GMC Syclone

1991 GMC Syclone

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 2024

Photo – Mecum

In the early 1990s, GMC went a bit nuts and produced two legendary performance trucks. First came this, the Syclone, which was a performance-oriented version of the Sonoma. The following year they’d launch the Typhoon, which was a hot Jimmy, which is a weird thing to type.

All but three Syclones were built for the 1991 model year – 2,995 of them to be exact. Power is provided by a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 that made 280 horsepower. The truck also got all-wheel drive and was the first pickup with four-wheel ABS. It could hit 60 in 4.3 seconds. Pretty good numbers for its day, truck or not.

These are some of the coolest pickups ever made and are the grandad of every performance pickup that came after. You can read more about it here.

Peugeot 202 Pickup

1949 Peugeot 202 UH Pickup

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 18, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The 202 was a small car produced by Peugeot from 1938 through 1942 and again after the war from 1945 through 1949. Styling cues included headlights set nearly next to each other behind the sloping front grille.

Various body styles were offered including a sedan, cabriolet, and pickup. Power is from a 1.1-liter inline-four that made about 29 horsepower. Top speed was about 62 mph. This one is a “UH” model, meaning it was a commercial vehicle with hydraulic brakes.

This truck was discovered in the ’70s as a project. It was relocated to Switzerland in the 1980s and has remained there since. Peugeot built 104,126 examples of the 202, and this one has a pre-sale estimate of $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $60,268.

Boshart EV

2011 Boshart Tersus EV

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Missouri | December 2, 2021

Photo – Mecum

Boshart Engineering, who is no longer in business, did some development work on the Phoenix SUT, which was an electric truck that looked identical to this one and was built by Phoenix Motorcars in Anaheim, California. Well Boshart, also of California, decided to produce their own version.

The bodies were the same. And neither company designed it. It’s actually a SsangYong Actyon Sports pickup, a truck from South Korea that was never sold in the U.S. The powerplant on this truck is a 37-horsepower electric motor. It’s got a two-speed automatic transmission and a reported top speed of 25 mph.

Why so slow? Well these were intended for use on “private land” or closed campuses. Not the highway. Or even the street. But they cost $30,000 when new. Thus, only 10 were sold. You can check out more about this one here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $9,900.

Bean Pickup

1926 Bean 14HP Commercial Pickup

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | July 17, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Bean Cars traced its roots back to a foundry that Absolom Harper started in 1822. The Bean name entered the fold in 1907, and the company made car parts prior to WWI. During the war, they produced artillery shells, and by the war’s end, they needed a replacement product. So Bean Cars was born in 1919.

They sold passenger cars for 10 years and light commercial vehicles from 1924 through 1931. This pickup falls in the latter category. The Bean 14 was launched in October 1923. This particular example left the factory as a five-seat Tourer model. It was re-bodied in 1927 as a pickup, and the factory 14-horsepower, 2.3-liter inline-four has been replaced with a much newer 1.6-liter Ford inline-four.

The truck was restored by a historic railway company in the U.K. in the late 1990s. It was purchased by its current owner at a Bonhams auction in 2017, and it’s now expected to bring between $14,000-$21,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $30,950.

Lil Red Express

1979 Dodge Lil Red Express

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | July 10-18, 2020

Photo – Mecum

The D-Series Dodge pickup was built in three generations from 1960 through 1980 before being replaced by the Ram (although some Rams still used the “D” nomenclature through the early 1990s). The Lil Red Express was an option package on the D150 Adventurer pickup that was available in 1978 and 1979.

Each Lil Red Express came equipped with dual vertical stack exhaust pipes, wood bed trim, and an 8-track cassette of C.W. McCall’s #1 hit “Convoy.” Okay, I made that last part up, but you can obviously tell this was a pickup for serious over-the-road trucker cosplayers. “Lil Red Express” also doubles as a great name for a ginger rapper (you’re welcome).

This truck is powered by a 360ci/5.9-liter V8 that made 180 horsepower new. Dodge offered a number of special option package (or “lifestyle”) pickups during this era, but this is the most famous. Those exhaust stacks were illegal in some states, so you couldn’t get this truck everywhere. Only 2,188 were built in 1978, and 1979 saw 5,118 takers. Check out more about this truck here, and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $24,000.

Fordson E83W

1951 Fordson E83W Pickup

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 4, 2020

Photo – Brightwells

The Fordson tractor brand was manufactured by various entities of the Ford Motor Company between 1917 and 1964. It was under Ford of Britain’s purview for the last few decades, and in that time, they built a 1/2-ton commercial vehicle called the E83W. It was available as a delivery van, a pickup, and other light-duty body styles.

The truck was available from 1938 through 1957 in the U.K. and was also offered under the Thames commercial brand. It retained its pre-war styling and 10 horsepower, 1.2-liter inline-four for the duration of production. Top speed was about 40 mph.

This tiny pickup has been restored and is now offered with a pre-sale estimate of $9,000-$12,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $11,835.

Morris Ital Pickup

1983 Morris Ital Pickup

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

Up until sometime in the 1990s, car companies would produce all sorts of body style variations of their cars. This was especially popular in Europe, where sedans could also be had in wagon, van, and even pickup forms. They would all wear the same model nameplate.

The Morris Ital was only built by British Leyland between 1980 and 1984. It was available as… well, a sedan, wagon, van, and pickup. This example is powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four good for 61 horsepower.

But what draws us to this example is the sheer rarity of it. The Ital was the final model to wear the Morris badge and only 37 are still registered in Britain, with another 145 or so extant but not roadworthy. Only six of that combined number are said to be pickups. And this one looks great. It should sell for between $3,800-$5,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Brightwells.

Update: Sold $5,496.

Two Shelby Prototypes

Two Shelby Prototypes

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 3, 2018


1997 Shelby Aurora V-8 Can-Am

Photo – Bonhams

The Shelby Can-Am was a racing series that used purpose-built race cars from Carroll Shelby. All cars were identical and powered by 255 horsepower V-6 engines. The series – which was open to amateurs – ran from 1991 through 1996 in the U.S.

Originally, Shelby wanted to offer a bigger, badder version of the car. He only built one prototype – and this is it. It’s powered by the then-popular 4.0-liter Oldsmobile Aurora V-8. It was tuned to make 500 horsepower and was the same engine used in the Series 1 sports car. This is the only example built and it ran some test laps at Willow Springs but otherwise has been sitting in Ol’ Shel’s personal collection since. This would be a fun track day toy for someone and it should cost them between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $100,800.


1983 Dodge Shelby Ram Prototype

Photo – Bonhams

The first generation of the Dodge Ram was produced from 1981 through 1993. The beginning of production coincided time-wise with Chrysler’s relationship with Carroll Shelby. You might think it’s weird to have Shelby’s name on a truck, but hey, he built a Dakota and a Durango.

This one-off Ram was partly a styling exercise (to mimic the styling of the recently introduced Shelby Charger). But because Shelby couldn’t help himself, the motor was spruced up as well: it’s a 300 horsepower, 5.9-liter V-8. It’s a pretty decked out truck all around. This is coming from Carroll’s personal collection where he maintained this 11,000 mile truck since new. It should sell for between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $33,040.

Pontiac El Catalina Prototype

1959 Pontiac El Catalina Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 15-19, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The Pontiac Catalina was Pontiac’s entry-level full-sized car in 1959. It was a big car and the convertible was certainly a looker. It was offered as a two-door coupe or convertible or a four-door sedan or wagon. It was not offered as a pickup truck. Or car-based pickup truck.

Chevrolet had that market cornered within GM with their El Camino (there was a GMC version for a short while as well). Pontiac, throughout their 84 year history, never sold a pickup truck. This El Catalina Prototype was built to tease the possibility for a 1960 model that never came to be.

It’s powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 good for 300 horsepower. It’s well-equipped and has been well-shown, winning awards nearly everywhere it went. If you want a one-off factory Pontiac or a genuine GM concept car, here’s your chance. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $340,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, high bid of $240,000.

1957 Dodge D100

1957 Dodge D100 Pickup

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 5-13, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The 1957 Dodge pickups are great-looking trucks, especially the ultra-rare D100 Sweptside. As discussed in that post, the D100 was actually part of the C Series of pickups that Dodge offered between 1954 and 1960. The D100 was the 1/2 ton model.

In 1957, the engine was either a six or eight and this truck has the 5.2-liter Red Ram V-8 making 204 horsepower. And it. Is. Clean. This is a great color scheme for a truck, very 1957. The 1950s offered some pretty pickups, and this is no exception. See more here.

Update: Sold $55,000.