If you enjoy shows like “Roadkill,” you’re probably familiar with the gray-and-orange Chevy Muscle Truck, armed with a 475-horsepower LS6 engine. While impressive, it’s not entirely radical, and for decades, American automakers were building powerful trucks. Starting in the late 1960s and continuing into the 2000s, GM, Ford, and Chrysler offered beefed-up pickups.
While not all were as powerful as the Chevy Muscle Truck, they delivered plenty of performance for their time. The GMC Syclone, for example, had impressive acceleration, hitting 0-60 mph in roughly five seconds and completing a quarter-mile in about 14 seconds. These trucks offered both performance and practicality, thanks to their pickup beds. Electric motors have recently flooded the market with powerful trucks, but the classic, gas-guzzling muscle trucks from the 1990s and earlier still hold a special place in many enthusiasts’ hearts. Let’s celebrate these factory-built muscle trucks.
Dodge Li’l Red Express
The late 1970s were tough times for cars. The 1970 Clean Air Act put a damper on the powerful V8 engines, and the oil crisis caused fuel prices to skyrocket, resulting in customers choosing more fuel-efficient vehicles. Muscle cars were on their way out, and automakers like Chrysler knew it. The original Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda had already been discontinued, while the Dodge Charger had changed its focus to a more luxurious coupe.
Considering the market, the Dodge Li’l Red Express, released in 1978, was a bit surprising. Chrysler engineer Tom Hoover called it “the last American hot rod.” Taking advantage of a loophole, Dodge used a police version of the Mopar 360-CI small-block V8 in a Dodge D150 body. It also featured open-stack exhausts and vibrant red paint. In its first year, the truck ran the quarter-mile in 15.71 seconds. However, a change in regulations in 1979 led to catalytic converters and unleaded fuel, which hampered performance. Dodge built 7,306 units before discontinuing the Li’l Red Express.
Ford Ranchero GT
Dodge’s Li’l Red Express might have set the template for today’s muscle trucks, but Ford had already experimented with combining powerful engines with a load-capable body. The Ranchero GT from the late 1960s offered a lineup of potent V8s.
Throughout much of its production life, the Ranchero utilized a selection of more mundane engines like Ford’s 200-CI six-cylinder. However, that changed with the fourth-generation Ranchero, which debuted in 1968 and featured two- and four-barrel versions of the 390-CI V8. Ford upped the ante in 1969, offering a 335-horsepower, 440-lb-ft Cobra Jet 428. The 370-horsepower 429 Cobra Jet appeared on the options list for the fifth-generation Ranchero in 1970. Ford kept the 429 as an option until 1973 but replaced it with the 460-CI V8 for 1974.
Chevrolet El Camino SS 454
Ford wasn’t the only company producing a car-truck hybrid: GM’s Chevrolet El Camino debuted two years after the Ranchero in 1958. The first-generation El Camino wasn’t as successful as the Ranchero, and GM discontinued it in 1960. However, GM brought it back in 1964 with the Chevelle-based second-generation El Camino, leading to better sales. These models came with the 194-CI Turbo-Thrift six-cylinder or the 283-CI Turbo-Fire V8. Over the years, GM followed Ford’s lead and introduced larger, more powerful engines. The 1968 El Camino featured a 350-horsepower 396-CI V8. GM responded in style when Ford made the Cobra Jet 428 available in the Ranchero GT. In 1970, Chevrolet began selling El Camino SS models with the 454 LS6 engine, producing 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, fast enough for a mid-13-second quarter-mile time. The crazy performance didn’t necessarily translate to high sales. It’s estimated that fewer than 600 were ever built.
Shelby Dakota
Shelby’s modern offerings may come to mind when thinking of Shelby trucks, but Shelby’s collaboration with Dodge to build the Shelby Dakota arguably set the stage for future muscle trucks late in the 1980s.
The Shelby Dakota was a version of the Dodge Dakota pickup, which debuted in 1987. Shelby customized a handful of Dodge vehicles, so it wasn’t a massive leap for the Texan to work on the new pickup. The Shelby Dakota arrived in 1989. Standard 1989 Dakotas had a four-cylinder or a V6. The Shelby Dakota, had a 5.2-liter V8 producing 175 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Shelby upgraded handling with new gas shock absorbers, a tweaked suspension, a front anti-sway bar, and Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires. This setup allowed the nearly 3,700-pound truck to hit 60 mph in 8.7 seconds and complete a quarter-mile in 16.4 seconds. Dodge had plans for a one-year production run of 1,500 units, but enthusiasts believe only 1,475 were produced.
Chevrolet 454 SS
Chevrolet returned to the muscle truck market a few decades after the 454 LS6 El Camino with the Chevrolet 454 SS. It was a higher-performance version of the Chevrolet C1500, which debuted in 1990. Specifically, the 454 SS was a two-wheel-drive, single-cab C1500 equipped with a 454-CI V8 engine. This 454 V8 was a heavy-duty truck motor, which provided 230 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque.
Following in Shelby’s footsteps with the Dakota, Chevy’s engineers adjusted the suspension, installing a heavy-duty front sway bar and Bilstein shock absorbers. Custom-made 275/65 R15 tires were standard, along with Chevy’s Silverado trim amenities. Contemporary road tests clocked a 60 mph time of 7.7 seconds, with the quarter-mile in 15.9 seconds. Chevrolet updated the 454 SS in 1991 and production ended in 1993.
GMC Syclone
In terms of performance, the GMC Syclone represented the peak of the early-1990s muscle truck boom. It had supercar-rivaling acceleration, but practicality was lacking. The Syclone was a GMC Sonoma with several critical upgrades that made it a performance truck. The most notable change was the turbocharged, 4.3-liter V6 under the hood that produced 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. If this sounds excessive, that’s because it was: GMC outsourced the truck to Production Automotive Services. In 1991 Car and Driver famously matched the $26,000 Syclone against Ferrari’s $122,000 348ts. The Syclone outran the Ferrari to 60 mph, hitting it in just 5.3 seconds compared to the Ferrari’s 6.0-second time. Speed didn’t necessarily lead to sales. GMC only sold 2,998 Syclones.
Dodge Dakota R/T
The 1989 Shelby Dakota wasn’t the only time Dodge gave its mid-sized pickup a boost. The early-to-mid-1990s Dakota had a 5.2-liter Magnum V8 producing 230 horsepower, but the Dakota R/T, which debuted in 1998, was the true heir to the Shelby Dakota.
The R/T had a 5.9-liter Magnum V8, generating 250 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque. Dodge engineers improved handling by lowering the ride height, installing a larger rear stabilizer bar, and swapping to 255/55 R17 rubber. Dodge offered the R/T in regular and Club Cab configurations, with the sheet metal enhanced by flared wheel arches. Contemporary reviews praised its handling and performance, as well as its sub-$20,000 price tag. As with many muscle trucks, sales were not a huge success. Dodge built only 16,496 units.
Toyota Tacoma X-Runner
Muscle trucks are typically American, with most iconic examples coming from Ford, Chrysler, and GM. However, in the mid-2000s, Japan entered the arena when Toyota released the Tacoma X-Runner in 2005.
Released as a replacement for the S-Runner, the X-Runner sported a 4.0-liter V6 under the hood capable of 236 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. The engine could achieve a mid-7-second zero-to-60 time, and its suspension, meaty tires, and reinforced chassis meant it could “out-corner most cars,” according to MotorTrend. The truck was also practical, hauling a 910-pound payload and towing 3,500 pounds. Power-hungry buyers could opt for a dealer-installed TRD supercharger, which brought power up to 300 horsepower.
Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
Let’s conclude by examining a couple of high-horsepower muscle trucks, at least compared to earlier models. First is the Ford’s F-150 SVT Lightning, manufactured in two different runs during the F-150’s ninth and tenth generations.
From 1993 to 1995, Ford offered a version of its ninth-gen F-150 modified by its Special Vehicles Team (SVT). The first SVT Lightning was powered by an upgraded 5.8-liter Windsor engine that provided 240 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. Ford dropped the SVT Lightning after 1995, but the high-performance model made a comeback with the tenth-generation model. The second-generation F-150 SVT Lightning debuted in 1999 with even more power, thanks to a supercharged 5.4-liter V8, which produced 360 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque. Ford produced just over 28,000 second-generation F-150 SVT Lightnings.
Dodge Ram SRT-10
Muscle trucks are relatively simple: place a high-powered engine into a truck, and you’ve got one. However, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 was arguably the muscle truck to end all muscle trucks. Not satisfied with a V8, Dodge crammed a full Viper drivetrain into a Ram 1500, resulting in a truck with 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque This muscle truck could run a 13.6-second quarter mile. Dodge wasn’t done there. The company introduced a Quad Cab version of the SRT-10, adding utility with a 7,500-pound towing capacity. It was, in a sense, a Viper drivetrain capable of towing an actual Dodge Viper.
