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Muscle Trucks of Today and Yesteryear

Updated on Jun 6, 2025

Aside from freedom, bald eagles, and the Super Bowl, there’s nothing more intrinsically American than our car culture. Fire-breathing, high-horsepower engines crammed into oversized, steel-bodied chassis to scream from point A to point B in record time—it’s a beautiful thing.

One subset of American auto culture is the country’s affinity for pickup trucks. Somewhere along the lines, American engineers decided to bridge the gap between muscle and utility, resulting in high-performance “Muscle Trucks.”

Radical factory offerings like the Dodge Ram SRT-10, Ford Lightning, and Chevrolet Silverado SS burst onto the scene in the late nineties and early twenty aughts, captivating American interest by cramming sportscar-esque drivetrains into conventional half-ton pickup trucks. Slap on some special trim and aero, polished alloy wheels, and sporty bucket seats, and you have a relatively impractical yet undoubtedly cool amalgamation of horsepower and utility.

Stay tuned if you’re as captivated by the “Muscle Truck” scene as we are. In this RealSource feature, we’re reviewing the iconic muscle trucks of today and yesteryear, ranging from Mopar’s Little Red Express Truck to modern, 5.0L Coyote-powered F-150s.

Table of Contents:

What Are Muscle Trucks?

The First Muscle Trucks

Iconic Muscle Trucks

Modern Muscle Trucks

What Are Muscle Trucks?

A black Chevrolet pickup truck with two people inside, parked in front of a retro diner with glass block walls.

Americans’ love affair with pickup trucks is long-running, as is our infatuation with blistering acceleration and high-horsepower powertrains. Somewhere along the lines, American engineers combined the two, resulting in the first-ever muscle trucks.

While some consider American utes like the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino muscle truck, I’ve always been more of a purist. Considering these vehicles were based on existing sedan and coupe platforms, are they really trucks? Or just cars with beds? True muscle trucks, in my eyes, are even less rational.

It’s not about modifying the body for more practical purposes but about cramming an engine into a traditional pickup that has no business being there, all in the name of horsepower. It’s about slapping the V10 from a Dodge Viper into a half-ton Ram or wedging a 454 big block between the frame rails of an OBS Silverado. It doesn’t make logical sense, but it isn’t supposed to.

The First Muscle Trucks

While some claim the El Camino SS or Ford Ranchero GT as the first muscle trucks, that seems a bit of a cop-out. While sporting a bed, these “trucks” were built on existing car chassis—the Malibu and Torino.

One of the first factory-built muscle trucks employing an existing truck platform was the Dodge Little Red Express—a D-150 step side packing the police interceptor version of the Mopar 360cu small block, as well as chrome garnishes, semi-style exhaust stacks, specialty graphics, and slick mag wheels. To me, this release helped kick off the muscle truck craze in the late seventies.

Iconic Muscle Trucks

In the years that followed, several manufacturers began experimenting with muscle trucks. Some of the most iconic muscle trucks to ever exist were released through the twenty aughts.

1st Gen Ford F-150 Lightning (1993–95)

1993 Ford Lightning pickup truck in a parking lot

A personal favorite of mine is the first-generation Ford Lighting, which took a single-cab, short-bed, two-wheel-drive F-150 and crammed a hopped-up 5.8L V8 under the hood. The souped-up 351W boasted GT40-style cylinder heads and lower and upper intake manifolds to produce a respectable 240 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.

Other modifications to the truck included a lowered suspension with a stiffened chassis, unique silver-painted alloy wheels, body-colored bumpers, model-specific bucket seats, and unique graphics.

Chevy 454 SS (1990–93)

Black Chevrolet pickup truck parked next to a red vehicle, with a grassy landscape in the background.

In some ways, the release of the F-150 Lightning was Ford's direct response to the Chevy 454 SS, which debuted just three years earlier. The 454 SS followed a similar blueprint, cramming a high-horsepower V8 into a two-wheel drive, single-cab, short-bed Chevy Silverado.

Under the hood, a massive 454 big block V8 pumped out up to 255 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. Styling cues included body-colored bumpers, specialty graphics, a lowered suspension, and unique mag wheels.

2nd Gen Ford F-150 Lightning (1999–2004)

Red compact pickup truck with black wheels, parked indoors.

After a multi-year hiatus, the Ford Lightning reappeared in 1999 in its second generation. The new Lightning was built on a 10th-generation F-150 platform—this time, a single-cab, flare-side. Under the hood, Ford ditched the naturally aspirated powerplant for an Eaton roots-style blower, driving power figures up to 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque in later model years.

Outside, the truck boasted similar styling cues to the original Lightning. Body-colored sports bumpers, grille, and trimmings set the truck apart, while a factory lowering kit and silver-painted alloy wheels made for an aggressive stance.

Dodge Ram SRT-10 (2004–06)

Red pickup truck with white racing stripes parked on the street, featuring a sporty design and alloy wheels.

Though Dodge wasn’t any stranger to the muscle truck scene, with various V8-powered Dakota RT trims, 2004 marked the brand’s first foray into a modern muscle truck—one that’d surely go down in history.

The Dodge Ram SRT-10 began as a standard, single-cab, short-bed, two-wheel drive iteration of the Dodge Ram 1500. However, it ditched the standard 4.7L Magnum V8 and 5.7 HEMI V8. Instead, the mad scientists at Dodge plucked the 8.3L V10 from the Dodge Viper and dropped it directly under the Ram's hood.

This wild powerplant made a blistering 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque, making the SRT-10 the fastest production truck at the time of its release. Exterior-wise, the SRT-10 followed the same formula as other muscle trucks. A specialty body kit, sporty hood, and lowered stance with 22-inch alloy wheels.

GMC Syclone (1991–92)

A black GMC Syclone pickup truck parked in a lot, with a purple Hummer in the background.

We had to sneak one midsize muscle truck onto the list. What better option than the GMC Syclone? Produced from 1991–92, the GMC Syclone was one of the first widely successful forced-induction trucks, packing a turbocharged 3.4L V6 under the hood. The engine produced a considerable amount of power, especially for its size. Coming in at 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, the GMC Syclone quickly garnered attention as the fastest production pickup in the early nineties.

The Syclone wasn’t just special under the hood, however—GMC also outfitted the truck with a unique body kit, wheels, and graphics package.

Modern Muscle Trucks

Blue RAM truck off-road in a forest setting with dirt and grass trails.

Though the muscle truck landscape has somewhat shifted to include off-road-centric models, what’s under the hood remains the same. Check out some of the most existing modern muscle trucks on the market.

1st-Gen Ford F-150 Raptor 6.2L (2010–14)

Blue Ford F-150 Raptor with graphic decals parked on grass, featuring a Yamaha sticker on the tailgate and visible mud on the tires.

Though initially released with the conventional Triton 5.4L V8, Ford quickly realized it didn’t pack enough “oomph” for its off-road-centric Raptor. Just a year after the truck’s release, Ford ditched the 5.4L option and offered the truck exclusively with the 6.2L V8, pumping out an impressive 411 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque.

Ford Raptor R (2023–Current)

A black pickup truck drives up a sandy hill in a desert landscape with sparse greenery and a small pond in the background under a clear sky.

Unfortunately, the big V8 was short-lived in the Raptor, as the first-generation truck was discontinued in 2014. When the model re-emerged in 2017, it lacked a V8 option and instead featured a twin-turbocharged 3.5L EcoBoost V6.

Fortunately, Ford’s engineers felt consumer pressure to release another V8 Raptor, especially after RAM released the Hellcat-powered TRX. Ford debuted the Raptor R in 2023 to combat this truck, which possessed a 5.2L Supercharged V8 producing 760 HP and 625 lb-ft of torque.

RAM 1500 TRX (2021–24)

Blue RAM truck driving on a dirt trail in a mountainous landscape.

Though Mopar’s trajectory in recent years has been up for debate, there’s no doubting the popularity of its Hellcat V8 platforms. From Chargers and Challengers to Durangos and Jeep Grand Cherokees, the 700-plus-horsepower V8 has been a dominant force in the performance world. It was only a matter of time before RAM offered the powerplant in one of its pickups.

2021 saw the release of RAM’s first Hellcat-powered truck—the RAM TRX. However, the company didn’t just cram the engine into a stock half-ton. Instead, RAM marketed the truck as a Raptor killer, modifying it with off-road-oriented suspension, high-clearance bumpers, widened bodywork, and the supercharged V8.

Though the truck was set to be discontinued and replaced with the turbocharged, inline six-cylinder-powered RHO in 2025, this decision was recently overturned. Expect the TRX to return to RAM’s lineup in late 2025 or early 2026.

14th-Gen Ford F-150 Coyote V8 (2011–Current)

Black Ford F-150 pickup truck with open hood at car show.

Though the “Lightning” moniker has recently been retaken to describe Ford’s electric pickups, don’t assume that’s the end of Ford’s sport truck market. Like the original Lightning, the half-ton truck is still available in single-cab, short-bed, two-wheel drive configuration. It’s also still offered with a 5.0L Coyote V8, cranking out a robust 400 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque. These numbers can be boosted exponentially with bolt-on superchargers, exhausts, intakes, and other modifications.

Ford Maverick Lobo (2025–Current)

Blue Ford pickup truck parked in front of colorful bird mural on brick wall.

As the second midsize truck in this feature, the Ford Maverick Lobo is a unique yet warranted addition. The Lobo is engineered for spirited on-road driving, featuring a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. This combination produces 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, which makes for a peppy pickup when coupled with the Lobo’s relatively low 3,800-pound weight.

Build Your Own Muscle Truck

Though the muscle truck era may be quietly coming to an end in the United States, that’s not to insinuate you’ll need to settle for an EV pickup or gutless gasser.

The automotive aftermarket is still alive and well, allowing you to build your own muscle truck. Products like air intakes, exhaust systems, and programmers will enable you to extract horsepower from the stock powertrains, while lowering kits, sway bars, performance brakes, and sticky tires can transform any vehicle into a road-hugging street scorcher.