The desert-buzzing, low-flying fun monsters known as the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX have shown us just how fun trucks can be when they can go anywhere, do anything, and provide laughs and thrills in equal measure. But somewhere along the way, we've arguably forgotten about the original fast trucks that opened the door for these two: the muscle trucks. Low, swaggering, and street-only, the Chevrolet 454 SS, the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, Dodge Ram SRT-10, and even the Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged showed us that speed and a truck bed are not mutually exclusive. (Heck, the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner could even handle!)
Is the time ripe for a new wave of muscle trucks?
The hardware is certainly there. Take the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX: it has seven-hundred-and-two horsepower—and was our 2021 MotorTrend Truck of the year. Even with 8.3 liters, the old SRT-10 could only muster 500 hp. You can thank a massive supercharger for the TRX's absurd numbers: it'll dispatch the run to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, which is less time than you need to read this sentence. Imagine what it could do without all the four-wheel-drive gear, the heavy long-travel suspension, and heavy off-road tires and wheels.
Imagine, instead, it came with a performance-oriented all-wheel-drive system like that fitted to the Durango Hellcat and Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. With that kind of firepower, sticky tires, and ground-hugging suspension, surely a Ram 1500 SRT-X (we can't imagine Ram lopping two digits from the old truck's name, even if the theoretical new one possesses two fewer cylinders) would improve upon the TRX's figure-eight test result of 0.61 g. Right?
We asked our speculative rendering wizard, Abimelec Arellano, to imagine what would happen if Ram revived the storied street truck using the TRX's best bits. Given how the company has mixed and matched its various Hellcat-level components into an entire constellation of tire slayers, Ram surely wouldn't find it much of a challenge to actually accomplish the task of reintroducing an SRT-badged Ram to the market. If only the brand were bold enough.
Up front, the TRX's blacked-out hood scoop remains with clearance lights intact, as does the TRX's black-trimmed grille and headlamp surround. These pieces look perfectly appropriate on a muscle truck, especially hunkered down on its body-colored fender flares over those big wheels. The lower fascia and bumper cover also go body-colored, while losing the rugged-looking bumps in the skid plate area and gaining a fat front splitter.
The changes are similar at the rear. The wing over the tonneau cover recalls the original SRT-10 unit, the "RAM" logo on the tailgate is still massive but now embossed and body-colored for a cleaner look, and the rear bumper is also painted body color. From this angle, you can see the vent at the trailing exterior of the TRX's fender remains, and it looks damn good here.
We don't have any indication this is something Ram is actually considering, although we imagine such a concept must have occurred to someone in the company. We hope anyone inside the company hoping for a street-oriented muscle truck revival speaks up because this truck looks awesome in these renderings.
A concept for toyed with in 1996 through the presentation of a Dodge Ram concept with a V-10 engine from the Viper supercar, the sport truck notion found production for the 2004 model year. Boasting a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour, the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 received the same engine found under the hood of the Dodge Viper supercar, the 2004 Ram SRT-10 pickup truck with an aluminum 8.3-liter V-10 powerplant generating 500 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque.
Known as the Viper V-10 engine, the power unit found with the Dodge Ram SRT-10 is a radically different engine than the V-10 used in the Ram 2500 and 3500 for the last time in 2003. At the time, the Ram SRT-10 was one of the most powerful Dodge products ever built (10 horsepower shy of the Dodge Viper).
A heavy-duty radiator was placed behind NASCAR-inspired grille baffles in order to facilitate efficient cooling. The engine was paired with a six-speed manual transmission was operated through a specially built Hurst shifter. Offered only with rear-wheel drive, the Ram SRT-10 was tailored for peak performance on tarmac. Acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour could be accomplished in just over five seconds. A lowered stance, Pirelli tires on 22-inch wheels and Bilstein mono-tube shocks gave the Dodge Ram SRT-10 a greater sense of control in cornering.
Along with the SRT badging, a special hood featuring a large center air intake and a rear spoiler complement the looks of the high-performance sport version of the Dodge Ram pickup truck. Only offered in the regular cab body style for the 2004 model year, Dodge expanded the Ram SRT-10 to the Quad Cab in 2005. After more than 9,500 examples were built, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 ceased production after the 2006 model year.