1997 Dodge T-Rex 6X6 Concept Is the Original VelociRaptor

The year is 1997. Bill Clinton is president and Hanson - MMMBop is one of the most popular songs on the radio. You probably don't remember any of its lyrics, which means this Dodge concept is also forgotten. Considering it pre-dates modern internet, we thought we'd do a little feature about it.

It's not based on some pedestrian 1500, but on the heavy-duty Ram 3500 and packs a suitably epic engine. The 8.0-liter V10 under the hood was said to make 497 horsepower and 593 lb-ft (804 Nm) of torque. Back then, they didn't mess around with 10-speed autos, so this has a 4-speed, as well as front and rear transfer cases.

The funny thing is that Dodge is about to launch the Ram Rebel TRX, which could be read T-Rex. The new name is supposed to imply that it's way bigger and deadlier than a Ford Raptor. However, back in 1997, there was no raptor. Mercedes-AMG wasn't selling $1,000,000 G63 conversions either.

According to the press releases of the time, T-Rex is actually supposed to stand for Technology Research Experimental. It was shown at the SEMA Show, where company president Bob Lutz said "We think T-Rex can outrun, out-tow, outmaneuver, outhaul and out-off-road anything in its class, and do it with a lot more driver comfort."

While the crazy concept never made into production, we're sure Hennessey will begin work on their 6x6 makeover as soon as the TRX makes its production debut. 2021 could be a good year for fans of the third driven axle.

Now, it may not be the same truck, but we found another one that calls itself the T-Rex 6x6. It looks to be roughly the same model year, but sports bright neon paint and can be seen testing its metal with a bit of rock crawling.