Classic pickups are mostly known for their prowess in looks, in whiskey-voiced growling engines, and the fact that you own a piece of the well-respected automobile history. While there are plenty of truck hot rods and high-performance resto-mods that used engine swaps and other power tweaks, these are one-offs. Made at the behest of their owners who want a track-worthy classic pickup that only looks old.
The question then arises is simple. Are there any fast classic pickups that can truly take on a muscle car of their era? A classic muscle car, including icons such as the Charger, Mustang, and Road Runner, can hit 60 mph in anywhere between 5 and 10 seconds, which is still plenty fast.
So can a fast classic pickup beat this kind of time? They may not be too many on the classic car bazaar that fit this description but we dug up some. And not only do they classify as fast classic pickups, but they are also some of the coolest old-school trucks of their time.
8 1978 Dodge Lil’ Red Express: Fastest Classic Pickup Of The Year
Actually, because of a little loophole that let the Dodge Lil’ Red Express go without a catalytic converter, not only was this one of the fast classic pickups for '78, but it was also the fastest vehicle for the time.
Built off of a short-wheelbase Dodge D150 half-ton, the 5.9-liter V8 in this classic pickup made a cool 225 horses. On just 2,250 RPM, making it the zippiest thing on four wheels for 1978. But remember, the 1979 edition of the truck is not as fast, because the loophole lasted just a year. The 1979 model carried a power-strangling catalytic convertor.
7 1970 Chevrolet El Camino 454 SS: Fast Classic Pickup-Car
The Chevy El Camino was way more than just a car or a pickup and ended up being a lovechild of the two. Based on a two-door estate model, it drove more like a rugged car but offered all the old-school-cool of a pickup.
By 1968, with the muscle car fervor in full swing, the El Camino 454 SS came stuffed with a 4.7-liter V8 that made 450 horses, even on a bad day. Enough to zip this gorgeous classic pickup 0-60 MPH in 5.0 seconds. Who needs a muscle car with a fast classic pickup like this?
6 1991 GMC Syclone: Pure Performance Classic Pickup
The GMC Syclone, much like its name, came and left in a storm of a single-year production of 2,995 units. But it left a lasting impression and a hankering for fast classic pickups in all fans of speedy things. And yet, it did not carry a V8. The powerful mill of the GMC Syclone turned out to be a 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 jetting 280 horses and 350 lb-ft torque.
Enough to propel this relatively light classic pickup from 0-60 MPH in a zippy 4.3 seconds. The GMC Syclone has gone down as one of the fastest classic pickups there is, considering its 30-year-ago debut.
5 1987 Jeep Comanche: The First Fast Classic Pickup
The Jeep Comanche was introduced in 1986 as a small and gas-savvy pickup truck and worked the market well, even if it was nothing to bring home to momma. But by 1987, Jeep played its cards well and brought in a 4.0-liter inline-six engine that made 170+ horses.
The Cherokee-based Comanche set nine U.S. and four international records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, one being a cool 141.381 MPH average speed record. The top speed was 144.028 MPH and 0-60 MPH runs were well under 10 seconds.
4 1993-95 Ford SVT Lightning: The High-Performance F-150
By the ‘90s, Ford had firmly established its leadership in the world of pickup trucks, with the F-150 overtaking all of GM’s offerings like the C-10 and more. While GMC did manage to pull a fast one, quite literally, with the Syclone, Ford now needed something special.
And so, Ford’s Special Vehicles Team brought in the SVT Lightning and had its debut at the 1992 Chicago Auto Show. The Lightning came powered by a 5.8-liter V8 jetting 240 horses. Despite being big and somewhat heavy, the Lightning managed to sprint 0-60 MPH in 7.2 seconds. It was a rather entertaining but fast classic pickup of its time and is vaunted till today.
3 1990-93 Chevrolet 454 SS: Chevy’s Fast Pickup
The ‘90s certainly seem a while ago, enough to make most ‘90s pickups fall into the category of classics, with their thunderous engines, heavy metal bodies, and a yearning to be fast. Chevy's high performance pickup did not turn out to be as fast as the GMC Syclone, something Chevy may always lament about. Nonetheless, the Chevy 454 SS was one of the fastest classic pickups of all time.
It ran 0-60 MPH in under eight seconds, and the low initial price of less than $20,000 also went a long way in making this fast classic pickup a rather popular choice.
2 1986-1993 Lamborghini LM002: The Cheetah-Fast Classic
The Lamborghini LM002 was birthed from the loins of the Cheetah prototype, so made for the military. But the Rambo-Lambo turned out pretty different, with a 450-horsepower V-12 paired with a five-speed manual transmission that made this pickup fly, whenever it needed to.
Now when we say fly, do remember the Rambo-Lambo was no lightweight. At 6,000 pounds, it was a near Samurai. But the $120,000 LM002 still managed to zip 0-60 MPH in 7.7 seconds. Quite the feat. It also ran on a four-wheel drive with limited slip-differentials in each axle. Despite being a fast classic pickup, only 400 or so were ever made.
1 1989 Dodge Shelby Dakota: Shelby-Tuned Classic Pickup
By the late ‘80s, Shelby had tuned sedans and sportscars and washed his hands off them all. He was working with Chrysler now and decided to tinker with a pickup and turned it into one of the fast classic pickups of its time. Although it was not a classic back then.
So he took the Dakota and replaced its weak 3.9-liter V6 with a 5.2-liter V8, and coaxed it to jet 175 horses, mated to a four-speed automatic. While the 0-60 MPH sprint of 8.5 seconds is not the fastest today, it’s enough to make this Shelby Dakota one of the fastest classic pickups.
Sources: CarandDriver, Hemmings