2007 August | Trucks and Trailers

GMC Syclone

August 13th, 2007 by shenron

The GMC Syclone was a high performance version of the GMC Sonoma truck that was produced for one year. It was at one point the quickest stock pickup truck being produced in the world, with its power coming from the turbo charged engines. It was a limited production run of just under three thousand made and it quite the collectible. It had a four speed automatic transmission and was made exclusively in black with no other color options available. There were also two other special editions offered of the Syclone, the Marlboro Syclone which included a new paint job and wheels. Only ten of these were produced and released. The second was the Indy Syclone, which was used at the Indianapolis 500 race in 1992, with the only real change being the sticker package, and this was all that was modified besides one that had a multi colored silver magenta and aqua paint scheme along with a molded light bar on the roof.

The Syclone was powered by the LB4 turbo V6 which gave it a 280 horse rating and was turbo-charged and inter cooled. It was the first to use multi-port fuel injection on a Vortec V6 engine, and was considered a technological breakthrough advancement for the engine company in 1991. The Syclone was planned to be produced in 1992 however only three ever came out of it because the vehicle was canned, meaning for 1992 only three vehicles were built, while in the previous year the number was 2995. In the 1992 year more colors would have been offered and sold to the public with a possible double in size production run. As a performance truck it was the top of the line for the time, however it sadly did not meet cooperate expectations of being something more, and because of this the axe was handed down, making this small 2995 car run a very rare find, and is oft coveted by its owners.

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Honda Ridgeline

August 11th, 2007 by shenron

The Honda Ridgeline is a mid sized pickup that is considered a crossover vehicle produced by, well, if you cannot read, Honda. A crossover, of course is a vehicle of uni-body design, that is more fuel efficient but capable and strong. The advantages are in handling which is much more stable in sudden maneuvers, lighter and more fuel efficient, and also cheaper than their counterparts. It also makes manufacture much easier to build and faster to drive. The design gives the Honda Ridgeline two and a half times more rigidity and twenty times more torsional rigidity than would otherwise be found with regular ladder framed vehicles. It has a five thousand pound towing capacity and a one thousand pound bed capacity, making it a fairly capable mid-sized truck.

The vehicle has a twenty two gallon fuel tank and comes with only a five speed automatic transmission, along with one available engine that suffice to say does the job it needs to do. It is a 3.5L 247 horsepower V6 engine and can handle the load given to it. With the technological advancements in frame construction implemented in this design it also caters to other needs of its human occupants (basically a lot of goodies). It has XM radio or Sirius, well; both now that the merger is taking place, along with a good assortment of audio options and a six CD changer. Other technological advancements are the Honda branded four wheel drive system for traction, which means that it can operate in front wheel drive normally, but automatically switches to four wheel drive when it senses a loss of traction, and it can also be locked in other gears. Overall this vehicle combines a good ratio for hauling along with capabilities extended to use in day to day living with a good fuel economy and otherwise good handling with the anti-slipping traction system.

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Toyota Hilux III

August 5th, 2007 by shenron

The Toyota Tacoma and Hilux underwent the 1995 update and were then sold with better engines, larger bodies, and were re-styled again in 1998, while maintaining a decent line of engines. The Hilux maintained its 2.4L four cylinder engine that now rates at 142 horses, along with a 2.7L four cylinder that is rated at 150, and finally a nice V6 3.4L that is at 190 horses, so close to 200 it isn’t funny. In 2005 the Tacoma and the Hilux underwent a massive shift in size and make. The Tacoma is now based on the Land Cruiser Prado, while the Hilux is based on the ladder frame that has been in its previous versions, and is sold in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and Mexico, along with being sometimes found in Canada and the U.S., although rarely. The newest model of Hilux has many engines to choose from, however most are area specific, and most likely the only ones someone in the US is going to see are the 160 horse four stroke 2.7L, and the 4L V6 228 horse.

The Hilux has gained its reputation of being indestructible through years of heavy use and abuse, along with being beaten around. On the popular show Top Gear a Hilux from the 80’s with over 308 thousand kilometers was put through abuse no normal vehicle could survive, including driving it down steps, scarping buildings, crashing it into a tree, being washed out to sea, dropping a caravan on top of it and smashing it, hitting it head on with a wrecking ball, setting it on fire, and finally placing it on a 240 foot block of flats that was demolished. After all of this it was still holding together and amazingly running with minor repairs found in any common car toolkit. The vehicle has been known to go past 300,000 miles with regular and constant care without suffering any loss of performance and has been known as a militia fighting vehicle in many African conflicts, being used as a kind of cavalry wartime vehicle that can survived being peppered with small arms fire (not the occupants mind you, just the truck).

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Toyota Hilux II

August 5th, 2007 by shenron

By this time the Toyota “Pickup Truck” or better known as the Hilux, had become something of a mini legend, as they just would not die. In 1981 many major improvements were made and the company teamed up with Winnebago to make an SUV, which was basically taking the Toyota Hilux chassis, and strapping things to them to make them SUVs. In order to facilitate this, structural changes were made to the Hilux, improving its weight capacity and overall ruggedness. Additionally a new engine was introduced to the mix, and yes it still kept that now considered underpowered 96 horse four cylinder, what was added was a 62 horse diesel engine. In 1984 a new redesign hit the market and two new diesel engines came with it - although in 1985 they threw them out faster than an Ex with a drinking problem - however a year later came the much coveted fuel injection systems that did much more good by the vehicle.

The old 2.4L four cylinder that had been added to replace the aging 2.2L was still included, along with that 62 horse diesel, and two new diesels which were the 2.4L at 83 horses and its bigger brother at 92 horses (which were both tossed out in 85). In addition to this several updates were made with the fuel injectors to the 2.4L series which culminated in the bump up to 112 horses, and finally the turbo at 135 horses. There was also a V6 (thank god) added which gave the vehicle 150 horses. In 1989 the truck underwent yet another redesign which saw better wheelbase options for longer beds and the dropping of any non-fuel injected engines leaving it with the 2.4L at 112 horses, and the 3.0L V6 at 150 horses (for which an award was won). Finally, in 1995, it was updated to become the Tacoma in North America, but maintained its name in the rest of the world and is still distinctly different in small variations.

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Toyota Hilux I

August 5th, 2007 by shenron

The Toyota Hilux is a compact pickup truck that has been in production for a grant total of seventy two years. It was first manufactured under the name and class of a type G1 Truck and was a 1.5 ton stake-bed truck that first caught on. Later, after the Second World War Toyota continued with the design and called it the Model SB, which lasted from 1947 to 1963 - and had a four stroke 27 horse engine to boot. Finally in 1964 Toyota launched itself into the U.S. market with the 1964 Hilux, called the Stout, and it was bigger than the Datsun and the Mazda trucks of the time, and it had a 1.9L four cylinder engine that rated at 85 horses. In 1969 the name was given, and the truck was released as the Hilux. This truck had more engines to choose from, although they were all four cylinder engines rated at 85 horses and 97 horses at 1.9L, along with the 2.0L 108 horse. It was a simple thing, with just one body style and had a regular cab, a short bed, and only came in front engine mounted rear wheel drive with a four speed manual transmission.

In 1973 the new Hilux was released with a better interior and an optional longer bed that would allow it to be used for many more things, and it dropped the two weaker four cylinder engines, but kept the 2.0L 108 horse. The Hilux name was eventually dropped in the U.S. Market in 1975 - referring to the vehicle as just the Toyota Truck, however the truck is indeed the same one. In 1978 a new revision was made and this one was much improved. This big update came with the addition of four wheel drive and a better transmission, not to mention better axles and leaf springs to improve its abilities on the road. It was about this time its reputation for being “Indestructible” was rearing its head. The new engine it used was only 96 horses as a four cylinder 2.2L.

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