Swapping the Hellcat V8 in a Ram 1500 isn’t something new for the tuning scene. First there was the Ramcat in Canada, then the manufacturer followed suit with the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor-rivaling Ram Rebel TRX Concept. Now, however, a company called Dallas Speed Shop upped the ante to 775 supercharged horsepower.
Starting from a 1500 R/T 5.7 HEMI in regular cab form, the grease monkeys at Dallas Speed Shop bought a Hellcat V8 from the Mopar parts bin. Roughly $20,000 is the price of the crate engine alone, including complete assembly and dyno testing. Then the Texas-based shop one-upped the madness to 775 ponies by replacing the factory exhaust system with Kooks long tube headers.
The mad scientists at DSS then proceeded to make the donor Ram 1500 look like a pickup truck with more power than the Lamborghini Aventador SV. At first glance, you’ll notice the Continental rubber shod in red-painted 22 x 11.5-inch Forgeline wheels. The brutality of the supercharged engine is kept under control by lightweight carbon ceramic brakes from Rotora. The 22-inch wheels allowed DSS to install 8-piston calipers up front and 4-piston rears.
“What if the guys at Ram decided to build a regular cab with a Hellcat along the lines of the old Ford Lightning?” said Mike White of Dallas Speed Shop. “That was a question we wanted to answer. Sport trucks have a long history and manufacturers have sort of abandoned the whole idea. We simply feel that there’s still a huge demand for performance-oriented sport trucks. So we’re building what we feel is the ultimate version by today’s standards.”
That’s not all, though. To appeal to the 2016 SEMA Show audience, Dallas Speed Shop gifted the Hellfire with ultra-aggressive wide body fender flares, carbon fiber adjustable rear wings, canards, and an unashamedly macho front splitter. Is this the ultimate Ram 1500 or what? Considering that it produces more HP than the almighty Challenger SRT Hellcat, it might be just that.
The mad scientists at DSS then proceeded to make the donor Ram 1500 look like a pickup truck with more power than the Lamborghini Aventador SV. At first glance, you’ll notice the Continental rubber shod in red-painted 22 x 11.5-inch Forgeline wheels. The brutality of the supercharged engine is kept under control by lightweight carbon ceramic brakes from Rotora. The 22-inch wheels allowed DSS to install 8-piston calipers up front and 4-piston rears.
“What if the guys at Ram decided to build a regular cab with a Hellcat along the lines of the old Ford Lightning?” said Mike White of Dallas Speed Shop. “That was a question we wanted to answer. Sport trucks have a long history and manufacturers have sort of abandoned the whole idea. We simply feel that there’s still a huge demand for performance-oriented sport trucks. So we’re building what we feel is the ultimate version by today’s standards.”
That’s not all, though. To appeal to the 2016 SEMA Show audience, Dallas Speed Shop gifted the Hellfire with ultra-aggressive wide body fender flares, carbon fiber adjustable rear wings, canards, and an unashamedly macho front splitter. Is this the ultimate Ram 1500 or what? Considering that it produces more HP than the almighty Challenger SRT Hellcat, it might be just that.