The 2006 model year Dodge Ram pickup in the video below isn’t your usual Mega Cab work-oriented truck with a Cummins inline-six turbo diesel. Lovingly dubbed Vicious Violet 69 by its owner, the four-wheel-drive rig packs a compound turbo setup with 1,300 ponies on regular diesel.
Originally a 5.9-liter Cummins, the 6.7-liter mill produces a simply ridiculous 1,800 horsepower with nitrous oxide. A boost monster in every respect, said pickup further sweetens the deal with billet rods, a Smeding Diesel intercooler the size of a radiator, custom pipework, a 44-mm wastegate, and a big deck plate between the cast-iron block and head.
Vicious Violet 69 puts the power and torque down to the drag radials by means of a three-speed transmission. Pictured with Innov8 Racing Techlite wheels, the Ram boasts a small fuel cell in the bed and a stripped-out interior with a single race seat.
A pickup this powerful obviously sports a beefy roll cage and massive brakes. Tipping the scales at roughly 6,500 pounds (make that 2,948 kilograms), the Ram uses – allegedly – the factory axles. Definitely not intended for the faint of heart, said truck has to prove itself against a much lighter yet stock twin-turbo V8 supercar from Great Britain.
Enter the 2020 model year McLaren 570S Spider, which is – for some reason or another – incorrectly listed with 600 horsepower at the crankshaft. The 570 in 570S stands for 570 metric ponies, which converts to 562 mechanical ponies. Clearly not as powerful or as torquey as the Ram, the Macca does have a great advantage in terms of curb weight.
Photo: Hoonigan on YouTube
Tipping the scales at 3,314 pounds (1,503 kilograms), the 570S Spider is more than twice lighter. Its dual-clutch transmission and the way that engine responds to throttle input are much superior to the Ram as well. Be that as it may, does it stand a chance against its challenger in a straight line?
Believe it or not, yes! Those Pirelli tires and McLaren’s trick launch control system keep the rears from spinning at launch. The 570S asserts dominance from a rolling start as well, although nobody can deny that Ram is one badass pickup.
As you’re well aware, McLaren discontinued the Sports Series in 2021. The internal combustion-only GT serves as the indirect successor to it, and the same can be said about the plug-in hybrid V6-powered Artura supercar. At press time, it appears that McLaren won’t roll out a new Sports Series.
Over at Chrysler, on the other hand, the Ram truck brand prepares for a mid-cycle refresh of the P/U line. As part of the 2025 model year facelift, the TRX will drop its fantastic Hellcat supercharged V8 in favor of the Hurricane twin-turbocharged V6. Those in the market for a hi-po truck will be offered the Ram 1500 REV with 654 horsepower and 620 pound-feet (841 Nm) on deck. Oh, and by the way, the 5.7-liter HEMI will be discontinued as well.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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