.

When Broderick bought his REPU, it needed some refreshening and attention. As a caretaker of history, Broderick’s truck is more than a possession to him. It is a passion. As someone fanatically devoted to the rotary engine, Broderick did a body-up restoration.

“A full overhaul was done, and this includes anything and everything,” Broderick says. “Every nut, bolt and pre-existing thread was tapped or replaced. The frame was blasted, and the chassis savored. The bed was lined and protected. The dings and dents on the 22-gauge sheet metal were troublesome. On top of my 40-hour work week, I was determined to make this REPU beautiful.”

The body panels are smooth and accented with show-quality chrome. The blue paint is well applied, and the glass is exceptionally clear. The interior looks showroom-fresh again. Broderick is grateful to Fielding Steen-Larson for providing space to work and helping with the labor-intensive work.

Lucky7Racing specializes in upgrading Wankel engines. Motor-vation for Broderick’s pickup came from a more “vitamin enriched” engine using aftermarket parts.

“The truck has a factory 13B [engine] with the old-school vintage air (carburetor), correct rotor housings, and a mild street port,” Broderick says. “I would suspect upgrades of 180 to 200 hp, if not more.”

Mazda only sold 15,000 units in the United and Canada before it discontinued the truck. Today, the Mazda Rotary Pickup has a sainted standing as a cult classic.

Love trucks? Here are a few more articles for your reading enjoyment.

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Back in 1979, when I was engaged to my wife, Bobbi, she was looking to get rid of her 1966 Thunderbird that was giving her trouble. We were going to be moving away from her parents, and she wanted a reliable and economical car to drive when we visited them. I tried to convince Bobbi to buy a midsize Ford Futura, but she wanted a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. I was driving a 1974 Valiant Scamp and liked the rectilinear style of the Fairmont-based Futura, but she bought the Monte Carlo. We were still driving that Monte Carlo 16 years later when I drove it to work one day and the left front wheel fell off.

The ‘Futura’ of Ford’s Ranchero

In addition to myself, the Futura’s “basket handle” B-pillar caught the attention of Jim Stephenson. He thought the Futura would make a great downsized Ford Ranchero. The plus-size LTD-II based Ranchero was gone by the end of 1979, and Ford had no plan to replace it. At this time, Ford Motor Co. had to shrink all of its automobiles to the tune of billions of dollars to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, and tooling up to produce a new, low-volume Ranchero wasn’t in the cards.

Stephenson ran an auto body and paint shop with his partner, George Price, in Pacoima, Calif. He convinced Price that he could build a car-truck hybrid Futura. As a result, Price bought a new Z-7­ — the badge-engineered Mercury counterpart to the Futura — and Stephenson did sheet metal surgery.

The end result was spectacular. The prototype’s wide “wrap over roof pillar,” as it was described in a Futura brochure, became a flying-buttress sail panel that extended beyond an upright rear window. A one-piece fiberglass pickup bed that would not rust or become scratched was installed where the trunk once was. The sloped tail section of the Futura became the tailgate for the pickup truck.

Stephenson and Price showed photos of the prototype to Holmes-Tuttle Lincoln-Mercury in Van Nuys to generate interest in marketing this new Ranchero. The dealership was intrigued and showed the photos to Ford honchos in Detroit. Ford became involved and there was talk of Stephenson setting up a conversion facility near Kansas City, where the Futura was assembled. Ford even gave him engineering specifications of the Futura. Before it could go farther, Stephenson became seriously ill with a collapsed kidney and plans were halted.

As Stephenson’s health somewhat improved, he contacted Bill Feldhorn, president of National Coach Products in Gardena, to produce the pickup as the company was already converting vans. Since Ford would not let Stephenson use the Ranchero name, Feldhorn named his car-truck hybrid “Durango” long before Dodge used the name on its Dakota-based SUV.

Stephenson still had medical issues, so instead of a hands-on position, he acted as a consultant. Thus, unlike the prototype that had reflectors in both ends of the bed box when the tailgate was down, later Durangos only had reflectors and taillamps in the tailgate. There also was no hinged license plate holder when the tailgate was down. A disclaimer warned drivers not to drive the Durango with the tailgate down.

Futuras could come with an overhead-cam four of 140 cubic inches good for 88 hp, a 200-cid overhead-valve inline six that produced 86 hp or a 225-cid V-8 with 115 hp. The four bangers could come with a four-speed manual or an automatic while the six and V-8 only came with an automatic transmission. The estimated 212 Durangos produced in ’81 and ’82 were all equipped with the six-cylinder.

The base Futura cost $4,223 and $2,000 was added for the pickup conversion. In contrast, a base El Camino was $6,988­—some $700 more.

A barn find Durango

At 32 years young, old car enthusiast Chandler Yates, of Lehi, Utah, owns the featured 1981 Ford Durango. He owns, drives, restores and maintains vintage vehicles.

“I became aware of the Durango when I was out purchasing a Ford LTD from an estate sale,” he recalls. “I was wandering around and found this in one of the barns. I knew instantly I had found something very special. It was something I had never seen before.”

The “Rip Van Winkle” Durango had been hibernating for 20 years. According to Chandler, it had electrical issues. He realized this pickup was a vehicle one would not often see on the road, but so did others.

“It was a tough negotiation,” Chandler said. “There were people aware of this pickup and trying to purchase it from different states. I was able to secure the deal and the game began. It took almost six months for the family to locate and reissue a title.”

Chandler used his skills to quickly put the Durango back on the road.

“I was able to pick it up and get it home; we had it running the same day. I spent some time with the electrical and was able to sort out the underlying issues. I wasn’t done there, though. I wanted a reliable and fuel-efficient vehicle that I could use in the high elevation of Utah, and also combat the heat of the desert. I went to the drawing board and designed an adapter plate and built a custom Sniper electronic fuel-injection system for the Durango, bringing the vehicle into the new age of reliability. Being a true survivor, the intention is to restore and repair what is there and keep things as original as possible from when it left National Coach Works facility.”

Chandler had help from his best friend, Nicholas Day, on the Durango and other restorations, like his ’65 Mustang convertible. But unlike the Mustang, Chandler doesn’t plan to restore his Durango.

“I find the patina and age of this pickup to be really beautiful, and I don’t want to take away from the history it shows. The future of the Durango is to become mechanically sound first, and do suspension upgrades, such as disc brakes and air shock suspension. I’ll continue to add some creature comforts like a Bluetooth radio and hands-free calling.

“I can’t help but call it a ‘Foxchero,’ being the only pickup truck built on the Fox-body platform. I intend to keep the pickup and start showing it next summer. Maybe one day my kids will have this vehicle that is rare and was close to their dad’s heart.” 

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Before my children became adults, my wife and I would take them to Wildwood, N.J., aka “Doo-Wop City” due to its mid-century motel names such as Bel Aire (Chevrolet) and Park Lane (Mercury). Ironically posed against those modern hotels’ kidney-shaped pools, zigzag balconies and jutted roof angles were old hucksters that would park nearby to sell fruit from under the shade of their covered pickup boxes.

Some of these 10- to 15-year-old trucks reminded me of the earlier huckster trucks, such as the featured 1949 Chevrolet canopy express truck owned by Patsy and Ivan Kachanoski from Fairmont Hot Springs in British Columbia, Canada.

From horse-drawn to motorized

Farmers started peddling their wares before the Civil War using horse-drawn wagons. Some rode door to door in cities selling their fruits and vegetables. Their horse-drawn wagons were, of course, eventually replaced with motorized trucks. The farmers had their routes and knew customers’ needs. Their trucks often had bells or whistles to announce their arrival, and scales hanging from the roof to weigh produce. The farmers required a covered roof to protect their goods and needed open sides to display their provisions. Peddling fruits and vegetables continued until the 1950s, when supermarkets became the preferred choice of produce shopping.

Chevrolet’s first trucks came out for 1918 with four-cylinder engines and included the Model T with a one-ton chassis and an open cab. For these and other trucks, outside firms made bodies, such as wooden flatbeds or beds covered by eight-post curtain tops. In 1929, Chevrolet began offering a six-cylinder that was rated at 46 hp. Again, the “Bow-Tie” brand provided the chassis and open cab. Other companies built enclosed cabs, pickup beds and additional body types.

Martin-Parry was one of those firms that made specialized commercial bodies for trucks, including for Chevrolet. In 1930, Chevrolet bought the company and renamed it Chevrolet Body Division of General Motors, allowing it to produce in-house body options for customers. In 1931, Chevy debuted a canopy express truck with open body sides and optional curtains or screens. This body type stayed in production until the second-generation 1955 Chevrolet Task Force series of trucks.

Chevrolet’s new-for-1947 “Advance-Design” trucks were the first commercial vehicles to be completely redesigned after World War II. They were wider and lower with hood and roof crowns noticeably lower than the 1946 models. The 1947 Chevrolet trucks had horizontal grilles made up of five bars, and headlamps were now in the fenders. All four fenders had the “fat fender” look of the 1940s. To add comfort, the body sides hung over the frame rails, allowing three passengers to comfortably sit across the seat. The windshield was fixed with cowl-mounted wipers, and there were concealed door hinges and an alligator hood. These Advance-Design trucks had a fresh, new “plump” body style that General Motors designer Chuck Jordan referred to as “round and juicy.”

‘Her’ canopy express truck

Ivan says their ’49 Chevrolet canopy express is Patsy’s baby.

“We affectionately call the huckster ‘Miss Huck,’” Patsy says.

“What is so special about a canopy express truck is its wings! OK, they are just canopies that extend out to keep the sun and rain off the produce, but still look cool. Don’t tell Miss Huck she doesn’t have wings. It would break her heart!” she jokes.

Before becoming titled to Patsy and Ivan, the canopy express truck was discovered on eBay by Gary Wagley of Cottonwood, Ariz. 

According to Patsy, “It was represented as having a small amount of rust in the bed and tailgate. The truck was shipped from West Virginia to Arizona. Gary figured it arrived 200 pounds lighter than when it left. The brake return springs were so badly rusted that they broke in transit and locked up the wheels. They had to drag it off the flatbed, which was covered in rust dust. Gary knew he was in for a project. He bought two other panel trucks for body parts and began the frame-off restoration. The project took Gary and a friend nine months, full time, to complete the restoration in 2006.”

Ivan and Patsy bought the canopy from Gary at the 2007 Barrett-Jackson event in Phoenix.

“The little Forester Green Huckster was located in a side tent at the auction and was available for immediate sale,” Patsy says. “We were told that the truck arrived too late for the main auction. We were delighted to be checking directly with the owner. A second buyer came to buy Huck as I slid the ‘sold’ sign under Huck’s windshield wipers.”

Folks think Miss Huck is a Suburban that has been modified. Patsy bluntly explains, “She is not. She is an original factory truck. The cab is separated from the bed by a panel with a rear window. The huckster has its original engine, fresh-air heater and brass radiator. Its 216-cid Thriftmaster engine has six cylinders and puts out 90 hp. The air filter is an oil bath. There is a floor starter, which is always entertaining to start with only two feet. The huckster has a three-on-the-tree standard transmission. The truck’s top speed is between 40-45 mph.

“The truck has six boxes on each side of the truck box that pyramid up to display the produce. Huck shows with her own wine label with her picture, as well as fresh flowers and fruit.

“To watch Huck spin her magic spell is awesome. Huck draws people like a magnet.”

Even Dennis Gage, host of “My Classic Car,” was smitten with Miss Huck and made her a television star. Since then, Patsy and Ivan have continued to let her shine with in-person appearances at car shows. 

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When I saw the 1974 XB Falcon panel van owned by Kerri Underwood of Brisbane, Australia, I thought, “Why wasn’t this vehicle also made in America, or at least imported here?”

Underwood’s van is unlike the old driver-forward Volkswagen vans or American minivans, aka “mommy mobiles.” It’s definitely not a chunky and clumsy full-size van. The Australian panel van looks like a Falcon utility (aka pickup) with a truck bed cap, but without the bulkhead. Meanwhile, the interior is like a station wagon.

Underwood’s panel van was built as part of the third generation of Falcons. The first two generations were American Ford Falcons transplanted in Australia and modified to meet the needs “Down Under.” The third-generation Australian Ford Falcon was designed by Jack Telnack and engineered in-house for the Aussie home market at Ford’s headquarters in Campbellfield. The XA Falcon was available from 1972 to 1973 and the XB Falcon lasted from 1973 to 1976.

The 1974 XB Falcon is a slightly retouched copy of the XA model. The clip, or nose, looks like a 1971 Mustang while the grille is reminiscent of the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. The side has a Coke bottle-shaped mid-section. There is a full-body-side crease with the lower and upper section of sheet metal slightly bulging out and meeting at the crease. There is also a lower character line starting at the front bumper and ending at the rear bumper, going over both wheel openings and the rocker panel.

The “B” pillar of the Falcon utility and van have the same shape as the 1966 Ranchero roofline, and the van’s front shape over the windshield slants at the same angle as the windshield. The sides are about a half-inch indented in from the beltline, and the C pillar is vertical. In the back are two barn doors with windows. The Falcon’s hardtop-type doors are shared with the Falcon utility and panel van.

Life with an XB Falcon

“The van was first bought by a Mr. J. Sutton from T. Fossey Pty, in Tamworth, on 17th May, 1974,” Underwood said. “My dad purchased her six months later at a dealership in Brisbane.” When bought, there were blanked-out side panels to prevent curious eyes from viewing the cargo.”

“My family enjoyed hunting and camping,” Underwood said. “We’d go out to a friend’s property in Tenterfield every fortnight (two weeks) rabbit shooting. Dad would throw a heavy canvas tarp over the van to make a lean-to. We camped rough, cooked over an open fire, but we loved it.”

“As time went on and my sister Cathy came along, dad welded roof racks, bug catchers for the windscreens, a wind deflector across the back, and a bull-bar in front, which is essential in Australia. Dad popped in a XA limited-slip differential for traveling across the boggy paddocks.”

“Dad always bathed the van in fish oil and old sump oil every six months, which seems to have kept her in really good condition,” Underwood continued. “There was a serious lack of airflow. Eventually, dad installed a sliding window on the driver’s side. I have vivid memories of sitting in the back through hot summers surrounded by the smell of wet dogs and fish oil.”

“My sister and I were always on a mattress in the cargo van. But as years went on and seatbelt regulations got stricter, Dad bolted a set of bus seats to the rear floor. The seats were so high that all we saw was the hood lining.”

“Mum continued to use the van as her daily driver in the ’90s until 2000, when they decided to get a more fuel-efficient car. She hit a few kangaroos in her travels, but never been in any serious accidents. Dad put the van up on blocks, not wanting to part with her.”

Choosing restoration

“We had a good friend of my dad’s; he and his son had always planned to restore a car together, but when he passed away from cancer, the opportunity was lost. I decided that I was not going to let that happen to me.”

“Dad is a great mechanic and always worked on the van. He knew her inside and out, and we spent every weekend working on her. My dad had a dance with prostate cancer — now gone — and double knee surgery. Dad and I removed the motor and sent it to our mechanic to be reconditioned, including pistons and rings. The water pump was seized and replaced. We put in a larger radiator.”

“We stripped the car and had some rust to deal with. Our first panel person just sprayed an undercoat over the original paint. We lost the best part of a year. Our second choice was recommended, took ages, and we got a call to rescue the car as the business was going bankrupt! The paint isn’t perfect, but its shiny and workable.”

There is a new roof liner that runs the length of the van. The bench seat is black cloth, but was originally vinyl.

“All Car Interiors in Windsor did that work,” Underwood said. “We got Brisbane Auto Glass to install all the glass for us. There was time-consuming work that Dad and I did, such as the fuel tank, and plastic welding the grille. Called Russell and Chris from Majestic Vanners for great advice.”

Underwood’s van has a 250-cid, six-cylinder engine that produces 155 hp and is mated to a three-on-the-tree manual transmission.

“The car is easy to steer and turn when moving,” she adds. “Everyone looks at you, because you are driving a big green lump! Her paint is the original Tropicana Green.”

“She has a heater, but no air conditioner, which can be a bit hard during the summer when we get 115 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Although the XB Falcon had a hard life and isn’t the most comfortable vehicle, there was no chance Underwood’s family was going to sell it.

“A guy knocked on dad’s door and offered him $2,000 for the van, as is. Dad might have $2,000 in his pocket today, but the time we spent together restoring her is something we both treasure. I’ve kept bumps in the rear wheel arches on the inside for sentimental reasons.”

The XB Falcon looks great today, but the process to bring it back to beautiful condition wasn’t always easy.

“It’s been a rough ride,” Underwood said. “I’ve been ripped off and needed police intervention to reclaim my parts.”

Now Kerri, her husband, their two daughters, and her father and mother, all enjoy the van together, just as they did when it entered their lives. 

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Back when I was a radio disc jockey on a progressive rock format station, I was required to play everything from folk to fusion jazz and everything between, including heavy metal, glitter and electronic music. Perhaps as a carryover from my DJ days, I try to write about all variations of light-duty trucks, from primitives to work horses to muscle pickups.

While I have featured in this column the 1940s Dodge Power Wagon that was discontinued in 1968, I was asleep at the wheel regarding the Dodge W150 Power Wagon that brought back the hallowed “Power Wagon” name. Fortunately for readers, I woke up and found a rare example of the latter owned by Power Wagon lover Alex Fanelli, who located and landed a 1978 version near her home.

Alex and her husband, Frank, regularly scan KSL.com, a Utah website similar to CraigsList.com, so they don’t miss out on a worthy project vehicle. It was on this website that Alex found this rare 1978 Power Wagon W-150 with both the Macho and True Spirit packages.

Frank, who’s known for his work at Kindig-it Design and as a TV personality on “Bitchin’ Rides,” mentioned that Alex loves Power Wagons, and is particularly obsessed with shortbed versions of Dodge’s rugged four-wheel-drive truck.

“Alex knew it was a rare truck just by the appearance and package,” Frank said. “The photos also proved it was really clean and rust free. She spoke to the seller and found out it was a big-block four-wheel drive and told me about it. We went to look at it and fell in love with it.”

Dodge’s bold and beautiful trucks

For 1972, Dodge’s pickup received a styling overhaul with an extensive appearance change. The new look was inspired by MoPar’s fuselage styling that came and went on all of the Chrysler Corp.’s brands — Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler and Imperial — starting as early as 1969 and ending as late as 1974, depending on the model. With the fuselage style, the vehicle’s body sides were curved, as on a plane. The side glass curved in at the top of the greenhouse, while the lower body sides bowed inward at the rocker panels. The fuselage car’s beltline was very high so that the side windows were diminutive. Fortunately, this gun-sight vision did not occur on the Dodge pickup. In fact, windshield and back window areas significantly increased with the 1972 redesign. Like the cars, the Dodge pickup had a starched, slab-sided look with the A and B pillars smoothly melded with the lower body. This envelope, rectangular style stayed around for 20 years until the “big rig”-designed Dodge Ram came along in 1994.

From 1977 to 1980, Dodge rewrote the truck rule book for the in-crowd by building far-out trucks with bright and bold graphic packages and mag wheels that were holdovers from its Super Bee- and Challenger R/T-building muscle car days. Dodge’s “adult toy” trucks of the late 1970s began with the Street Van that was often further tricked out by “van hippies;” the Warlock stepside pickup with wood bed trim and gold spike wheels and accent striping; and Macho versions of the Ramcharger sport-utility and Power Wagon. In 1978, the Dodge Li’l Red Express pickup with bed-side exhaust stacks, gold graphics and wood trim was introduced. By 1981, all were history.

A Macho with True Spirit

Alex and Frank’s Power Wagon comes from the peak of Dodge’s graphic-happy truck period. These colorful and striped trucks are getting hotter by the day, but the couple thinks their truck remained available upon their discovery because it needed work.

“The truck likely appeared to be a headache to other buyers, as the seller was halfway between finishing the axle swap he started, and the brake and fuel system were not present,” Frank said. “We saw a diamond in the rough. Alex and I restore classic muscle cars and trucks at Fanelli Restorations in Murray, Utah, so we were ready for the challenge. I once worked on custom cars at Kindig-it Design and formerly did metal fabrication bodywork on the show ‘Bitchin’ Rides.’ I left both venues to go on an active Army tour. Alex has a background in upholstery and general mechanics.”

The Fanellis are saving this rare Power Wagon from going to the great interstate in the sky. So far, they have rebuilt the Dana 60 rear axle and are completing a rebuild of the front Dana 44 axle. The driveshaft has been refurbished and the chassis has been painted. When Alex and Frank purchased the pickup, it came with a burly 335-hp 383-cid V-8 engine transplanted from a 1970 Dodge Challenger. A MoPar A-727 automatic currently transfers those horses to the pavement. However, the seller gave Frank and Alex the truck’s original 440-cid V-8 engine block as well as a four-speed transmission.

After buying the pickup, Alex and Frank fitted it with new wheels and meaty tires. When we last checked in with them, they were preparing to plumb the fuel system and rebuild the brake system.

“The exterior is the original Sunburst Orange paint while the interior is black and tan,” Frank said. The instrument cluster and steering wheel are black, while the door panels are tan. At some point, the original bench seat was replaced with a seat from an ’80s Dodge truck. Alex installed an orange, black and white cover over it.”

“We refreshed the interior, gathered parts to complete the dash and gauges to proper factory appearance,” Alex said. The interior typifies the simplicity of an earlier time; this is typified by the painted metal panel on the inside of the cab roof. As a plus, there’s no fabric headliner that might sag.”

“The truck presents a bit of a conundrum, as it has a white stripe kit on the sides of the exterior similar to the California dealer-only True Spirit package, yet bears front bumper bars, side steps and stainless rollbar in the bed like a Macho Power Wagon, another rare dealer option of the era,” Frank said. “This truck came from Arizona, and we believe the dealer or original owner chose to dress it up as so. It’s a hybrid of the True Spirit and Macho packages, so I have joked it is the ‘True Macho’ Power Wagon.”

“The truck has an interesting history,” Frank added. “It came from Burge Motor Company in Kingman, Arizona. The original dealer sticker is still on the driver side of the tailgate showing this. It was owned by a woman who got into trouble with her life choices and had to relinquish the truck as collateral for the debts to her drug dealer. Then the dealer sold the truck to the man we purchased the truck from. Amazingly, the truck only bears a dent along the driver’s rocker panel for being owned by such a tumultuous original owner.”

The Fanellis recently welcomed their first child, so the Power Wagon project has been slightly delayed. We’re sure they’ll have it back on the road soon enough to drive their child to preschool in true macho style. 

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GMC brought out a factory hot rod in 1991 with its Syclone, but with only 2,995 built that model year, you may have not known about it, let alone seen one.

First things first: the spelling of the Syclone’s name. Since the model name “Cyclone” was already registered to Mercury, GMC changed the “C” to a “S” to get around using the name registered to another marque.

The Syclone was GMC’s “bad boy” truck with major-league muscle. It began with a 4.3-liter EFI Vortec V-6 in GMC’s compact S-15 pickup that it had rechristened the Sonoma for 1991. In building the Syclone, GMC had help from Production Automotive Services (PAS), Inc. an outside engineering firm in Troy, Mich., that had also helped General Motors’ Pontiac division build the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am.

Like the Turbo Trans Am, PAS put additional excitement under the Syclone’s hood by upgrading the truck with a liquid-intercooled Mitsubishi turbocharger with a 14-psi boost and 8.35:1 compression, pintel-style individual port fuel injectors, its own pistons and an oil cooler. All this magnified the punch of the 4.3-liter engine from the standard 160 hp to 280 hp. This herd of horsepower was channeled through a four-speed automatic transmission. At the time, it was said that this transmission was the only unit that worked with this engine setup. A dual-exhaust system produced a throaty rumble from the V-6.

Power to the pavement via the rear wheels could have been frisky, but the chassis also received upgrades including all-wheel drive. The Syclone’s suspension and brakes were also upgraded, so the boosted horsepower was only part of the equation. The Syclone had a sports-calibrated suspension that lowered the truck 2 inches, making its overall ground clearance just 6.25-inches. Torsion bars were located up front along with a stabilizer bar. Out back was a solid axle with semi-elliptic two-stage springs. The full-time all-wheel-drive system held the Syclone firmly planted to the ground. The transfer case was produced by Borg-Warner with 35 percent of torque going to the front and 65 percent going to the limited-slip rear axle. Disc brakes were in front with drums at the rear. The Syclone was the first production truck to come equipped with four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Blazing performance, the ability to stick to the road like glue, and being cat-like agile resulted in the Syclone rewriting the compact pickup rulebook.

Unlike most muscle cars from the ‘60s and early ’70s — and many trucks of its own era — the Syclone had many creature comforts. Included were power steering, brakes, windows and door locks. Other standard amenities were air conditioning, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, intermittent wipers and tinted glass. The only option was an AM/FM stereo cassette with a graphic equalizer.

The instrument cluster in front of the driver included three circular analog dials. The center speedometer registered up to 120 mph, and to its right was placed the tachometer with a turbo-boost gauge. The round circle to the left contained four gauges: at 12 o’clock was the fuel indicator, at 3 was the temperature gauge, at 6 was the battery charge and at 9 was the oil pressure gauge.

Contoured bucket seats were upholstered in black velour cloth with red lacing at the seams and “Syclone” stitched in red into the headrest. The seatbacks, however, were not adjustable. The center console had cup holders and a storage bin and also housed the automatic transmission gearshift. The steering wheel was leather-wrapped.

For such an uninhibited truck, the Syclone’s exterior surprisingly lacked a bold and vibrant appearance with splashy striping, which was in vogue during the period. All 1991 Syclones had an intimidating all-black exterior like the high-performance Buick Grand Nationals before them. Actually, the Syclone had a mono-chromatic two-tone paint scheme; while most of the body paint was a gloss black, the lower-body plastic cladding and ground effects were matte black. The tailgate and lower door trim had the tell-tale red “Syclone” nameplate with the standard-fare red GMC badge in the black grille. For ’92, other colors were available, but only three Syclones were built that year (a black GMC logo was on the three 1992 models, two of which survive with the third performing DOT crash-test duties).

Other outward appearance items on the 1991 Syclone were fog lamps, six-blade aluminum alloy wheels and a cargo box tonneau over the 6-foot bed. The latter was made by Lexxus Tru Cover. It clasped to an aluminum frame that connected to the bed without drilling holes.

Car and Driver compared a 1991 Ferrari 348ts costing $122,180 with a 1991 Syclone priced at $26,126 (the Syclone had the optional stereo equalizer). The Ferrari, priced at $96,060 more than GMC’s hot hauler, had 296 hp with 224 lbs-ft of torque mated to a five-speed manual. The Syclone had 280 hp with 350 lbs-ft of torque attached to a four-speed automatic 4L60 General Motors transmission. The Ferrari was lighter at 3,300 pounds while the Syclone was 3,600 pounds. Despite its greater weight, fewer horsepower and less-aerodynamic design, the Syclone sprinted to 30 mph in 1.6 seconds while the Ferrari took 2.0 seconds. And it didn’t get better for the Ferrari: the Syclone peeled away to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds while it took the Ferrari 6 seconds. The little devil’s blistering acceleration meant it completed the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds with the Ferrari right behind it in 14.5 seconds. However, the Italian sportster had a faster top speed, topping out at 166 mph while the Syclone hit a ceiling at 126 mph. Nevertheless, the Syclone had a more favorable dollar-to-fun ratio.

While the Syclone didn’t return to full production for 1992, its spirit lived on in the GMC Typhoon, a compact GMC Jimmy SUV modified by PAS with a drivetrain nearly identical to that of the Syclone. The Typhoon would be built for two years (1992 and 1993) with a combined production total of 4,697 performance SUVs for the two model years.

Today, a No. 3 Condition Syclones with around 50,000 miles fetch about $35,000 while low-mileage (around 10,000 miles) examples sell in the neighborhood of $50,000 — currently about the same as the 1991 Ferrari 348ts to which Car & Driver originally compared it.

Oddly, Typhoons in No. 3 Condition sell for less than Syclones (around $20,000), while low-mileage Typhoons sell for more than Syclones, making the Syclone still a bargain buy, especially with low-mileage. 

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