Photo: jlord8 / Instagram
GMC Syclone, Chevrolet 454 SS, and Ford F-150 SVT Lightning were the options for high-performance RWD pickup trucks during the early 1990s. Now, during the middle of the 2020s, the options are more extensive but also mostly electric.
All old-school entries – Syclone, 454 SS, SVT Lightning – were veritable street trucks that featured extensive improvements for better handling and also followed the time-honored tradition of putting an engine as big as possible - 240-hp 5.8-liter V8 plus heavy-duty transmission for SVT Lightning, 454ci or 7.4-liter V8 with 230 hp for 454 SS. However, they remained lightweight and nimble.
Today, the high-performance truck representatives are Ram's 1500 TRX, equipped with the 702-hp 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8, which are both going into retirement past the 2024 model year of production; plus the Ford F-150 Raptor and Raptor R powered by a 450-hp EcoBoost V6 or the mighty 5.2-liter supercharged V8 rocking 700 hp or 720 ponies after the 2024MY's facelift. However, both series are off-road-focused more than anything else.
If you want a capable street truck, you're left stranded on the EV alley of Tesla's Cybertruck – their Cyberbeast version has 845 horsepower and is one mod away from being the Cyberpunk street truck of your dreams after you ditch the all-terrain tires for a setup with sticky summer rubber. So, you see, the options are limited – and we are really heartbroken there's no news of Toyota's SEMA Show Tacoma X-Runner V6-swapped concept going into production.
Well, no worries, as the imaginative realm of digital car content creators comes to the rescue once again. More precisely, Jim, the virtual artist known as jlord8 on social media, loves messing around with all things CGI from GM and Ford, and sometimes they even battle each other with South Park characters in attendance. The pixel master, after working on stuff like a Chrysler Halcyon Wagon, a Lincoln Town Car revival, or a modern Chevy Monte Carlo SS, has reverted to dreaming of cool pickup trucks.
So, he set up a quick CGI video asking his fans' opinion about the potential clash of titans if he brought into the mid-2020s the SVT Lightning and Chevy 454 SS. Of course, the virtual design projects are now based on the latest and greatest F-Series and Silverado, making them a lot larger than their original counterparts in the real world. Still, they follow the Single Cab short box recipe to the CGI letter, complete with aerodynamic improvements, a lowered stance, and classic alloy wheels.
Oddly enough, while the Chevy Silverado 454 SS feels a lot more aggressive than the reborn F-150 SVT Lightning, it seems that the enthusiasts ultimately give the win to the latter. Maybe they noticed that it's a ZL1 in disguise and has the 650-hp V8 under the hood, whereas the F-150 could borrow the 720-hp V8 from the Raptor?
Today, the high-performance truck representatives are Ram's 1500 TRX, equipped with the 702-hp 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8, which are both going into retirement past the 2024 model year of production; plus the Ford F-150 Raptor and Raptor R powered by a 450-hp EcoBoost V6 or the mighty 5.2-liter supercharged V8 rocking 700 hp or 720 ponies after the 2024MY's facelift. However, both series are off-road-focused more than anything else.
If you want a capable street truck, you're left stranded on the EV alley of Tesla's Cybertruck – their Cyberbeast version has 845 horsepower and is one mod away from being the Cyberpunk street truck of your dreams after you ditch the all-terrain tires for a setup with sticky summer rubber. So, you see, the options are limited – and we are really heartbroken there's no news of Toyota's SEMA Show Tacoma X-Runner V6-swapped concept going into production.
Well, no worries, as the imaginative realm of digital car content creators comes to the rescue once again. More precisely, Jim, the virtual artist known as jlord8 on social media, loves messing around with all things CGI from GM and Ford, and sometimes they even battle each other with South Park characters in attendance. The pixel master, after working on stuff like a Chrysler Halcyon Wagon, a Lincoln Town Car revival, or a modern Chevy Monte Carlo SS, has reverted to dreaming of cool pickup trucks.
So, he set up a quick CGI video asking his fans' opinion about the potential clash of titans if he brought into the mid-2020s the SVT Lightning and Chevy 454 SS. Of course, the virtual design projects are now based on the latest and greatest F-Series and Silverado, making them a lot larger than their original counterparts in the real world. Still, they follow the Single Cab short box recipe to the CGI letter, complete with aerodynamic improvements, a lowered stance, and classic alloy wheels.
Oddly enough, while the Chevy Silverado 454 SS feels a lot more aggressive than the reborn F-150 SVT Lightning, it seems that the enthusiasts ultimately give the win to the latter. Maybe they noticed that it's a ZL1 in disguise and has the 650-hp V8 under the hood, whereas the F-150 could borrow the 720-hp V8 from the Raptor?
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