Enzo Ferrari is often quoted as having described the Jeep as the only real sports car made in the United States. And while a certain Mr. Carroll Shelby might have reason to scoff at such a claim, given the success of the Ford GT40 at Le Mans in the last 1960s, the fact remains that this country spent many years developing simple, utilitarian workhorses while the rest of the world was busy focusing on Grand Prix and Formula 1 racing. Both Jeeps and pickup trucks remain massively popular all over the world, but particularly here at home, where the Ford F-150 is still the best selling vehicle of any class ever to have rolled out of a domestic factory. The pickup truck has proven itself decade after decade as the vehicle that car buyers in the United States want to own—and despite the common misconception that trucks are only popular in rural communities, plenty of city dwellers drive pickups of all shapes and sizes in towns, as well.
Updated May 2022: If you're looking for a truck that packs a mean punch, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with more models and information.
But this country does have a strong tradition of building incredible sports cars, as well, from early Corvettes and Thunderbirds to the general muscle car mania that started becoming a cultural force in the late 1960s and early 70s. Every industry has its ups and downs, however, and the 1990s were definitely a low point for domestic muscle cars. Just about every manufacturer trended towards efficient, sluggish muscle cars with boring exteriors and cheaply constructed interiors. And yet somehow, the 90s were also a time when the concept of sporty pickup trucks became a growing market segment. That phase has continued to this day, and many pickups are offered with a range of engine choices that make them much faster than a 90s muscle car.
20 Hennessey Goliath 6X6
Texas-based tuners Hennessey Performance have made themselves infamous for bolting on turbo- and superchargers to otherwise largely stock performance vehicles, with the goal being nothing short of all-out insanity. After their world-beating Venom GT—based largely on the Lotus Elise/Exige—Hennessey has stepped their game up significantly in the last few years.
Their first entirely in-house build, the Venom F5 sports car, looks ready to take on the world yet again, and meanwhile, they've also decided to branch out to SUVs and trucks in a big way. Case in point is the Goliath 6x6, a monstrously customized Chevrolet Silverado complete with over 800 horsepower and a full extra axle at the rear.
19 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6
Hennessey's first 6x6 project was built on Ford's aggressive F-150 SVT Raptor, which for years dominated the market with a complete lack of competition from any other brands. But the Raptor itself is just a small truck compared to its beastly older brother from Hennessey, which features a twin-turbo setup bolted on to send over 600 horsepower to all six wheels.
With Brembo brakes, a lift kit, stainless exhaust, an intercooler for the charged air, and even armor plating options, the entire package costs over $350,000—but the feeling of immense capability and aggression that the VelociRaptor inspires in drivers cannot truly be replicated by many other trucks.
18 GMC Syclone
The GMC Syclone didn't look particularly special on the outside, with only a slightly lower ride height and some semi-discreet badging serving as a warning that this was definitely not a normal Sonoma. But the Syclone featured a potent combination of a turbocharged 4.-liter V6 and all-wheel drive, and its 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque made it the fastest production pickup in the world for 1991, its only year of production.
Car and Driver famously raced the Syclone against a Ferrari 348ts, and the Syclone actually bested the Italian stallion in a quarter-mile sprint, although in longer distances the Ferrari benefits from a lower aero profile.
17 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning (1st Generation)
The Ford F-150 is the best selling pickup truck of all time, a genuine workhorse that even cracks the top three of best-selling vehicles—of any body type—sold on the world market.
Given the model's ubiquity, plenty of drivers probably wouldn't even think twice about a bit of a souped-up F-150 at a stop light next to them, but the first generation of special-edition SVT Lightnings offered potent performance in a bit of a sleepy shell. In the few production years where it overlapped with the abysmal fourth-gen Mustang, there's no question who would win in a sprint off the line.
16 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning (2nd Generation)
The second-generation Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was an entirely different concept than the understated presence of its predecessor. With plenty of exterior cues to the truck's performance potential, Ford clearly had to up the power game to match, and the second iteration didn't disappoint.
With a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 under the hood cranking out up to 380 horsepower, a limited-slip rear differential, and a 5.2 second time to 60 miles per hour, the Lightning definitely caused some palpitations in the heartbeats of every unfortunate driver who happened to be at the wheel of this countries sad 1990s muscle cars.
15 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10
While Ford and GM were duking it out with their Syclone and Lightning pickups, Dodge not-so-subtly released the absolute screaming insanity that is the Viper coupe. To this day one of the wildest cars ever made, the Viper paired a V10 engine with minimal driver's aids and radical styling to make a lasting impression on the sports car industry.
When Dodge's lineup of Ram trucks needed a serious contender to take on the Syclone and Lightning, some wonderful genius decided that the best bet was to drop a Viper V10 under the hood that cranked out 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque, and was blessedly paired to the same six-speed manual as in the Viper itself.
14 Dodge Lil' Red Express Truck
While backyard hot rodders had been souping up pickups since the automotive form first hit the markets, arguably the model that began the craze for factory limited-edition trucks with wild power figures was Dodge's Lil Red Express. Built all the way back in 1978 and 1979, the Lil Red Express featured a high-performance 360 cubic-inch V8 that sent up to 225 horsepower to the rear wheels.
With its semi-truck inspired exhaust and classic styling, the Lil Red Express offered awesome style, and its performance matched the exterior—Car and Driver even declared the Lil Red Express this country's fastest production vehicle to 100 miles per hour of any kind.
13 2009 Dodge Ram R/T
After Dodge's spectacular, Viper V10-powered Ram SRT-10 reached the end of its production run, the brand didn't have a true street-dominating pickup until the debut of the Ram R/T in 2009. Powered by a Hemi V8 producing 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque, the R/T was only offered with a five-speed automatic transmission.
Though hardcore enthusiasts may have lamented the fall-off after the R/T's insane predecessor, the single-cab truck was nonetheless highly impressive, logging a 0-60 time of only 5.7 seconds on the way to a quarter-mile that took only 14.4 seconds at a trap speed of 93.4 miles per hour.
12 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
For the last few years, Ford has enjoyed an inexplicable lack of competition for their souped-up off-roader, the F-150 SVT Raptor. The Raptor doesn't just add extra suspension travel, ground clearance, and an appearance package, however.
Ford also packed up to a 6.2-liter V8 under the hood that could pump out 411 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque, sent to all four wheels via a system that can provide legitimate all-wheel drive as well as four-wheel drive thanks to a unique system case that Road and Track described as "a trick transfer case..." that when in "...'4 Auto' mode uses a wet multi-plate clutch to distribute power between the front and rear axles as traction demands..." while still being able to "lock the axles together in the traditional sense."
11 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited 4x4
Toyota's pickup trucks have long dominated the international market thanks to legendary build quality and reliability, as well as perfectly respectable work and off-roading capabilities. However, Toyota has had to up their game to compete with the larger and larger pickups coming out of Detroit, and the ever-growing Tundra clearly demonstrates Toyota's commitment to stay in the game.
The 2007 Tundra featured a 5.7-liter V8 producing 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, which for the year made it the second-fastest pickup truck on the market with a 0-60 time of only six seconds flat.
10 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged
After the 2007 Tundra Limited demonstrated Toyota's capabilities to the world, the Japanese manufacturer went right ahead and one-upped themselves for the 2008 model year. Available as a special order package from dealers, the 2008 Tundra could be had with a TRD Supercharged options package that boosted power output to 504 horses and 550 lb-ft of torque.
Motor Trend claims the Tundra TRD Supercharged is the fastest accelerating production pickup truck of all time, not just for 2008, with a 0-60 time of only 4.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13 seconds flat at 106.3 miles per hour.
9 2016 GMC Sierra Denali 4x4
GMC's Sierra shares much of its exterior design and mechanical components with its subsidiary sibling, the Chevrolet Silverado. Besides different badging, however, for 2016 the GMC also received an upgraded eight-speed automatic that the Silverado did not, which allowed the Sierra Denali 4x4 to sprint from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.
Its V8 remained the same as the Silverado's, a 6.2-liter unit producing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, which clearly demonstrates the effect that two extra forward gears can have on acceleration, especially for vehicles of this size and weight. Compared to the typical four-speed slushboxes that featured in many 1990s muscle cars, an eight-speed truly takes the cake.
8 2002/2003 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Edition
Ford offered the Harley Davidson Edition upgrade on their F-150 pickup for model years 2000 to 2011, but the peak package was produced for model years 2002 and 2003.
Essentially a silver and black appearance package over the course of the run, for those two short years the F-150 Harley Davidson Edition featured a detuned version of the same Triton V8 that powered its higher-spec Lightning sibling. Motor Trend clocked a 0-60 time of only 6 seconds, with a quarter-mile flashing by in only 14.3 seconds at a trap speed of 96.3 miles per hour thanks to 340 horses and 425 lb-ft of torque.
7 2015 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost
Most of the trucks on this list utilize the legendary power of V8 to produce uncanny power figures and impressive acceleration stats, but the last couple of decades have seen the rise of the turbocharged engine in sports cars, commuter cars, and finally, pickup trucks as well.
Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine drops a pair of cylinders, and thanks to forced induction, the V6 can produce a respectable 375 horsepower but a highly impressive torque figure of 470 lb-ft. A further advantage of the turbo setup is improved fuel economy, and though purists may not crave an EcoBoost engine, they have to respect the F-150's 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds.
6 2015 Chevy 1500 High Country
The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country paired a range of comfort and style-inspired upgrades with a serious V8 engine that also featured in the GMC Sierra. Producing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the powerplant allows the Silverado High Country to clock a solid 0-60 time of only 5.7 seconds. For a luxurious truck with plenty of leather trim and a slight lift for a bit more off-road capability, the beefy V8 creates a desirable package that slotted in at the very top of Chevy's wide pickup truck model lineup, and could certainly take on Chevy's sad 1990s-era Camaro in any speed test.
5 Ford F-150 Tremor
After Ford unveiled the mighty F-150 Raptor, there was a single model year known with the Tremor package offered to continue the tradition begun by the Lightning. Where the Raptor was powerful yet off-road focused, the Tremor was more of a city streets racing truck.
Powered by an EcoBoost V6 featuring twin-turbochargers and pumping out 365 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, the Tremor could sprint to 60 miles per hour in only 5.8 seconds and ran a quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds. Compared to Ford's Mustangs of the 1990s, the Tremor was much more of an actually impressive vehicle.
4 2017 Nissan Titan Single Cab
Most drivers might think of boring, boxy pickups when they picture a Nissan in their heads, but Nissan has come a long way since the early 'Hardbody' trucks of the 1990s. While Hardbodies could never have hoped to keep up with even the slowest muscles cars during that sad decade, today's Nissans have trended strongly towards the power necessary to compete with domestic products.
Case in point is the 2017 Nissan Titan Single Cab with its aluminum V8 that cranks out 390 horsepower and 394 lb-ft of torque, allowing Car and Driver to achieve a 0-60 time of only 5.9 seconds.
3 2003/2004 Chevrolet Silverado SS
Any Chevrolet product that bears SS badging is typically a good bet to house a powerful V8 engine, and the Silverado SS that left factories for model years 2003 and 2004 is no exception.
Powered by a 6.0-liter Vortec V8 cranking out 345 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, the Silverado SS was a beast for its time and could log a 0-60 time of only 6.3 seconds while its boxy, understated exterior kept it solidly in the sleeper department. The first few years of production were best, before Chevy dropped the all-wheel-drive variant which would cut weight but reduce traction.
2 2013 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner
While most of Toyota's higher-spec Tacomas and Tundras tend to feature rugged off-road styling, the Tacoma in X-Runner trim belied its name and was definitely intended for serious street use.
A suspension drop of two inches left little doubt that the X-Runner's home was on the tarmac, where its 236-horsepower V6 and 18-inch wheels teamed up with a good old six-speed manual transmission to produce a sports car in truck form. A rear limited-slip and locking differential were even options, features that were few and far between on the sorry muscle cars that Detroit produced for much of the 1990s.
1 Chevrolet El Camino 454 SS
Some diehard truck drivers will no doubt scoff at the idea of including Chevrolet's famous El Camino on a list of fast pickups. But the fact is that the El Camino, especially in 454 SS trim, combined many of the best aspects of pickup trucks and muscle cars, pairing the ability to haul tables, sofas, and chairs with a massive V8 engine cranking out over 500 horsepower (though official stats claimed a more-reasonable 450 figure).
With muscular, aggressive styling, an iconic profile, and the throaty roar of a classic Detroit V8, the El Camino should have served as inspiration for muscle cars in the 1990s, but unfortunately, the message seems to have gone unheard.
Sources: dodgeconnection.com, motortrend.com, and wikipedia.org.