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Specialty Vehicle Engineering's 750-horsepower GMC Canyon fully revealed

GMC's celebrated Syclone will turn 30 in early 2021, but nothing suggests the company will mark the occasion by releasing a modern interpretation of the pickup. New Jersey-based tuner Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) is taking the matter into its own hands by building a limited number of GMC Canyon trucks with Hellcat-like power. Although the original Syclone received a turbocharged V6, the 2021 model gains a 5.3-liter V8 normally found in bigger vehicles, including the Sierra and Yukon. SVE rebuilt it with forged aluminum pistons, forged steel connecting rods, high-lift valve springs, a custom crankshaft and upgraded fuel injectors among other aftermarket parts. It also added a supercharger to raise the eight's output to 750 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Power flows to the four wheels via a strengthened 8-speed automatic transmission and a permanent all-wheel-drive system. For context, the first Syclone gave the Chevrolet Corvette a run for its money with a fuel-injected, 4.3-liter V6 turbocharged to 280 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. These numbers were spectacular in the early 1990s since the Sonoma that Syclone was based on shipped with the 105-horse Iron Duke four-cylinder as standard. Even compared with the Sonoma GT that got a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V6 with 195 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, the Syclone was impressive. SVE installed six-pistons front calipers that clamp 13.6-inch slotted rotors, and it kept the factory brakes out back. It also lowered the suspension by two inches in the front and five inches in the back, upgraded the shocks, and added a heavy-duty rear sway bar. These modifications help drivers make the most of the extra power, but SVE hasn't published performance specifications (like the truck's zero-to-60-mph time) yet. Surprisingly, the eight-cylinder weighs almost the same as the V6 it replaces so the engine swap doesn't affect weight distribution. Visually, the Syclone can't be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill Canyon. It wears a deep front bumper, has cladding over the rocker panels and rides on 20-inch alloys. Edition-specific emblems round out the look, and the list of options includes a body-colored grille as well as a folding tonneau cover. SVE's images show a truck painted black, which was the only color offered on the 1991 model, but it's available in any factory hue. Inside, the modern-day Syclone gains special floor mats and a numbered plaque on the dashboard. Leather is optional.

GMC moved the headlights down on the 2024 Sierra EV to prevent glare

There are a lot of things that are different between the 2024 GMC Sierra EV’s design and the gasoline Sierra pickup, but one we noticed right away was the headlight placement. On GMÂ’s full-size gasoline trucks, the headlights are about as far up the front fascia as they can be. In the Sierra EV, theyÂ’re positioned significantly further down and into the lower bumper below the grille. Why are we highlighting this particular aspect of the design? Well, unless you only ever drive massive, high-riding trucks, youÂ’re probably very accustomed to being frequently blinded by them on the road these days. In describing the Sierra EVÂ’s headlight placement, designers told us they intentionally put the lights further down to improve matters. We pulled Phil Kucera, a GMC design manager, aside to ask him about the change. “It tends to be a better spot where itÂ’s not glaring in other peopleÂ’s eyes, right, the lower you get,” Kucera says. Beyond blinding others, putting the headlights lower on the face of the truck improves headlight performance for the driver, too. “Typically the lower the better, because thatÂ’s where theyÂ’re going to be on the road, so thereÂ’s less to reflect off of in fog or rain,” Kucera explained. “If you get them up at a certain height, theyÂ’re going to be reflecting certain things like snow, rain or things like that in your eyes.” 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 View 13 Photos Of course, youÂ’ll notice on the Sierra EV that the daytime running lights (DRLs) are still big and bold in the upper part of the front end. These lights are around for decor, though, and act as pieces of design rather than a functional way to see at night. In other words, theyÂ’re lights, but theyÂ’re not going to dazzle oncoming traffic or cause glare for the driver like a headlight pointed down the road will.  Moving those lights further down in the front should hopefully be a net positive for other drivers coming across the Sierra EV and for drivers of the truck themselves. How the lights are aimed plays just as much a role in how other drivers perceive oncoming lights, though, so weÂ’ll have to wait and see the real-world performance on this one.  WeÂ’ll also note that moving the actual headlights further down the front end doesnÂ’t take anything away from the design of the Sierra EV. It still features a strong, upright stance that the world is accustomed to seeing from new trucks these days. ItÂ’s no surprise, but GM agrees.

Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video: