More Than Lightning Fast: Dodge PVO Ram breaks the fast-truck record

By Todd Lassa
Truck Trend, June 2004

Last summer, Ford SVT established, and therefore set, the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production pickup truck, with a 148-mph (actually a 147.714405-mph) average over a "flying kilometer." The truck was a 2003 SVT F-150 Lightning.

Dodge's Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) wasted no time breaking that record. In fact, not waiting for warmer temperatures, a group of Dodge men and women braved a chilly February Michigan afternoon to beat the Ford record and get the Ram SRT-10 in the next edition of the "Guinness Book of World Records."

The Ram SRT-10 is the third Dodge vehicle branded with the Street and Racing Technology label, following the Viper SRT-10 and Neon SRT-4.

For the record, Guinness requires the truck to be "production level," meaning it needs to be identical to what a customer can find for sale at his local dealership. The truck's speed must be measured over a minimum of one kilometer; the record is derived from an average of speeds in both directions within one hour. The run by the SRT-10 Ram, recently off the assembly line at Saltillo, Mexico, was certified by both Guinness World Records and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).

What happened? PVO's SRT-10 powered right past the Lightning mark by nearly seven mph, recording a 154.587-mph average in a two-way run over the flying kilometer. NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Brendan Gaughan raced the big, non-supercharged V-10 Ram around Chrysler Group's Chelsea Proving Grounds to get the number. Naturally, the manufacturer's public-relations team made a huge deal of the record, with an airplane flying a banner right on cue, reading "Dodge Ram SRT-10, World's Fastest Pickup Truck" afterwards.

Guinness World Records' research observer Hein Le Roux allowed that the idea of fast pickup trucks is somewhat foreign to British companies like Guinness. But he'd better get used to it: With the next SVT Lightning due out for next year, this could be the beginning of a huge two-way rivalry. But still no Chevy?