We’ve talked about the Helltruck back in May 2019, now the Ram 1500 Rebel-based build is back in all its glory. The magnificence didn’t hold out too long because 8 pounds of boost were enough to snap the rear axle in 4H and the front axle at the top of the second gear on the blacktop.
The TRX-like pickup with the heart of a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk belongs to Charles, who managed to clock 106 miles per hour in 13.24 seconds at the drag strip with 37-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires and the standard differentials. Charles is also the first to install the Fiberwerx widebody kit on the 1500, giving the 707-hp truck a menacing stance.
Four inches wider than standard, the OEM-tuned Rebel TRX also features Charger SRT Hellcat grille intakes, an exhaust system from Carven, and hand-fabricated bumpers designed to align with the widebody kit. The 18-inch Method 305 wheels and Rebel Supercharged decals round off the list.
While some may be fine with the performance of the 5.7-liter HEMI, the Hellcat V8 is more like it. This engine is good enough to keep the Ford F-150 Raptor at bay, which sports the high-output version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 you’ll also find with more suck-squeeze-bang-blow in the GT supercar.
The Hellcat engine typically runs 11 psi of boost from the factory, which means that 8 psi is nowhere near the bog-standard specification of the supercharged V8. The Hennessey twin-turbo Hellcat upgrade is running 15 psi, but still, turbocharging is different in design from a twin-screw blower.
While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is taking its sweet time by outsourcing the development of the Rebel TRX to a Detroit company, there are people like Charles out there who tread where few 1500 owners dare to. Wrangler and Gladiator enthusiasts have also swapped the Pentastar V6 for the Hellcat V8, and as ever, Chrysler still hasn’t transplated this engine in the 300.
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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