The 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Was the Original Cool Pick-Up Truck

Photo – Stellantis North America

What if your work truck could smoke an exotic in a straight line? Well, this is probably what Dodge engineers must have thought during a smoke break when they came up with the idea of stuffing a mammoth 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V10 from a Dodge Viper into the body of a base spec single cab Ram pickup, giving birth to one of the most cool pickup trucks of all time – the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10.

Dodge was definitely not the first to turn the usually boring pickup trucks into performance vehicles. Ford had already captured the attention of this very niche market with their SVT Lightning pickup introduced in 1993. However, the Ram SRT-10 took it to a whole different level when it was launched. The truck had a base price of around $25,000 which was a bargain considering the powertrain on offer.

Even though the current market offers a handful of options for fast trucks, the SRT-10 was one of the first to popularize the concept of a performance-oriented pickup truck. Despite no longer holding the title of the fastest production truck, the Ram SRT-10 remains very comparable to all these new ICE-powered ‘powerful’ pickups, even after two decades since its initial launch. In fact, it is still one of the few trucks with a top speed of over 150 mph.

What makes this truck the coolest is not just its speed records, but its styling as well. The legendary 8.3L Viper V10, which made 500 hp and 525 lb.-ft of torque, was simply picked and dropped into the engine bay of this mostly regular-looking Ram with a manual transmission! On the outside, the iconic Viper-styled wheels, the aggressive stance, the muscular hood scoop, and the spoiler in the back of the bed make the truck truly distinctive.

If you’re wondering about the performance, the regular cab Ram SRT-10 could sprint to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 150 mph. The quad cab version was also no slouch, it was able to do 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds, which was insane (still is!) for a pickup truck that weighed 5,618 lb. These impressive numbers made the Ram SRT-10 the fastest production truck at the time.

The ‘Viper Club of America’ Edition

The Ram SRT-10 also had a bunch of limited editions but the most sought after and the famous one is the VCA or the Viper Club of America Edition which was only allowed to purchase to the members of the Viper Club of America.

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This was only available in the regular cab version, and only 52 of these were made, with only 2 featuring an automatic transmission, making this one of the rarer editions. The distinctive features included the iconic Dodge Viper blue paint job with white stripes, a VCA sticker on the truck bed, and a few other visual elements.

‘Powerful Pickups’ Not So Uncommon Anymore

Just over a decade ago, to experience this unique ‘mashup’ of supercar performance and pickup truck utility, you only had a couple of options such as the Ram SRT-10 and Ford’s SVT Lightning. However, today these kinds of trucks are not that rare, especially with the fully-electric drivetrain pickups like the Rivian R1T and the Tesla Cybertruck, which deliver performance that outmatches some supercars. Even the gasoline drivetrain has quite a few options now, such as the Ford Raptor R, Dodge Ram TRX, Ford F-150 XLT, and the Dodge Ram 1500 Tradesman.

Still, the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 remains an icon in this quirky niche of ‘performance trucks’ and, despite being nearly two decades old, is still one of the fastest production pickup trucks that have ever existed.