Old, Beat-Up Dodge Ram Truck Is Quicker Than a TRX, Runs 10s

The latest Ram 1500 is also the most powerful of them all, with the TRX version boasting a supercharged Hellcat engine good for a whopping 702 horsepower. Quite the evolution compared to the early Ram, which delivered only 175 horsepower in top V8 trim back in 1981.

But this doesn't necessarily mean that first-gen Dodge Ram pickups have to be underpowered and slow.

Like many Malaise-era vehicles, the first-gen Ram is often subject to engine swaps. It usually ends up with newer-generation Mopar engines, but I've also seen a few with LS V8s of the General Motors variety.

The truck you're about to see below is by no means a restomod, but don't let the beat-up look fool you. This rusty old hauler is as deceiving as rat rods get. While there's no specific info as to what lurks under the hood, I do know that it's a turbocharged V8.

And it's powerful enough to send the truck flying down the quarter-mile in 10.04 seconds. To go with a trap speed of 135 mph (217 kph), more than the actual top speed of a first-gen Dodge Ram in stock form.

And you should be impressed because this old pickup is quicker than the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. The Hellcat-powered truck is officially rated at 12.9 seconds down the quarter-mile, with a 108-mph (174-kph) trap speed. Independent tests revealed that the TRX could be quicker than that, but it won't dip into the 11s without aftermarket mods.

So this old Dodge is basically at least two seconds quicker than Ram's finest performance truck yet. Heck, it's quicker than any production model Mopar has rolled out to date save for the Challenger Demon. The 840-horsepower monster needs only 9.65 clicks to cover the quarter-mile.

Yes, I know that the TRX offers so much more than a first-gen Ram truck. It's safer, much more comfortable, and definitely more capable on the unbeaten path. But it's so satisfying to see an old pickup overcome its limitations and raise above its modern sibling.