12 Greatest Pickup Trucks of All Time That You Are Probably Too Young To Know

10. Ford F-150 Lightning

The 60’s were a high watermark for American performance in terms of horsepower and torque ratings. It was also the era for looks, style, and many interesting, fast models. After the early 70’s and tight emission and safety laws, the power went embarrassingly down. It looked like the glory days of octane madness were gone. Fortunately, in the 90’s, American manufacturers started investing in performance and delivering faster, more powerful cars.

One of those pure performance machines was the crazy, cool F-150 Lightning. Ford conceived it in the early 90’s with only 280 HP. The Lightning was a performance truck with great driving dynamics. But, in 1999 with the new and totally redesigned generation of F-150 trucks, came the new Lightning. This time it was meaner looking, more aggressive and packed more firepower.

Ford installed its 5.4-liter V8 with a supercharger that was good for 360 HP at first and 380 HP later. This was more than the previous model and more than any truck on the market at that moment. The performance numbers were sublime. The Lightning could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in five seconds, topping 140 mph.

Those figures were more suited to the Porsche 911 than a regular pickup truck that could tow or carry cargo just like other F-150s. The second-generation Lightning proved to be quite popular and stayed in production for five years, up to 2004. During that period, Ford’s SVT department produced over 30,000 Lightning trucks, which are fantastic numbers.

11. Dodge Ram SRT 10

Produced from 2004 to 2006, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 is one of the most powerful, fastest pickups Dodge ever produced. That is a hard thing to say since Dodge always had some wild special versions of their trucks. But, just look at the specs. The 8.2-liter V10 engine produced over 500 HP with 0 to 60 times of fewer than five seconds. Its fuel economy was in the single digits.

A bright red or yellow paint job, two white racing stripes and big, shiny chrome wheels is what the SRT-10 is all about. It was something you couldn’t miss if you saw it on the street. With a price tag of over $45,000, the SRT-10 wasn’t exactly a sales hit. However, they produced a decent number of them in three-year long production run.

In 2005, Dodge introduced the Quad Cab option. They gave the SRT-10 another pair of doors and more practicality. The four-speed automatic was standard, but you could also get a six-speed manual straight from the Viper to go with the engine.

Interestingly, the SRT-10 sent all its power to the rear wheels since the size of the engine limited installing an all-wheel-drive system. Just imagine how quick the SRT-10 could have been if it had AWD.

12. Ford F-150 Raptor

Since modern trucks are equipped with powerful engines, 4×4 drivetrains and tough suspensions, it was only a matter of time before someone would offer a proper off-road performance truck. It was Ford in 2010 with the first-generation F-150 Raptor. Today, they offer a new, improved Raptor with amazing performance and capabilities. Before describing the current Ford Raptor, it is important to talk numbers.

The 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 produces 450 HP. It has a 510 lb-ft, 10-speed automatic transmission with sub-five-second acceleration times. The figures suggest this is an exotic supercar. However, this is a full-size pickup truck, with room for five people and a regular truck bed behind. This is not your ordinary pickup.

The Ford Raptor is the closest thing to a full Baja 1000 racing vehicle you can buy and put license plates on. Everything started in 2010 when Ford introduced the first-generation SVT Raptor. The truck buying public didn’t expect such a move. But, they were fascinated by the truck`s looks, performance, and capabilities. The idea behind the Raptor was to construct the best, fastest off-road truck money could buy.

Ford did that by installing numerous chassis and suspension upgrades, as well as a powerful engine. The best thing about it is that Ford basically prepared an extreme off-road truck with a warranty, as well. With multiple driving modes, a 10-speed automatic gearbox and an adaptive suspension, you can take rock crawling, desert crossing or mud dipping. However, it is still a normal everyday car, too. Ford did a great job combining the toughness of an extreme off-road truck with the usability of a regular modern pickup.

The trucks on this list are interesting, innovative and even performance machines. If you’d like to own one of these street monsters, you’d better start looking now. Their prices are going to go up fast and they will be hard to find.