The V10 is a big part of what makes the Dodge Viper exotic, fast, and sound like nothing else around. In the right hands, Vipers are extremely capable. A glaring complaint is that a Viper V10 can only be enjoyed by 2 at a time. So, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, so in 2004, Dodge came up with a solution to that complaint - a Viper pickup truck.
When the Viper was initially envisioned in the 90s, engineers wanted an exotic chassis with a freakishly big & strong motor, so they shoehorned a tractor motor into the first gen Viper. Fast forward to 2004, Dodge’s SRT (Street Racing Technology) division, which was previously called PVO (Performance Vehicle Operations), decided to stuff a Viper engine into a large machine - this time a pick up truck.
This wasn’t a new idea. At the 1996 Chicago Auto Show, a 2nd gen Viper V10 motor was jammed into a pick-up, but never reached production. When the 3rd generation Viper came out, SRT was praised for the design & engineering of the car., prompting Dodge to ask SRT to breath on other models in their lineup.
In the 00s, Dodge didn’t have sedans or coupes of today. Their most popular cars were the Ram pick up & Caravan minivan. Obviously, most dads would be in favor of a V10 powered minivan, but Dodge settled on the Ram due to the ample engine bay to fit the monstrous 8.3L V10 motor.
To continue with the nomenclature of the SRT Viper, the truck was called the Ram SRT10. For 2004, the truck only 3,057 units were produced, all as a 2 door pick up. Three colors were offered - Black, Red, or Silver. Those lucky enough by winning a Viper Club of America raffle, were able to purchase one of 50 trucks - painted Electric Blue with a white stripe livery.
All trucks were powered with an identical 500hp & 525lbs-ft of torque Viper V10 motor, rocketing the pickup to 60mph in less than 5 seconds.
Regarding driving dynamics, it’s a high revving V10 with big torque at the top end creating an interesting, but tail happy driving experience. Since pick ups normally have low end torque, and you really don’t ride out the rev range with a truck. But Viper pick-up, so don’t care!
For 05 & 06, Dodge offered a quad cab Ram SRT 10. It retained the same V10, but only came with a 4 speed automatic, instead of the Tremec T56 6 speed manual that came on the regular cab. The car comfortably seated 4, & remained rear wheel drive.
Of the 9,527 total trucks, there were 5,533 regular cabs & 3,994 quad cabs.
I love that Dodge sourced the V10 from their own iconic Viper. Dropping it into something they believed anyone could enjoy.