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Zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds in a truck?

Yes, there really is a truck for performance buffs. And it dwells in General Motors Corp.’s GMC Truck Division.

GMC Truck, long the backbone of GM’s utility business, suddenly has given new meaning to the adage “Keep on truckin.”

The division is bringing to market its 19911/2 Syclone compact pickup. It’s a fire-breathing all-wheel-drive Sonoma pickup powered by a turbocharged 4.3-liter V-6. And at 4.9 seconds for 0-60 mph, it will out-accelerate many of world’s high-performance, exotic sports cars.

GMC’s design concept for achieving such fast starts, and turning the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds, is fairly fundamental. It entails incorporating heavy horsepower and torque with light weight and getting the power to the ground.

The fact that it is done with a compact pickup admittedly is somewhat unusual. And somewhat unexpected is the fact that much of the Syclone uses rather conventional pieces out of GM’s parts bins.

But truck or no, the vehicle gets up and flies, going through the speed traps at the end of a quarter-mile drag strip at just a tick of the watch under 100 mph.

Obviously, this is no ordinary truck. In addition to the all-wheel-drive system, it features the first four-wheel anti-lock braking system on a pickup.

The Syclone is designed for a market niche, and Indianapolis GMC dealers say the buyers are there.

“I expect to get our first one in about 10 days, ” said Byron Stitzer, vice president and general manager of Stitzer Buick-GMC Trucks. “The first three we get are sold, and our customers are chomping at the bit.”

Small wonder. The Syclone is said to handle like a sports car. There is a full complement of standard equipment. And the vehicle’s only options are a manual sunroof and a compact disc player.

The transmission is a four-speed automatic, with the gear ratio spread between first and fourth designed to uproot tree stumps or play road racer.

Power gets to the road via wide 245/50VR 16-inch tires that put a huge footprint on the pavement. This is essential because under the hood lies 280 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque. Jumping on the throttle with this combination gets your instant attention.

Also getting your attention is the price – $25, 500 plus freight.

“It’s not for everybody, ” said Ray Kruse, sales manager for Tom Wood Group’s GMC Trucks. “I feel that buyers are going to be upper-class professionals because of the cost.”

Kruse says the truck represents a market that will appeal to buyers 28 to 40 years old.

“They’re owners who like excitement, ” he said. “They probably would have bought a (Pontiac) Trans Am, and they want to have the only one on the block.”

The Syclone is built in the General Motors Truck & Bus Group’s assembly plant at Shreveport, La. Its engineering features may make it the only one of its kind on the block.

While much of the V-6 is conventional GM componentry, there has been some upgrading. There are new pistons in the intercooled V-6. There are a new split-level intake manifold and also new right- and left-side exhaust manifolds. A new electronic system delivers the fuel through pintel-style port fuel injectors that are matched to a throttle body from the Corvette’s 5.7-liter V-8.

“The all-wheel-drive system is different from just four-wheel drive, ” Stitzer said. “The torque is split 35 percent front and 65 percent rear. But if the rear wheels begin to slip, torque is shifted to the front wheels.”

The Syclone is a two-seater, just like a sports car, but it has the advantage of a pickup bed. The truck has a 108.3-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 180.5 inches, and a curb weight of 3, 526 pounds.

Unlike the stark utility generally associated with trucks, this vehicle is equipped much like an upscale sports car. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, power accessories,a stereo cassette player, full analog gauges, cruise control, tinted glass and intermittent wipers. It ‘s the sort of stuff found in high-class automobiles.

“It’s going to have a lot of appeal to single people, ” Kruse said. “They have no family, and they don’t have much interest in a sedan.”

The cost factor will influence the market, but Stitzer said, “Production is going to be by demand. They (GMC) have no set numbers in mind. When the orders come in, they’ll build them.”