Pickup trucks were originally built to be strong workhorses. They were meant to have strong towing and payload capacities over style and speed. It wasn’t until the last few decades that a new breed of truck hit the scene. Some call these high-performance vehicles “muscle trucks.”
Today, high-performance trucks have almost a cult following. With enhancements across the board, it makes perfect sense why these muscle trucks are so popular. Here are some of the most noteworthy:
Ford ROUSH F-150
The Ford F-150 is about American as apple pie. This flagship truck can be found in every parking lot across the country, as they’re used on both job sites and at home. It was only a matter of time before ROUSH got ahold of this truck and made some serious modifications.
Ford ROUSH F-150 Nightmare
Start with an F-150’s 5.0-liter V8 engine and add a TVS R2650 supercharger system, a dual-tip black exhaust, and fine-tune the entire powertrain, and you get a truck capable of making 650 horsepower. This truck can go from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds.
Ford ROUSH F-150 Raptor
Just like the F-150 is one of the best-selling pickup trucks on the road today, the Ford ROUSH F-150 Raptor is the most highly sought-after muscle truck around. The aggressive grille serves as the gateway to a powertrain able to create 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. With the factory-tuned off-road suspension, the Raptor easily competes with trucks loaded with aftermarket upgrades. The difference: The Ford ROUSH F-150 Raptor still gives you a factory warranty.
Hennessey Performance
Hennessey Performance is one of the top names in building street-legal trucks that are tack-tests and proven to be serious muscle trucks. When it comes to the highest-performing options, there are a few that stand out.
Hennessey Maximus 1000 Jeep Gladiator
While the Jeep Gladiator is an incredible truck, it’s not what comes to mind when you think about muscle trucks. It wasn’t until the Maximus 1000 hit the road that drivers took this mid-size seriously. This iteration gets an updated cooling and fuel system that go perfectly with a massive 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine that produces 1,000 horsepower and 933lb-ft of torque.
Hennessey Velociraptor 6×6
If you’re looking for a muscle truck that will catch attention and money is no object, the Velociraptor 6×6 is the way to go. There were only 50 units created across the globe. Hennessey Performance took the F-150’s EcoBoost engine and added a set of turbochargers, updated air to air intercoolers, and a few other perks to help this beast produce 600 hp and 602 b-ft of torque. That’s quite impressive for something that started with an F-150 engine.
Hennessey Goliath 800 Supercharged
What do you get when you take a GMC Sierra and 6,817cc engine utilizing a 2.9-liter supercharger? You end up with a truck so fast that it can even beat a Ferrari off of the line. This powertrain quickly provides 800 horsepower and 800 lb-ft of torque. It took some time to get here, but the Goliath 800 might as well be called a monster truck.
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