Party in the front and business in the back!
Trucks were originally slow, yet durable companions, but as the market started gravitating towards big SUVs, the truck segment also progressed into lifestyle territory. This market switch meant that real performance-oriented trucks started emerging from Detroit’s Big Three. Today, we bring you the fastest, the coolest, and the nine bravest factory muscle trucks so far!
Dodge Lil’ Red Express
The original muscle truck came from Dodge in 1978 to bypass performance-killing laws that made most 70s cars grim and boring. The Lil’ Red Truck had a 360 cubic inch 4-barrel V8, a vertical straight pipe, and no catalytic converter, good enough for 225 horsepower.
While its power output seems humble by today’s standards, it was enough to make the Lil’ Red the fastest American-made vehicle in 1978 and 1979. Born out of necessity, the charming Lil’ Red Express became a collector’s vehicle and the first chapter in the all-American muscle truck movement.
Dodge Shelby Dakota
Upon his departure from Ford, Carroll Shelby had a career stint constructing special cars for Dodge. Apart from the Omni GLH and the Shelby Daytona, he came up with a muscle truck based on the Dodge Dakota Sport. Instead of a 3.9 liter V6 from the standard Dakota, this Shelby special had a 175 horsepower 5.2 liter V8. The Dodge Shelby Dakota was available in 1989 only, paving the way for Chevy and Ford to present the 454 SS and the SVT Lightning.
Chevrolet 454 SS
As far as muscle cars go, Chevrolet’s SS badge was usually reserved for the sportiest, most desirable trims. In creating the 454 SS, Chevrolet used the most obvious method – cramming a massive engine into a compact body. In this case, it was a 454 cubic inch big-block V8 mated to a C Series single cab starting from 1990 until 1993 model year. The big-block V8 produced only 230 horses, yet a lightweight body gave it respectable sprinting possibilities.
Ford SVT Lightning
Ford’s pioneering muscle truck was produced between 1993 and 1995 as Blue Oval’s comeback at the Chevy 454 SS. Ford’s Special Vehicles Team beefed up the single-cab F150 into a 240 horsepower sprinter. Still, the real changes came in the form of revised suspension and chassis, enabling the Lightning to handle the bends more effectively.
The Lightning name reappeared in 1999 as a 5.4 liter, 360 horsepower single cab, and both these trucks are sought after by muscle truck enthusiasts.
GMC Syclone
GMC’s entry in the muscle truck game started as a Buick, which never took off, but luckily, GM passed this project to GMC. Thus, the Syclone was born for the 1991 model year. The power came from a turbocharged V6 producing 280 horsepower, and if that sounds familiar to you, you’re right.
The Syclone was a thoroughly revised Buick Grand National engine in a GMC Sonoma body. It had it all – a sub-zero cool misspelled name, blacked-out trim, and mullet-shivering 0-60 sprint of 4.5 seconds! These sprinting abilities were enough to outsmoke a contemporary Corvette or even a Ferrari 348, yet only in a straight line since the Syclone was underengineered in every other department.
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
While most muscle trucks were optimized for on-road performance, the F-150 SVT Raptor was a true off-road beast. Special Vehicles Team completely redesigned the F-150 with thorough changes to the body, the chassis, and the suspension. A 310-horsepower 5.4 liter V8 came as standard, followed by an optional 411-horsepower 6.2 liter Boss V8. The smaller engine was available in 2010 only, giving way to the Boss V8 from 2011 to 2014.
The F-150 Raptor reappeared in 2017, showing us that muscle trucks aren’t just about brute power, but technology as well. The second-generation Raptor has an aluminum body and 450 horsepower 3.5 liters EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 from the Ford GT paired with 10-speed auto transmission!
Shelby F-150 Super Snake Sport
If the Raptor is Ford’s off-road high tech muscle truck, this Shelby is its mental on-road counterpart. The F-150 Super Snake Sport started as a 2019 SEMA concept car, but following a fantastic response from the press and the enthusiasts alike, a limited number of just 250 trucks hit the market in early 2020.
Lucky owners could get the Super Snake Sport with a 5.0 liter V8, with or without the supercharger. The forced induction V8 offers whooping 770 horsepower and a promised although unrecorded 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds. Supercars beware!
Read more: 10 Best Off-Road SUV | Off-Roading Encyclopedia
Dodge Ram SRT 10
From the game-changing Charger Daytona to the brutally fast Hellcats and the Demon of today, Dodge has always been Detroit’s wildest child, where mind-bending ideas could become a reality. The bonker-o-meter was turned up to 11 when Dodge created an SRT 10 version of the Ram pickup.
Despite its size, the Ram SRT 10 could do a 0-60 sprint in 4.8s thanks to a 500-horsepower 8.3 liter Viper V10. While many performance exercises like this one never pass the concept stage, Dodge put this Ram into production in 2005, creating one of the most insane vehicles of the 2000s.
Ram 1500 TRX
Last but not least, it’s the final word in the pickup world. Not too long ago, a sub-4 second 0-60 MPH time was supercar territory. In the present day, most sports cars could do it, but Mopar just did it again. The 2021 Ram TRX did the sprint in 3.8 seconds, becoming the fastest production muscle truck ever created.
On gravel, the newest savage Ram 1500 TRX didn’t disappoint, recording a 5.1-second run. The 702 horsepower supercharged 6.2 Hemi V8 powerplant is borrowed from the Challenger Hellcat, but we guarantee that the TRX can get where the Hellcat doesn’t dare thanks to Baja 1000 springs.
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Which muscle truck is your favorite one? Do you think we missed mentioning any of them? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe for more automotive stories in the future!
