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Ram Runner Will Be Street Legal Kit

We’ve known for some time now that Chrysler is planning to offer a kit to transform your ‘average’ Ram 1500 pickup into a dust-raising, snarling desert beast called the Ram Runner. However, there’s some big news circulating around the project, according to which it will be street legal, according to PickupTrucks.com.

“After [the Ram Runner concept] debuted in Moab and reaction was so positive, we went back and changed [the kit] to be street legal. We want to make sure buyers can enjoy it on- and off-road,”
Mopar President and CEO Pietro Gorlier stated at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Probably the biggest hurdle faced by the company’s engineers in turning the Runner into something fit for American roads was the fact that the conversion kit widens the vehicle's track from 68.2 inches up front and 67.5 inches out back to 77.5 and 74.5 inches respectively. To make this model viable, Mopar had to throw in a couple of illuminated fender markers.

With mods like suspension components from Kore and Fox Racing, wildly flared bodywork and a full safety cage inside, the Runner won't come cheap though.

“Mopar will have a clearance-identification kit available. The kit will meet requirements for driving on the street with wider fenders,” Mopar spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said.

But wait, there’s more! Chrysler is also considering selling the car as a turn-key vehicle instead of kit available from local dealers. This decision probably means that it will be a direct contender for the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

“We’re looking at making the Ram Runner available [as a turn-key truck]. If we did, we would use a [second stage] partner to build the trucks,”
Gorlier said.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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