Buy or Bye Bye: 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10 vs. 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT

In February 2004, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan drove a stock Dodge Ram SRT-10 to an average speed of 154.587 mph over a two-way “flying kilometer” pass at the DaimlerChrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan. Guinness World Records and the Sports Car Club of America certified the run, which beat the previous mark of 147.54 mph set by a Ford SVT F-150 Lightning seven months earlier.

When the dust settled after the February 2004 event in Chelsea, the Ram SRT-10 was the world’s fastest production pickup, proof that Dodge’s Street and Racing Technology mantra could be successfully applied to a vehicle one would normally associate with a downtown job site or rural pasture. We had entered a new, perhaps even unprecedented, era of truck competition, where outright speed was a legitimate defining factor of a truck’s credibility and credence, no different than towing and payload capacities.  

Now, 22 years after the SRT-10 was the screensaver all of us truck enthusiasts had on our desktop PC, its legendary nameplate is stepping back into the spotlight, this time on an auction block.  

Here at RealTruck, we are teaming up with Ram, UFC, and Barrett-Jackson to auction a custom 2005 Ram 1500 SRT-10 and a one-of-one 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT at Barrett-Jackson's 2026 Las Vegas Auction. The two trucks cross the block together on Friday, Sept. 11, in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, with every dollar from the sale benefiting the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled military members and first responders.

Likewise, a portion of the proceeds will also support Hispanic charities through the UFC Foundation, timed to Mexican Independence Day weekend events that UFC and Zuffa Boxing are hosting in Las Vegas and Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday, Sept. 12.

As part of our Buy or Bye Bye series here at RealSource™, we are going to set these two incredible Ram trucks side-by-side before they head to Vegas. While the trucks are being auctioned as a pair, this hypothetical exercise asks you to think about which one you like more. Previously, we positioned a 1972 Chevy K5 Blazer against a 1956 Willys Surrey Jeep Wagon and a Ford F-150 SVT Lightning against a modern-day F-150 Platinum.

When you decide which of these two Ram trucks belongs in your dream garage, we invite you to share with us on the official RealTruck Facebook page and on your own social media channels too.

"The 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT represents where we're headed, while the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 represents where we've been," explained Tim Kuniskis, Stellantis head of American Brands, SRT Performance, and North America marketing. "Together, they celebrate American performance, American ingenuity, and the resilient spirit that has carried this country through every challenge."

For those of us whose high school and college years spanned the late 1990s and early 2000s, that time period seems like a lifetime ago. When you scroll social media platforms like Instagram, you may see plenty of nostalgic clips and videos from that time, everything from WWF Attitude Era showdowns and Iowa’s masked metal maniacs at Ozzfest to once underrated movies and video games that are now cult classics.

If there was ever a truck to pop up on such a feed and hit you in all the feels, it’s the RealTruck-inspired 2005 Ram 1500 SRT-10.  

"Every build tells a story. This one tells three,” said Lee Riser, vice president of Marketing here at RealTruck. “It’s a 2005 truck, the same year UFC's Ultimate Fighter launched under Dana White, and this SRT-10 became the inspiration for the new Rumble Bee it’s paired with.”

RealTruck and ProMotorsports team members, along with Mark Trostle, vice president of Ram, SRT, and Mopar Design, put in countless hours on this rare beast, defined by its striking yellow-and-black livery, accented further by custom graphics and bespoke wheels. The Viper insignia pays tribute to the engine underneath, an 8.3-liter, 500-horsepower V10 borrowed directly from the iconic performance car, the same powerplant that carried the original SRT-10 to its record-setting run in 2004.

Official RealTruck accessories include the TruXedo Pro X15 soft roll-up tonneau cover and AMP Research PowerStep running boards. On the inside, drivers and passengers are treated to Alea black leather seats with yellow accents and a set of premium Husky Liners, manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

“This is how you build a legacy piece with a purpose, and we’re excited to have this heavyweight added to our collaboration lineup," Riser said.

As for our Buy or Bye Bye series, buy the 2005 Ram 1500 SRT-10 if you want a monster engine and wickedly cool exterior served with a slice of nostalgia. This isn’t your average crew cab pickup, but rather a powerhouse designed to turn heads on a Saturday night and deter lesser machinery from challenging you at a stoplight.  If that’s your game, buy this bad boy and don’t think twice.  

Incidentally, 2005 was also the year Affliction clothing was founded, a brand that defied traditional fashion norms with bold, unapologetic designs, much like this SRT-10 heading to Vegas. If you have loved a classic Affliction thermal since day one (and American Fighter too), make sure you wear one for your first drive in this 2005 Ram 1500 SRT-10. Take a picture, post it to your socials, and let the haters hate.  

Long before the "Rumble Bee" insignia graced the back end of the now-famous Solar Yellow Ram in 2004, the name had already stung rivals off the line as the Dodge Super Bee. The Super Bee arrived for the 1968 model year, debuting at that year's Detroit Auto Show during the height of the muscle car movement. Dodge Division general manager Robert McCurry was after a model similar to the Plymouth Road Runner, which was in the middle of a successful sales streak.  

Built on Chrysler's B-Body platform through 1971, the Super Bee wore a domed hood and bumblebee stripes wrapped around the rear deck. Its bee logo came from Dodge's Scat Pack performance badge, with some model years adding bee medallions to the grille and trunk lid. Buyers could order it with a 426 Hemi V8 rated at 425 horsepower, an incredible output figure even by today’s standards.

Dodge carried the name over to a pickup for the first time in 2004, building the Ram Rumble Bee as a tribute to the original Coronet Super Bee muscle car, right down to matching its black-and-yellow paint and bumblebee stripes. Under the hood was a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 345 horsepower and 375 lb-ft. of torque.

The Hive Has Been Unleashed

More than two decades later, the Rumble Bee is again leaving the hive, but this time, it’s bringing a few friends. No longer a one-off, Ram introduced the full 2027 Rumble Bee lineup in August 2026, each one sharing a Quad Cab, short bed, and widebody style. Ram shortened the wheelbase by 13 inches versus a standard Ram 1500 Quad Cab and widened the track nearly seven inches at each axle.  

The lineup opens with the base Rumble Bee, powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 making 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. of torque. One step up, the Rumble Bee 392 and 392 Track Pack share a 6.4-liter Hemi rated at 470 horsepower and 455 lb-ft. of torque, with the Track Pack adding upgraded suspension and drivetrain hardware over the standard 392.

At the top of the lineup is the Rumble Bee SRT, powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat Hemi V8 producing 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft. of torque. The output sends the truck from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, through the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds, and to a targeted top speed of 170 mph.

Starting MSRPs, with the $2,795 destination charge, range from $72,790 for the base Rumble Bee to $97,790 for the SRT variant.

“The new Rumble Bee lineup is everything customers expect from a Ram truck: bold design, real capability and unmistakable attitude,” said Matt Van Dyke, Ram CEO, at the time of the announcement. “Buyers no longer have to choose between the practicality of a pickup and the visceral appeal of American muscle.”

The truck heading to Vegas for the Barrett-Jackson auction is the first retail-production Rumble Bee SRT. Ram's design team and SRT's Direct Connection division gave it some extra love to make it a true one-of-one. The build includes a 3.0-liter supercharger upgrade that can push the engine past 900 horsepower and a Magnaflow stainless steel cat-back exhaust.

Meanwhile, the exterior features a hand-painted two-tone array, Molten Red Pearl-Coat up top and Diamond Black Crystal Pearl-Coat below, with matching graphics and fender flares. The black center hood stripe, Brembo brake calipers, and satin black 22-inch wheels round out the exterior, finished by a center console badge authenticating the truck as one of one.

Verdict: History in the Making

As for our Buy or Bye Bye series, you buy the 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT to have a future piece of automotive history. The truck heading to Vegas is simultaneously both the first and only one of its kind. In 20 or 30 years, imagine bringing it to an event at a place like the M1 Concourse and speaking to a group of young enthusiasts beginning to embrace their love of cars, driving, and automotive culture writ large.

Trucks like this are designed with passion and pride, a modern imagination of a timeless classic, for the benefit of others we may never meet. That’s why you buy the 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT.

Barrett-Jackson's Las Vegas auction runs Sept. 10-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with live broadcasts on History and FYI, plus streaming coverage on Barrett-Jackson’s YouTube channel.

The 2005 SRT-10 and 2027 Rumble Bee SRT are being sold as a pair, with Barrett-Jackson waiving all fees and commissions so 100% of the hammer price will benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation. Those interested in bidding can learn more through Barrett-Jackson's bidder site.

“I’m grateful to UFC, Ram, RealTruck, and Barrett-Jackson for this unique and very special opportunity,” said Folds of Honor founder and CEO Lt. Col. Dan Rooney. “The four companies are true patriots that are changing our recipients' lives through education.”