The V10 Pickup: Three Trucks That Defied Convention

The V10 engine is most at home screaming under the hood of exotic sports cars like the Lamborghini Huracán or the Lexus LFA. But a handful of pickup trucks came straight from the factory with ten cylinders. Only three production models ever managed it. Here’s a look at the rare beasts that broke the mold.

The Dodge Ram SRT-10, introduced in 2004, borrowed its 500-horsepower V10 straight from the first-generation Viper. It was the world’s quickest production pickup until newer high-performance trucks like the Ford Raptor R and Ram TRX showed up. Dodge offered it as a regular cab first, then expanded to a quad-cab in 2005 that could tow up to 7,500 pounds.

Production wrapped after 2006, with just over 10,000 units built.

Ford took a different route with its Triton V10, arriving in 1997 for the Super Duty F-250 and F-350. This naturally aspirated engine stuck around until 2010 in most models, with the F-450 keeping it until 2019. It was Ford’s answer to Dodge’s Magnum V10, which had already debuted in 1994 for the Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty trucks.

The Magnum offered more torque than any competitor’s gasoline engine, though it couldn’t match the Cummins diesel’s pulling power.

Beyond production models, a few V10-truck concepts surfaced. Dodge previewed the Ram VTS, a Viper-engined truck that never made it. The Dodge Dakota Sidewinder packed a racing Viper V10 producing 640 horsepower. Ford’s F-250 Super Chief concept used a supercharged Triton V10 that could run on hydrogen, E85, or regular gasoline.

None reached showrooms, but they proved the V10’s versatility even in a pickup’s frame.