This Ram Truck Was a Dodge Viper in Disguise
In 2023, we have crazy trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor R and the Ram 1500 TRX. And while those pickups are bonkers in terms of power and capability, there might be one full-size truck that is even more insane. It’s going on 20 years old at this point, but the Dodge Ram SRT-10 is essentially a Dodge Viper in truck form.
How much horsepower does the Dodge Ram SRT-10 have?
The Ram SRT-10 has a power output of 500 horsepower and 525 pound-foot of torque. In comparison, a regular Dodge Ram 1500 from this era with the 3.7-liter V6 made just 235 hp and 215 lb-ft of torque. So, why is the SRT-10 so powerful?
In 2002, Dodge set out to make a high-performance truck. It would take until 2004 for this pickup to go into production, but when it did, it boasted a special engine. Under the hood of the Dodge Ram SRT-10 lies an 8.3-liter V10 engine. This is the same powerplant that is featured in the Dodge Viper.
That’s right, at one point in time, the folks at Dodge decided that a pickup truck needed an engine from a car that feels like it could kill you. The cherry on top? You can get an SRT 10 with a six-speed Tremec T-56 manual transmission.
The SRT-10 is not your normal truck
As if using the engine from a second-gen Viper wasn’t enough, Dodge made a lot of other significant changes over the regular Ram 1500. It rides on 22-inch wheels with high-performance Pirelli tires.
Plus, it’s lowered. And that helps with taking corners and speed in a straight line. In the regular cab configuration, the SRT 10 boasts a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.9 seconds. And that is not something that you would expect from a full-size truck.
Is the Dodge Ram SRT-10 rare?
In terms of rarity, just over 10,000 Dodge Ram SRT-10 trucks were made during its three-year production run. One of the more sought-after models might be the VCA (Viper Club of America) Edition. 50 VCA Edition SRT-10 models were built, although the actual number is 52.
While this limited edition was equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, apparently, two had an automatic conversion done. And it’s unclear where those two trucks are or if they still exist.
In order to get a VCA Edition, Viper owners had to enter a raffle. And only the winners were offered the opportunity to buy one. In the video below, you can see Motorweek’s initial review of the Ram SRT-10. It’s made pretty evident how crazy this pickup truck truly is.
Is the Viper truck good?
According to TrueCar, prices of the Dodge Ram SRT-10 can climb north of $70,000. So clearly, there’s a group of people willing to put their money down on a Viper truck.
At the end of the day, the Ram TRX and Ford Raptor might be more capable. But those pickups don’t come with a V10 engine pulled out of one of the most iconic sports cars in the world. And that is where the SRT 10 shines.
