Under the current Stellantis regime, Dodge and Ram are going through an identity crisis.
An identity crisis for an automotive manufacturer often comes down to how a brand is positioned or how a new design language is being integrated across a product lineup.
But neither is happening with Dodge. From a brand positioning standpoint, they’d still very much like you to think of them as big, dumb, loud, and proud all-American fun, and from a design language standpoint, pretty much the same.
Instead, Dodge’s crisis is due to the loss of technology. And while electrification will affect every brand and hundreds of models, few brands tie their identity so closely to a specific powertrain as much as Dodge has, namely with the Hemi.
Dodge’s Hemi muscle cars were dead at the end of 2023. After this year, the Hemi trucks will be gone, too. The last domino to fall is the 702-hp Hellcat-powered Ram TRX, which will be replaced next year by the lighter, less powerful, and more agile Ram RHO.
Today, it’s hard to imagine what Dodge and Ram are without the Hemi V8. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to go back that far to a time before the Hemi V8 defined the Dodge and Ram nameplates.
While the 5.7L Hemi V8 was introduced in 2003, Dodge still really only had one serious performance engine at that time: the 8.0L Viper V10. Long before superchargers and Hellcat badges, Dodge began experimenting with dropping the Viper V10 into vehicles that weren’t Vipers to create top-tier performance variants.
This 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10 with under 9,500 original kilometres on the odometer is a time capsule example of what that experiment looked like.
Its V10 engine produced 500 hp, which, in modern-day terms, seems hilariously low for such a large engine. After all, the 6.4L 392 Hemi V8 produces nearly as much in every application. The new “Hurricane” inline-six can be had with up to 540 hp, and it’s only a 3.0L unit.
But in 2004, 500 hp was gargantuan — the stuff of unobtainium supercars. Mated to the same six-speed manual transmission from the Dodge Viper, the Ram SRT-10 was reported as achieving zero-to-100-km/h times in under 5 seconds and quarter-mile runs in under 14 seconds. Again, these numbers are child’s play in the modern age, but at the time, it was about as quick as a 2005 Ford Mustang GT. For a light-duty pickup truck, that’s pretty impressive.
The Ram SRT-10 was the conclusion to the muscle truck segment that had been fermenting throughout the previous decade. Much like how the TRX was a response to Ford’s Raptor, the Ram SRT-10 was a response to the Ford F-150 Lightning. Dodge showcased a concept as early as 1996, but by the time the SRT-10 arrived on showroom floors, the Lightning was wrapping up — with Ford shifting SVT efforts towards new muscle cars and supercars.
When the Ram 1500 SRT-10 finally arrived, it broke a Guinness World Record for the World’s Fastest Production Truck, but with no real competitors, it was a hollow victory, and the truck was cancelled after 2006.
The SRT-10 is historically important nonetheless.
This was the first time Dodge had looked to develop performance models outside of dedicated specialties like the Viper and Prowler in almost two decades. Heck, they even put it through a wind tunnel in development to design the bodykit. The origins of the widebody can arguably be seen here.
This example, currently offered for sale on AutoTrader, was originally purchased in Oakville, Ont., and traded hands only once before making its way to Niagara Chrysler. It’s had some service to keep it ready to drive, including a new rear main seal, a new clutch, and a fresh set of tires (although Niagara Chrysler still has the original set on hand for any purists out there). Niagara also has the original window sticker, amongst other documentation.
While just more than 10,000 units were produced between 2004 and 2006, this truck being optioned as a regular cab and finished in black paint means it's one of 1,269 examples in its model year. While it’s unclear how many units were earmarked for the Canadian market specifically, it’s likely less than 10 per cent of total units produced.
By 2006, Dodge had reintroduced the Charger and, along with it, the 6.1L Hemi V8, which was also available in both the Dodge Magnum station wagon and Chrysler 300C. The Viper V10 was no longer necessary as a high-performance option. While Dodge did briefly play with the idea of a Viper-powered Challenger upon its reintroduction, those ideas were scrapped in favour of pursuing a supercharged V8, what we now know as the Hellcat.
The SRT-10 died so that the Hellcat could live, but the Ram 1500 SRT-10 was still successful at proving the formula: high-performance engine plus regular traffic equals fun.
This truck is rare. It’s special. It’s different. It’s historically significant. It’s in showroom condition. It’s a collector’s item. And it’s $50,000 cheaper than a TRX or an RHO.
Plus – this is the really important part – it’s just plain stupid in all the best ways. And as long as Dodge keeps being that, it’s proof that the brand can evolve.
