10 Legendary American Muscle Trucks That Deserve To Be Remembered

If you're a fan of "Roadkill," you probably are familiar with the show's gray-and-orange Chevy Muscle Truck, with its 475-horsepower LS6 motor and aggressive, lowered stance. As great as it is, though, the Chevy Muscle Truck isn't necessarily anything radical: American automakers had been making powerful trucks for years, with a range of beefed-up load-haulers present in GM, Ford, and Chrysler's product lines starting in the late 1960s and carrying on well into the 2000s.

Granted, not all of them were as powerful as the Chevy Muscle Truck, but they all packed a lot of power for their time, combining good-to-great performance — GMC's Syclone, for example, had an infamously quick 5-second 0-60 time and could get down the quarter mile in about 14 seconds — and decent practicality, thanks to their pickup beds. Well, okay, the Syclone's pitiful 500-pound maximum payload wasn't much use, but most muscle trucks were indeed useful for more than just burning rubber.

Of course, recent years have seen a profusion of powerful pickup trucks hit the market, especially thanks to electric motors and their insane power output. But while powerful trucks are a dime a dozen now, we think there's still something special about all the classic, fossil fuel-powered muscle trucks from the 1990s and earlier. So, to celebrate the art of the factory-built muscle truck, here are 10 we think are worth celebrating in all their glory.

The mid-to-late 1970s were a bad time for muscle cars. The 1970 Clean Air Act and its emissions regulations put the kibosh on many of the iconic V8s that had powered muscle cars, while the 1973 oil crisis sent fuel prices skyrocketing and pushed customers to more fuel-efficient cars like the Ford Pinto.

Muscle cars were on the way out, and automakers like Chrysler knew it: By 1978, the original Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda had been gone for four years, while the Dodge Charger had shifted from its muscle car roots to a more luxury-oriented coupe. And so it was probably a bit of a shock when Dodge announced the Li'l Red Express in 1978, a factory-customized pickup truck that Chrysler engineer Tom Hoover called "the last American hot rod." (via Hot Rod)

Taking advantage of a loophole that allowed vehicles weighing more than 6,100 pounds to bypass emissions regulations, Dodge stuffed a 225-horsepower police version of the Mopar 360-CI small-block V8 into a Dodge D150 body complete with open-stack exhausts and eye-catching red paint. The result was a truck that ran the quarter mile in 15.71 seconds in production form in its first year, before a change in regulations — the minimum weight for emissions-exempt trucks was increased to 8,000 pounds in 1979 — hobbled the truck by saddling it with catalytic converters and unleaded fuel for 1979. Dodge discontinued the Li'l Red Express after that, having built 7,306 units — 2,188 in 1978 and 5,118 in 1979.

Dodge's Li'l Red Express probably set the template for today's muscle trucks, but it wasn't the first time a Detroit automaker had combined a high-performance — for the time, at least — V8 with a load-capable body. Ford had already done it in the late 1960s with the Ranchero GT and its selection of potent V8s.

For most of its life, the Ranchero was powered by a selection of generally mundane engines, such as Ford's 200-CI six-cylinder, the base engine in the third-generation Ranchero from 1966. But that all changed with the fourth-gen Ranchero, which debuted in 1968. Starting that year, Ford offered a Ranchero GT that could be purchased with two- and four-barrel versions of the 390-CI V8, making 265 and 335 horsepower, respectively. Ford soon upped the ante, though, offering 1969 Ranchero GT buyers the option of a 335-horsepower, 440-lb-ft Cobra Jet 428 in the engine bay. 

But Ford wasn't done: The 370-horsepower 429 Cobra Jet debuted on the options list for the fifth-generation Ranchero in 1970, further cementing the Ranchero GT's status as a bona fide muscle truck. Ford kept the 429 as an option until 1973 despite selling very few (153 in 1970, for example), but dropped it in favor of the 460-CI V8 for 1974. Ford's car-truck hybrid remained in the company's lineup until 1979, although by that point the only engines available in the Ranchero GT were Ford's 302- or 351-CI V8s.

Ford wasn't the only company with a car-truck hybrid in its lineup during the muscle car era: GM had its own take on the formula in the Chevrolet El Camino, which debuted two years after the Ranchero in 1958 and owed quite a lot to Ford's offering. The first-gen El Camino couldn't replicate the Ranchero's success, though, and GM dropped it in 1960 due to poor sales.

GM tried again in 1964 with the Chevelle-based second-generation El Camino and found much better success, selling 32,548 units in its first year. The new El Camino debuted with the 194-CI Turbo-Thrift six-cylinder or the 283-CI Turbo-Fire V8, neither of which would set the pulses racing. But GM followed Ford's lead over the years, gradually introducing bigger and more powerful engines, culminating in the 1968 El Camino's 350-horsepower 396-CI V8.

Ford took a decisive step in the displacement wars that year, though, by making the Cobra Jet 428 available in the Ranchero GT. GM took a couple of years to respond, but it did so in style. In 1970, the Chevrolet began selling El Camino SS models with its big-block 454 LS6 engine, producing 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque — allegedly enough for a mid-13-second quarter-mile time. Like many of its contemporaries, such as the low-production 426 Hemi-equipped Mopars, the crazy performance didn't attract a lot of sales: Very few buyers opted for the top-of-the-line LS6 engine, and enthusiasts estimate that fewer than 600 were ever built.

When you think of Shelby trucks, what likely comes to mind are the firm's modern offerings, such as the 785-horsepower Ford F-150 Shelby Super Snake. But way before Shelby started modifying Ford trucks, founder Carroll Shelby hooked up with Dodge to build the Shelby Dakota, a late-1980s muscle truck that arguably set the stage for the next few years of factory muscle trucks.

As the name suggests, the Shelby Dakota was a version of the mid-sized Dodge Dakota pickup, which debuted in 1987. At that point, Shelby was already lending his name and expertise to a handful of Dodge vehicles such as the Dodge Shelby CSX and Shelby Charger, so it perhaps wasn't too big a leap for the Texan to work his magic on Dodge's new pickup. And that's what happened in 1989 when the Shelby Dakota debuted to the world.

Standard 1989 Dakotas had a 100-horsepower four-cylinder or a 125-horsepower, 3.9-liter V6. The Shelby Dakota, in comparison, had a 5.2-liter V8 that produced a more potent 175 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Shelby also upgraded the handling with new gas shock absorbers, a tweaked suspension, a front anti-sway bar, and Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires. The result was a nearly 3,700-pound truck that hit 60 mph in 8.7 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 16.4. Dodge planned a one-year production run of 1,500 units, but fans believe only 1,475 actually ever left the factory.

A few decades after the 454 LS6 El Camino, Chevrolet returned to the world of muscle trucks with the Chevrolet 454 SS, a higher-performance version of the Chevrolet C1500 that debuted in 1990. More specifically, the 454 SS was a two-wheel-drive, single-cab C1500 fitted with a 454-CI V8 engine.

Unlike the high performance 454 LS6 of the past, this 454 V8 was a heavy-duty truck motor with 230 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque. Still, for its time, it was an impressive performer, as we'll see in just a bit. Chevrolet didn't just swap the engine, though: Following Shelby's lead with the Dakota, Chevy's engineers also adjusted the suspension, installing a heavy-duty front sway bar and Bilstein shock absorbers. Custom-made 275/65 R15 tires were also standard, as were all the niceties of Chevy's Silverado trim — making it a relatively plush truck for the time.

Contemporary road tests record a 60 mph time of 7.7 seconds, with the quarter-mile coming in 15.9 seconds. So it wasn't nearly the fastest truck of its era — we'll come to that soon — but it was certainly quite a rapid vehicle nonetheless. Chevrolet updated the 454 SS in 1991, bumping power up to 255 horsepower and installing a 4.10 rear gear in place of the old 3.73 unit. Production ended in 1993 with around 17,000 units built, most of which were 1990 models.

Performance-wise, the peak of the early-1990s muscle truck boom came with the GMC Syclone, a classic high-performance pickup truck with supercar-rivaling acceleration — and severely compromised utility. It didn't go off-road, was only rated for a maximum load of 500 pounds, and could only tow 2,000 pounds. So, while it was technically a truck, it wasn't a very good one. But as a performance vehicle? It was something else entirely.

The 1991 Syclone was a GMC Sonoma with a couple of vital upgrades that made it a bona fide performance truck for the ages. The most notable change was the turbocharged, 4.3-liter V6 under the hood, which produced 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, delivering this power to all four wheels via a BorgWarner system lifted straight out of a GMC Safari. If this all sounds a bit crazy for an in-house GM project, that's because it was: GMC outsourced the truck to Production Automotive Services, known for building the GMC Sonoma GT and the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am.

Car and Driver infamously put the $26,000 Syclone up against Ferrari's $122,000 348ts in 1991 and noted that the Syclone outran the Ferrari to 60 mph — hitting it in just 5.3 seconds compared to the Ferrari's 6.0-second time. The Ferrari, as expected, pulled ahead at higher speeds, but the mere fact that the Syclone was even remotely competitive sealed its place in petrolhead history. Speed didn't equate to sales, however: GMC only sold 2,998 Syclones, making this iconic perky pickup a rare beast.

The 1989 Shelby Dakota wasn't the only time Dodge gave its mid-sized pickup a performance boost. The early-to-mid-1990s Dakota could be specced with a 5.2-liter Magnum V8 producing 230 horsepower – outpacing the Shelby Dakota — but the true heir to the Shelby Dakota was the Dakota R/T, which debuted in 1998.

Befitting the R/T name, the Dakota R/T had something special under the hood: an even larger 5.9-liter Magnum V8 generating 250 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque. But it wasn't just made to burn rubber and go fast in a straight line: Dodge engineers doubled down on the base Dakota's already-decent handling prowess by dropping the ride height by around 0.74 inches, installing a bigger rear stabilizer bar, swapping to 255/55 R17 rubber, uprating the brakes, and speccing a limited-slip differential to try and help the 5.9-liter V8 deliver its power to the tarmac.

Dodge offered the R/T in both regular and Club Cab configurations, with the sheet metal enhanced by some extravagantly flared wheel arches. Contemporary reviews praised its handling and performance, with its Mustang-rivaling 14.85-second quarter-mile time standing out — especially given its sub-$20,000 price tag. As with many of its muscle truck brethren, though, the Dakota R/T wasn't much of a sales success: Dodge only built 16,496 units over its five-year run, though its modest 2,000-pound tow rating may have deterred some buyers.

Muscle trucks are undeniably American, with most of the iconic examples coming from Ford, Chrysler, and GM. But the Japanese got in on the act in the mid-2000s, too, 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. In its standard form, the X-Runner was a truck that could essentially do everything. The engine was good enough for a mid-7-second zero-to-60 time, while the handling — thanks to its double-wishbone suspension, meaty 255/45 R18 Bridgestone tires, and heavily reinforced chassis — meant that it could "out-corner most cars on the road," according to MotorTrend. But it was also usable as a truck, capable of hauling a 910-pound payload and towing 3,500 pounds' worth. It's no surprise, then, that it won MotorTrend's Sport Truck of the Year award.

But while the stock X-Runner probably would've been good enough for most potential buyers, the automaker did offer an option for those who weren't quite satisfied with 236 horsepower. Power-hungry buyers could opt for a dealer-installed TRD supercharger, which brought power up to 300 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque. This resulted in a truck capable of hitting 60 mph in around 6 seconds — all without sacrificing the X-Runner's other advantages.

As we come to the end of our list, let's turn to a couple of genuinely high-horsepower muscle truck offerings of the past — at least in the years following the high-water mark set by the Ford Ranchero GT and Chevrolet El Camino SS 454 LS6. Up first is Ford's F-150 SVT Lightning, produced in two distinct 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 in-house Special Vehicles Team (SVT) performance division. This first SVT Lightning was a short-bed version of the F-150 powered by an upgraded 5.8-liter Windsor engine good for 240 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. This allowed the SVT Lightning to hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds and run the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds.

Ford dropped the SVT Lightning after 1995 as it transitioned to the next generation of the F-150, but the high-performance variant 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. MotorTrend's testing showed the benefits of the new engine: 60 mph arrived in 5.6 seconds, while the quarter-mile time dropped to 14.1 seconds. Ford managed this without unduly compromising the F-150's utility as a truck, too, although its 5,000-pound towing capacity was admittedly lower than the standard F-150s. Ford built just over 28,000 second-generation F-150 SVT Lightnings over its six-year run.

Muscle trucks are simple things at the end of the day: Stuff a beefy, high-powered engine into a compact or mid-sized truck, and you've got one. Sure, it takes some engineering nous to make it a decent truck to live with, but all the examples we've discussed show that it's generally not a huge issue. So how would a company make a muscle truck that truly stood out from the crowd, then? How about by stuffing one of the most iconic sports car engines ever into a truck?

That's precisely what Dodge did in the mid-2000s with the Ram SRT-10, arguably the muscle truck to end all muscle trucks. Not content with a V8, Dodge opted to cram a full Viper drivetrain into a Ram 1500, creating a truck with 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque — capable of running a 13.6-second quarter mile. Did it make sense? No, not really, as Car and Driver's contemporary review — which featured a (presumably) fictionalized disagreement between reviewers Brock Yates and John Phillips about the reasonableness of such a vehicle — will attest to. But it existed, and it was glorious.

Dodge wasn't content to just create a ridiculous muscle truck, though. The company also introduced a Quad Cab version of the SRT-10, adding real utility with a 7,500-pound towing capacity. The SRT-10 Quad Cab was also slightly more approachable, with an automatic transmission instead of the original's six-speed manual. It was, in a sense, a Viper drivetrain capable of towing an actual Dodge Viper. Silly? You bet. Muscle truck? Definitely.