These 10 Fast ‘Fuel-Powered’ Pickup Trucks Shouldn’t Be Forgotten When Electric Trucks Take Over

Shelby Dodge Dakota

You rarely see ‘Shelby’ attached to a pickup truck, especially if it’s not a Ford. The truck came out in 1989 and was plonked with a V-8 engine under the hood. This Shelby Dakota was a mid-size, rear-wheel-drive truck with a V-8; something that was unheard of back in the day. The engine made just 175 horses and 270 pound-feet of torque. The company made 1500 examples, 505 of which were finished in the white exterior shade and 995 in red.

Chevy Silverado SS

Chevy built the Silverado SS from 2003 to 2005. It was based on the Silverado 1500 Extended Cab. The truck was powered by a 6.0-liter, naturally aspirated V-8 mill that was seen in the Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Yukon Denali. Here, it put out 345 horses and 380 pound-feet of torque. It started as an all-wheel-drive model, then offered with a rear-wheel-drive layout as well, and later only as a rear-wheel-drive truck. It even came with a Z60 performance suspension system and 20-inch aluminum wheels.

Toyota Tacoma X-Runner

Toyota sold this model from 2005 to 2013. The Tacoma X-Runner came with a lot of updates, which included a widened, bloated look to the body, a lowered stance, a beefier suspension, etc. It even came with better wheels and tires than the standard Tacoma. The truck was powered by a 4.0-liter, V-6 engine that makes around 240 ponies and 266 pound-feet of twist. It even came with a manual gearbox, a rear-wheel-drive system, and a beefier suspension. You could even have it with a dealer-installed supercharger that would push the power output to around 300 horses. Fun fact: It was the fastest Toyota vehicle in the then-current lineup, clocking 0-60 mph in under seven seconds.

Dodge Lil’ Red Express

This Dodge truck was just as unique as its name and took the pickup market by storm when it came out in 1978. Trucks were just workhorses back then, but this Dodge was focused on performance. It came with a 5.9-liter V-8 under the hood that produced 225 horses. It was the fastest American vehicle back then according to Car and Driver! The Lil’ Red Express featured HEMI-style mufflers with a crossover pipe and two top chrome exits. Dodge made 2,188 examples of the Lil’ Red Express.

Ford F-150 SVT Lightning

Ford introduced the SVT Lightning back in 1993 and the first generation stayed for about two years. The one on Doug’s list, however, is the second-gen, which came out at the turn of the century and lasted for five years until 2004. It came with a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine that made 360 ponies and 440 pound-feet of torque. The later models made 380 horses. It could do 0-60 mph in under six seconds. It even made an appearance in the first Fast and Furious movie (Paul Walker’s drive when he worked at the parts store).

Ford F-150 Raptor

You can’t complete a list of cool fast pickup trucks without the F-150 Raptor. When it came out, Ford offered it with two V-8 engines that were later ditched for a V-6 that continues to this day. The automaker is bringing back the V-8 Raptor in the form of the Raptor R. But, the new third-gen Raptor continues with the same 3.5-liter, twin-turbo, V-6 EcoBoost mill that puts out 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. The new Raptor comes with a whole lot of impressive stuff, like the suspension setup, bigger tires from the factory, and exhaust system, to name a few.

Chevrolet SSR

Some people may not even call the Chevy Super Sport Roadster a pickup truck. It was a convertible with a bed turned into a trunk that looked more like a hot rod. The company sold it from 2003 to 2006. It came with a 5.3-liter V-8 engine that made around 300 horses. Starting 2005, the company plonked in a bigger 6.0-liter V-8 engine from the Corvette that put out 390 ponies. It was mated to a manual gearbox that powered only the rear wheels. It could sprint to 60 mph in low five-seconds

GMC Syclone

I was hoping Doug would not skip the Syclone on his list, and fortunately, he didn’t. The Syclone made its debut in 1991 and was ahead of its time. It featured a 4.3-liter, turbocharged V-6 engine that made around 280 horses and 350 pound-feet of torque. It could sprint to 60 mph from rest in low 4s and could even match up against the likes of the Porsches, the Corvettes, and the Ferraris. An SUV version of the truck called the Typhoon was later launched which was slightly more successful than the Syclone. GMC made around 3,000 examples of the Syclone.

Ram 1500 TRX

Up until last year, the F-150 Raptor was the closest thing you could have to a performance truck. But, Ram came out with the production-spec 1500 TRX in 2020 and upped the ante multi-folds. It is powered by a 6.2-liter, supercharged V-8 HEMI engine that dishes out 702 horses and 650 pound-feet of twist! It is filled to the brim in terms of off-road equipment, but it can still sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds according to Ram. Doug mentions it can do the same in under four seconds. A true-blue cool fast truck indeed.

Dodge Ram SRT-10

At the top of Doug DeMuro’s list is the Dodge Ram SRT-10. The truck was revealed at the 2002 North American International Auto Show. It came with big wheels, low-profile tires, and even a spoiler! The SRT-10 was offered as a two-door and a four-door truck. It featured a huge 8.3-liter, V-10 engine that generated 500 horses and 525 pound-feet of torque. Power was routed to the wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox in the two-door truck and an automatic in the four-door model. Just like most of the fast trucks from that era, it didn’t stick around for long as the production came to end in 2006 after a three-year run.

Is there any fast truck that you think should’ve made the cut? Watch the video and share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.