Top Gear Wasn't Always So Hard On American Cars

Welcome to Sunday Matinee, where we highlight classic car reviews or other longer videos I find on YouTube. Kick back and enjoy this blast from the past.

Since we've talked a lot about both GM and Jeremy Clarkson this weekend, I figured we'd combine the two for our Sunday Matinee. Way back in the early 1990's a young Jeremy Clarkson and the wild animal that lived atop his head actually went out and tested the GMC Syclone.

And weirdly enough, he actually liked it. At one point, he even called it a "fashion accessory."

It's not hard to see why. The Syclone was more of a wild animal in its own right than it was a pickup truck. Instead of the traditional V8 up front it had a turbocharged six-cylinder engine pumping out 280 horsepower. That might not sound like a lot compared to the ridiculous figures truck are putting out nowadays, but back then trucks were still made out of cardboard, scotch tape, and lightness.

And it showed – the Syclone accelerated to 60 MPH in just a little over four seconds. The quarter mile came in 13.6.

Not bad for a truck that's more than 20 years old.