The pickup truck market has changed dramatically in the last few decades as pickup trucks have gone from a workhorse that you'd see on the farm to a status symbol almost as fashionable as a Porsche once was. This has made the pickup truck market explode in sales, and this shift in consumer taste has also created a market for high-performance pickup trucks. These high-performance trucks have come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with many of them having more performance than a Ford Mustang. These so-called hot trucks are a blast to drive while still offering the same versatility as a traditional pickup truck, creating a happy medium that wasn’t seen in the pickup truck market before.

Performance trucks have taken the traditional rough-riding utilitarian beast and turned it into a more refined beast. You’ll be amazed at just how much horsepower many of these one-of-a-kind trucks pack, with the aggressive look to match. Choosing a performance truck can be a great decision for someone who needs the hauling capabilities of a truck but still wants to have the fun of driving a sports car. This happy medium has spawned some truly stellar trucks such as the Ford F150 Lightning that combines tire-blistering speed with a sleek-looking package. These one-of-a-kind trucks will make you proud to have one of them in your driveway, and with all of this power, you’ll be able to spank your friend's Ford Mustang all day.

19 Ford F150 lightning Second Generation - 380 hp

Via: Car Domain

The Ford F150 Lightning Second Generation is a stellar truck that was designed to be an improvement over the original Lightning design. This truck, which was billed as the fastest production truck in the world at the time, took a redesigned package and made it even better.

The supercharged 5.7L Triton motor was pumping out an astonishing 380 hp, which made this little single-cab truck fly down the road.

The Ford F150 Lightning Second Generation is still one of the most sought-after trucks in the country, and the price for one is going to be substantial if it's in good condition. (Nadaguides)

18 Dodge Ram SRT 10 - 500 hp

Via: Chrysler Corporation

The Dodge Ram SRT 10 was a fire-breathing truck that was designed to be more of a novelty than anything. With the factory Viper V10 dumped under its hood, the Dodge Ram SRT 10 managed to blow by just about anything except for a gas station.

This beast of a truck came from the factory in a beautiful red or silver color, and if you've been looking for one of these beasts, good luck.

The Dodge Ram SRT 10 was a very limited-production model, and the price tag, to this day, is still going to set you back quite a bit. (Nadaguides)

17 2003 Chevrolet Intimidator SS - 345 hp

Via: General Motors

The 2003 Chevrolet Intimidator SS was part of a two-car tribute to Dale Earnhardt Jr, which included a special-edition Chevrolet Monte Carlo as well. The 2003 Chevrolet Intimidator SS featured a supercharged motor that gave it an immense amount of horsepower, and coupled with this was an AWD drivetrain, which gave the truck a serious amount of torque. This limited-edition truck also came with special headrests and a leather interior that lets the driver know he's sitting in one special truck. (Motor Trend)

16 2006 Chevrolet Silverado SS - 345 hp

Via: General Motors

The 2006 Chevrolet Silverado SS was an improvement over an already stellar truck, and this year, the truck included a 2WD model as well as the AWD model.

The 2006 Chevrolet Silverado SS has most of the features that the previous models offered, and GM just decided to build on an already great product.

The addition of a beautiful metallic blue paint job was great, and these trucks have definitely held their value. But they're not so expensive that a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado SS is unattainable. (Motor Trend)

15 2003 Joe Gibbs Silverado - 425 hp

Via: Car Domain

The 2003 Joe Gibbs Silverado is a special-edition pickup truck that was released to coincide with the 2003 model-year redesign. The 2003 Joe Gibbs Silverado was designed by Job Gibbs racing, and the company takes a base 2003 model and adds a supercharger and all of the special touches that make this a truly unique truck. There weren't a lot of these trucks in production, as this was a special-edition package. Thus, finding one of these beautiful black trucks is going to set you back a pretty penny. (Nadaguides)

14 2005 Dodge Ram Rumble Bee - 345 hp

Via: Car Domain

The beautiful 2005 Dodge Ram Rumble Bee was a special-edition appearance package that ran for two model years titled the “first swarm” and the “second swarm.” These limited-edition trucks featured a bright-yellow or black paint scheme, and this truck was available in a single-cab or a quad-cab configuration.

The 2005 Dodge Ram Rumble Bee had a powerful Hemi engine, although the horsepower rating was the same as the standard variation of the Ram.

The only real differences on this truck are a much-improved interior, as well as special-edition chrome rims. (Nadaguides)

13 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona - 345 hp

Via: Car Domain

Another addition to the storied Dodge Ram lineup was the 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona, an orange and black beauty that was released to give Ram owners yet another unique truck to show off to their friends. The 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona featured a special-edition paint scheme and the same standard Hemi engine that you'd find in the run-of-the-mill Dodge Ram. The 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona also came in a single-cab or a quad-cab configuration just like the Dodge Ram Rumble Bee did, both of which were special-edition trucks. (Nadaguides)

12 Ford F150 Raptor First Generation - 411 hp

Via: Car Domain

The Ford F150 Raptor First Generation was released as a Baja-inspired replacement for the F150 lightning, which hasn't been in production since the 2004 model year.

The Ford F150 Raptor First Generation took a wild-looking design coupled with big beefy off-road tires and a massive 6.2L engine.

This Ford F150 Raptor introduced the world to a Ford pickup truck that'll burn rubber and fling mud at the same time, making for an increasingly unique truck that's great for commuting and driving off-road. (Motor Trend)

11 GMC Syclone - 280 hp

Via: General Motors

During the early part of the nineties, GM was releasing some interesting vehicles, to say the least, and one of these vehicles was the GMC Syclone. The GMC Syclone took the traditional GMC Sonoma pickup truck and threw a supercharged motor into the mix. With the lightweight design, this created one heck of a performance truck. The GMC Syclone is lauded for its stellar performance and nimble design, with the ability to take on any Ford Mustang at the track. The GMC Syclone is a very rare truck, and these models have held onto their value. (Nadaguides)

10 GMC Typhoon - 280 hp

Like the similar GMC Syclone, the GMC Typhoon took the GMC Jimmy SUV and threw a powerful turbocharged motor into it. This design created a family SUV that had some serious kick to it while still maintaining the functionality of the Jimmy. The GMC Typhoon was released in quite a few color combinations, with black being the most common color and radar blue being the rarest, with only one example in existence. The GMC Typhoon is also a very rare SUV, and the value on these is actually going up, making this a pretty rare version of the Jimmy. (Nadaguides)

9 Dodge Ram SS/T - 245 hp

Via: Car Domain

Long before the Viper-powered SRT-10 truck, there was the Dodge Ram SS/T, which was inspired by the 1996 Pace Car Dodge Ram.

This truck featured a matching color scheme to the Dodge Viper supercar and a limited-edition interior that gave the truck a more performance-oriented appeal.

This is one of the rarest Dodge Ram pickups that you'll see, and there weren't very many of these examples produced. The Dodge Ram SS/T managed to infuse some life into an otherwise mundane pickup truck line, and if you can find one in decent shape, this is an excellent piece of Mopar history. (Motor Trend)

8 Ford F150 Lightning First Generation - 240 hp

Via: Truck Trend

The Ford F150 Lightning First Generation was an impressive truck, and it was Ford's attempt at diverting some of the potential Chevrolet 454 SS buyers to a Ford showroom.

The Ford F150 Lightning First Generation took a supercharged version of the Windsor 351 motor and combined it with a beautiful exterior paint job that made the truck one of the most unique-looking ones on the planet.

The Ford F150 Lightning First Generation also incorporated a good deal of standard features such as a tonneau cover and a nice pair of factory alloys. (Nadaguides)

7 Chevrolet 454 SS - 230 hp

Black Chevrolet SS 454 muscle truck on the road
Via: Car Domain

The Chevrolet 454 SS is a legendary pickup truck that was released with a simplistic black paint job, a red bow tie, and some factory chrome wheels. But under that very modest package was the same powerful 7.5L 454 V8 that can be found in the heavy-duty Suburbans and Silverados of the time. This powerful package created a very fast tire-burning truck that makes for a very fun vehicle to this day, and these trucks have increased in value as of late. (Nadaguides)

6 Ford F150 Raptor Second Generation - 450 hp

Via: Car Domain

Building on an already successful product can be a difficult transition, as companies don’t want to break the sales momentum that they have. The Ford F150 Raptor Second Generation introduced the world to a product that took the original formula of the Raptor truck and built upon it with an even more powerful engine and a beautiful exterior design that looked better than before. The interior was also a massive improvement over the past generation, and the Ford F150 Raptor Second Generation is much larger than the first generation version. (Motor Trend)

5 2006 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner - 245 hp

Via: Car Domain

Toyota has never really been an automaker that specialized in performance products, but the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner was a special-edition truck that combined ground effects and a much faster engine to give the Tacoma a stellar street-racing look. The Toyota Tacoma X-Runner was featured with a bright-blue paint job as well as nice factory alloy rims. The entire look of the truck is very reminiscent of the Mitsubishi Street Raider concept. The Toyota Tacoma X-Runner was a limited production as well, but these trucks are still relatively affordable with low mileage. (Motor Trend)

4 Chevrolet S10 Xtreme - 190 hp

Via: Car Domain

The Chevrolet S10 Xtreme was a unique truck that most of the country has seen at one point or another. This limited-edition truck took a powerful 190 hp Vortec motor and rammed it into the already lightweight design of the Chevrolet S10 Xtreme, making for a tire-screeching truck that's been known to do a burnout or two. The Chevrolet S10 Xtreme was a fairly common package, and it actually sold quite well. These are also one of the most affordable and easy-to-find performance trucks on the market. (Motor Trend)

3 Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme - 220 hp

Via: General Motors

The Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme was a stellar truck that built on the already ample reputation of the S-10 extreme by offering a 220 hp Vortec motor that made for one of the best-performing small trucks on the market. The Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme was a fairly common package and one that actually sold quite well as it had a very attractive look with performance to match. If a fun-to-drive truck is on the menu, then the Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme delivers in every aspect. Plus, these trucks are really affordable as well. (Motor Trend)

2 Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T - 245 hp

Via: Car Domain

When it comes to Dodge performance trucks, the Mopar division certainly knows how to dress a truck up, and one such truck is the Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T.

This sleek-looking V8-powered beast was a little-known option package that gave the run-of-the-mill Dakota some serious power.

And with a stylish exterior to match, this is one of the best-looking Dodge trucks to come out of Detroit. The Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T has a larger motor than the SLT trim, and that little boost of power made this truck a tire-screeching beast. (Motor Trend)

1 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition - 260 hp

Via: Car Domain

Ford has released quite a few special-edition trucks over the past decade, but one has built up a loyal following like no other, and that's the Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition. This limited-edition truck catered to a market of people who love their motorcycles, so why not slap a Harley Davidson badge on a truck and have a matching set? The Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition featured a supercharged engine as well as a comfortable black interior that lets you know you're in a special-edition truck. The Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition has held its value extremely well, and if you like Harley Davidson, you’ll love this truck. (Motor Trend)

Sources: Nadaguides, Motor Trend