It is also 66 years of age, at least style-wise.
GMC Syclone was a revolutionary vehicle in 1991. It could go from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds. A pickup truck that was faster than the GMC Syclone, but not known to most people, emerged in 1991. It’s actually the fastest pickup truck in the world, but it’s not street legal. This is the down side to bolting two jet engines on its back.
The Hot Streak II is here! Hayden Proffitt II currently owns and drives the truck. He acquired it from Les Shockley, the king of jet-powered rigs. This truck was built by Shockley in the early 1990s just as other pickups such as the Syclone and Chevrolet Silverado SS 454, Ford’s original F150 Lightning, were being noticed. Shockley was originally called Super Shockwave. He chose to make a fiberglass replica a 1957 Chevy truck, powered by two Westinghouse J34 jet engine. may be an understatement.
Turbojet enthusiasts will be familiar with the J34. It was a turbojet that launched in the 1940s and remained in service with the US military for many decades. These engines were taken from a Navy T-2 Buckeye trainer and fitted with afterburners by Shockley. For a vehicle that weighs in at 4,300 pounds, the result is approximately 2500 horsepower (18,642 Kilowatts). It’s very fast.
Proffitt’s grandfather bought Shockely the original Shockwave, Shockely’s first dragster powered by jets. This is a long-standing history between speed-loving families. Proffitt has a special affinity to jet power having been a mechanic for both the F-15 fighter plane and the B-2 bomber. He grabbed the opportunity to purchase Shockley’s twin engined pickup and renamed it Hot Streak II in honor of his grandfather’s dragster.
Proffitt claims that the truck can travel 350 mph but has only reached 340. It can reach 350 mph in just seconds. Proffitt says that the truck experiences a negative 10 g acceleration when the parachutes, 16-foot, are released.
Les Shockley died in 2019 sadly. His legacy continues with the Hot Streak II semi-truck powered by the Shockwave jet-powered Shockwave.