I don't understand the absence of these trucks from the market. Other than the probability that they hurt a company's CAFE score. They are relatively easy to make with mostly minor modifications that can be done on the same lines. Ford has proven with the Raptor that you can make BIG changes between vehicle models on the same line. The Lightning, SRT10, Typhoon/Cyclone were all very impressive. At the very least it would give bragging right/marketing buzz to whoever did field one. Since no one cares to take on the Raptor directly this would also be a good way to claim some high performance dominance in the truck world.

Well, trucks are NOT sporty.
They have the least efficient construction. They have terrible torsional rigidity. They have terrible sprung:unsprung weight ratio on the rear axle. They usually have leaf springs on the rear too.
Aerodynamics are inferior. Center of mass is high.
Finishing off with terrible lighting systems. {so you can't have fun at night}
And no pickup truck for sale in the last decade has had a center differential.

I also remember the Dodge dakota reg cab shelby in 1987 and the Dakota convertibile

@Clint
that's a good question. CAFE is surely part of it but I think the bigger part is economic---America has spent the last fifteen years in the ditch economically speaking. From 2002 to 2012 the dollar was very soft, which drove prices for pump gas to record levels. Nothing spoils a night of hanging out at the Burger Express with your buddies quite like expensive fuel.

During the last 10 years the real rate of unemployment--not the bogus numbers from Washington politicians--has been high enough that many working guys who would have been prime customers for a F150 Lightning or a 454 SS Silverado simply failed to press the button.

You can only expect automakers to sell what people are buying and there's some light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay tuned!

I would think such a truck would HELP the CAFE ratings...smallest, lightest configuration with better aero. That is, if they didn't go crazy adding power. That said, I would like to see a Z06 powered Silvarado, Hellcat Ram, or the H.O. EB in an F150.

Practically speaking, one would be better off nabbing a base trim regular cab short bed and making their own. The V8 trucks are just a supercharger away from more than enough power and if you are of the turbo mindset, the Fords can be tuned relatively easily.

The parts are definitely on the shelf, and in many cases, cost little or nothing. Better shocks, maybe a rear air suspension...
At Gm, the 6.2 returns the same or better econ than the 5.3. The Raptor 3.5EB in a modern Lightning- I think people would buy it. Perhaps a Li'l Red Express with the 6.4 Truck hemi or god forbid, a proper SRT8 Ram. I you wanted AWD, the NV147 transfer case is plenty big.

George_C, GM has had a locking differential for years. I'm guessing that's what you meant when you said center differential? 3 revolutions of the wheel locks up both rear tires. Loved that on my last truck.

You forgot the weak Ford tumor or termor LOL! Never of what you want in a sports truck.

The full-sized truck of today is simply too big and too 'luxurious' to be sporty. Odds are the next round of 'sport' trucks will come from the current round of mid-sizers.

What is the current ratio between 2wd and 4wd trucks? I think today a lot of trucks are 4wd even in warmer climates without snow. as recently as 20 years i'll bet it was more like 50:50.

Ford engineers explained why.

New crash regulations have made the trucks too heavy. It's easy to give them power, but stopping them once they are moving blows the budget. Six piston calipers and 18" ceramic rotors are available but tacking $10,000 to the price for the brakes alone kills the chance the of selling in sufficient numbers to turn a profit.

A real "sport truck" usually means a manual transmission.
Since manuals have been declining, that may factor into what happened to the "sport truck".

But I am looking to Ram to solve that.
Rumor is that by 2018 we may see a 1500 with "Challenger" Hellcat supercharged Hemi and its 6-speed manual. Yes!!!

Save your pennies...

==============

Every now and then I will see a 1980's Ford Dodge or Chevy/GMC regular cab short bed 2 wheel drive in our parking lots. Most of them sound pretty mean. Then you get the Dakota regular cab short bed with the 360 in it and ya really got something.

Sport truck is really an oxymoron . George_C layed out all the reasons why. By the way, the last 4 gm trucks I have owned came with standard locking rear differential. However, with nothing in the truck box , the locking rear axles just slightly shortens the burnout strips you leave on the pavement. Also with both tires spinning you get a stereo effect tire squeal. LOL.

@gms, not to mention, when that happens, as in my case with my Silverados I owned, the rear end goes at less than 60K miles and you realize that those rear ends are cheap junk, and you really should never spin the tires, as they are made more for driving to the grocery store and back

@Nitro: don't try a make 1/2 ton do what a 3/4 is designed to do. That was your problem. I know!

Every Fseries truck is a sport truck!! Thats why they are the best selling full size truck in America.

The lightning was way faster then the 454 ss.

Ford will take the Raptor drivetrain and put it in a lowered reg cab. This won't happen for a few years as they have a few irons in the fire. When it does no dragstrip will be safe.

Six piston calipers and 18" ceramic rotors are available but tacking $10,000 to the price for the brakes alone kills the chance the of selling in sufficient numbers to turn a profit.

@toycrusher

Daimler and BMW put rockin' brakes on their AMG's and M Class model upgrades. I bet those models are profitable.

Do yourself a favor and ignore about half of what you read about pickups until you've had the chance to check it out yourself.

The Ram 1500 R/T is the one referred to in the lead article. Not the Ram 1500 Sport.

Trucks are an ideal platform for performance, esp drag racing. Full frame, heavy duty cooling, drivetrain, rear wheel drive. Whenever such discussions occur there is always one or two who chime in with an aggressive revulsion of this. Everyone has an opinion, but the aggressiveness of these individuals suggests their motives are deeper than their words. Most likely they really want one but can't afford it.

@Nitro: I believe you are referring to a gov lock GM axle? Also known as a gov bomb.

I think they're okay for out in the field when your tire starts to slip a little bit, and it engages the other one. But performance-wise, they're just a breakdown waiting to happen.

I just got rid of my 1989 Chevy short bed 2 wheel drive, with 295 50 R15s and a older 350 (1969-1979) using vortec heads and a hugh jazz cam.

I think if I stuck with it it would be a regular event of changing out gov bombs.

@papajim - exactly my point. Those upgrades are fine on AMG and M models. Your are already paying a hefty premium for the brand. It's not so easy to do that with a pickup.

Try starting with $55k for a nicely equipped crew cab (the only models that sell in decent volume), add $10,000 for hot rod motor and handling upgrades.

$65k is totally doable for a hot rod truck with limited towing and hauling ability. But now throw $10k more onto the sticker for functional brakes and you've just entered into some serious dough for a toy without much functionality. Sure, some people will pay it, but your never going to get the volume you need to make it worth it.

A new 6.2 Silverado SS regular cab short bed with buckets and factory 20's would definitely peak my interest.
I want a black one with red interior just like in '96!

brakes on their AMG's and M Class model upgrades. I bet those models are profitable.

Do yourself a favor and ignore about half of what you read about pickups until you've had the chance to check it out yourself.
Posted by: papajim | Jan 17, 2017 1:10:07 PM

Mercedes‑AMG GT

Handcrafted by racers.

Starting at: $111,200*MSRP

AMG Carbon-Ceramic braking system
$8,950

Do yourself a favor and stick to what you know. It obviously isn't the pickup truck market so you need to study up if you want to be knowledgeable.

@Jeff S

Seriously, Jeff, you must be kidding.

Putting an upgrade for performance oriented brakes on a $50k pickup would not add 10k to the price. Nor would it require an AMG kind of price at MSRP.

Grippy pads, sexy calipers, synthetic fluid, bigger rotors can all be done on a budget. Even an upgrade to the master cylinder and brake lines is cheap if it's part of the design.

Aftermarket costs a lot. Doing it from the initial mfg process is half the price.

NOT having good brakes on a heavy hi-perf pickup makes no sense.

Yes it will & Ford has the best advantage; the Ranger platform is perfect & not to big (approx size of my '04 Lightning:-) & they have the range of power plants - personally, I can see a super charged 5. V8 tuned in the range of 600-700 HP...now we've talking :-))

I don't know who this Jeff S is but it is not me. I doubt that any of the manufacturers are going to make a street performance anytime soon unless it is a very limited edition for a very limited period of time. I am not saying that I don't like these trucks but it seems that the truck manufacturers are more interested in 4 wheel drive and off road vehicles.

Just came back from the local GM dealer and was checking out a 2017 GMC Sierra Duramax with the ram air hood. Had a look at the underside of the hood. Pretty cool set-up. You can clearly understand the air routing through the hood and how it is able to seperate rain water from the incoming air. Not sure how it will handle snow build-up and potential ice forming inside the hood air ducting. But those GM engineers are so smart, i'm sure they got it worked out.

I had a '74 Mazda "Rotary Power" pickup while in high school.

Just make a "Super Bee" version. No, not like a recent Dodge Charger that they put the name on that was a flop, I mean like the 1969-1971 one that was bare bare bones performance. No power windows, no A/C, no fancy wheels, yada yada.

Unlike the gurl trucks mentioned above, I had a 2005 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner that I autocrossed and ran high-speed on road courses like Road America!

I saw none of those mentioned above on the track and the 1 time a Ford SVT Lightening showed up, I beat him on raw time on the track!

Street queens they are!

@ oxi...yeah yeah yeah...LOL

@Lionel,
Here is Oxi's Toyota Tacoma X Runner!

Started on July 26 by oxi
Ride Rating
Vote
Vote
+13

2005 Tacoma with the 4.0 liter V6 at 325hp/380 ft/lbs.

Truck has 2" Renton coils up front and for now a 3" drop block with Calvert traction bars and OEM leaf springs rear.

Power improved by TRD intake, URD MAF calibration software and Doug Thorley long tube headers with a Banks muffler.

Aero mods include front lower air dam, roll-bak type bed cover and rear wing. Tailgate is still 100% functional.

Street/rain tire setup are ASA 18x8 wheels with 255/45 BFG G-Force KDW2's. Race is ASA 18x9.5 wheels with 285/30 BFG G-Force R1's. Stopping them are TRD BBK front and a disc conversion rear.

Truck has competed with parking lot auto-x, high-speed auto-x on road courses and even a rally-cross event. Truck has ran on Blackhawk Farms, Autobahn and Road America road courses.

More mods to come! Check out more pics!

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/456/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/media/img/readerrides/2008_0526MemorialDay0370.sized1.jpg

I been sitting back for SO LONG reading the articles, and most of the comments and just shaking my head.. Everyone wants a truck for different reasons or needs. I am so tired of all that is ever printed and promoted is load and towing capacity, and how the fuel economy is on every brand/model engine configuration. For me all I need in a truck is to carry my ATV and occasional trips to Home Depot/Lowes to pick up a few items for a weekend project. I don't care about how much weight it can carry or tow. I care about seating comfort, ergonomics, ride quality, handling and MOST of all- 0-60 times. But rarely does the a the "performance" side of trucks ever get much attention. I probably wouldn't buy a 2WD truck due to enjoying the 4WD in the winter months here in New England. But I wish ALL the truck websites would promote more of the 0-60 and handling in their reviews. ALL the manufacturers are missing the opportunity to put some "real" engines in their mid size trucks. Though the 4.0 in the Frontier is a Great torquey motor, Drop a 5.6 into the Frontier -(In the previous generation Pathfinder it was an option), How bout the old 4.8 or 5.3 in the Colorado/Canyon?, instead all we get is an underpowered car based 3.6 in the GM twins or a diesel-yay. Toyota--ROFLMFAO--- Don't get me started on that P.O.S. company and all the death trap / rot from underneath you vehicles it produces. And another item..... I don't have any need for a diesel and SO tired of more of them being promoted and pushed down our throats. Give me Propane, Natural gas, and Hydrogen options. Why do we have to buy a top tier package truck to get the big engines.? Why cant every engine be offered in any trim level, cab configuration and transmission? What happened to the stylish step side beds? Does anyone remember how popular the step sides were on the 88-98 GM full size trucks. Or the Flareside in the F 150? They sold tonz of them. Even Toyota had a stepside in the early 2000's generation. Ford had the flareside in the Ranger-(I had 2 of them). and old S10 had the stepside option.
For me I'd like to have all the brands offer in their full size trucks-----the largest V8, in ALL cabs, ANY trim level, with a STEPSIDE bed, and a MANUAL transmission.!!!---That's be my configured new next truck.....Jus Sayin.

Unlike the gurl trucks mentioned above, I had a 2005 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner that I autocrossed and ran high-speed on road courses like Road America!

I saw none of those mentioned above on the track and the 1 time a Ford SVT Lightening showed up, I beat him on raw time on the track!

Street queens they are!
Posted by: oxi | Jan 17, 2017 8:59:17 PM

@ oxi...yeah yeah yeah...LOL
Posted by: Lionel | Jan 17, 2017 10:22:06 PM

@Lionel,
Here is Oxi's Toyota Tacoma X Runner!

Started on July 26 by oxi
Ride Rating
Vote
Vote
+13

2005 Tacoma with the 4.0 liter V6 at 325hp/380 ft/lbs.

Truck has 2" Renton coils up front and for now a 3" drop block with Calvert traction bars and OEM leaf springs rear.

Power improved by TRD intake, URD MAF calibration software and Doug Thorley long tube headers with a Banks muffler.

Aero mods include front lower air dam, roll-bak type bed cover and rear wing. Tailgate is still 100% functional.

Street/rain tire setup are ASA 18x8 wheels with 255/45 BFG G-Force KDW2's. Race is ASA 18x9.5 wheels with 285/30 BFG G-Force R1's. Stopping them are TRD BBK front and a disc conversion rear.

Truck has competed with parking lot auto-x, high-speed auto-x on road courses and even a rally-cross event. Truck has ran on Blackhawk Farms, Autobahn and Road America road courses.

More mods to come! Check out more pics!

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/456/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/media/img/readerrides/2008_0526MemorialDay0370.sized1.jpg
Posted by: bj | Jan 17, 2017 11:04:44 PM

@oxi/bj,
We're talking stock trucks here. Your truck was nice back in the day but is far from stock, boy!

Also, the Lightning was from the 1990s, at the earliest 1993 and the latest model deuted in 1999. Try keeping the years the same, so your 1990s Taco doesn't have an X Runner package, boy!

@ steve,

Go away...

@ Mark,

Here we go, it's a stock truck thing excuse as to why these all powerful full-size trucks could never survive a road course at speed!

Give me a break BOY, and stop making excuses as to why those trucks are just street queens and never race on a track!

The reason is they are only straight line trucks, or one dimensional where trucks that can do more than one thing are often ignored like my X-Runner!

If you buy a performance truck and you do not race it in one form or another, it's a STREET QUEEN!

Got Baer Aluma sport brakes on my 99 Silverado, truck has a 2-4 drop and stiffer front and rear sway bars. Engine has only bolt ons headers, intake, MSD coils ect. and very mild tune. It is still a truck, but fun as all get out to drive. Truck will take corner better then one would think, stops on a dime and the Gibson super truck exhaust sounds amazing. Oh brake kit cost $2800 installed my self.

Yeah, try comparing size and weight of your '99 Silverado to a 2017. Fact is, that to get "sporty" handling and braking worthy of the "sport" truck name, it's not easy or cheap. Each pound of mass you add increases exponentially the difficulty of getting it to decelerate and change direction. It's a physics problem.

There are a few "sporty cars" that approach the weight of a pickup, but try finding one under the $100k mark

In an economy that supports 60K+ trucks and the wild sales of the insanely inflated Raptor I have a hard time believing that off the shelf parts put into a another semi substancial special package would be that hard or expensive especially with some companies offering no other serious packages on their trucks. There has to be a reason though...

@toycrusher

suit yourself.

A 4500 pound regular cab truck with stick tires and upgraded brakes will be fun to drive with even minor chassis mods.

Trucks have an advantage for hotrodders because the initial design includes a lot of redundancy for durability and managing heavy loads. Rugged.

Try it. Have some fun.

Great conversation happening with personally experience and theories thrown into the mix. As mentioned, weight is the biggest obstacle confronting a sport truck offering. Remember, if we expect the big manufactures to offer a sport truck it will come with all the safety equipment and emissions pieces that they currently contain and therefore remain heavy and somewhat restricted power wise. With that said, the best candidates will come from the mid size market. They are lighter and have room to add power (supercharger/turbo) without significantly affecting overall CAFE.

They kind of already have, they are just ordinary trucks now. I mean didnt the 6.2 Silverado break into the 5seconds territory in the last half ton shootout (5.9?)? That is nipping on the heels of the old supercharged SVT Lightnings and the V10 Rams (5.4 and 5.2 respectively according to Google). The newer trucks look better and more than likely handle better too.

I mean didnt the 6.2 Silverado break into the 5seconds territory in the last half ton shootout (5.9?)?

Posted by: devilsadvocate | Jan 18, 2017 12:26:20 PM

Try 5.4 seconds 0-60. Enjoy the read.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-chevrolet-silverado-62l-v-8-4x4-test-review

@GMSRGREAT

My friend you talk like a guy who's never installed a so called "bolt on" supercharger before.

Ouch.

There's no such thing. Engines really need to be very stout to begin with (unlikely) or built from scratch to handle the abuse you get with a puffer bolted on.

Or, you may not care about how durable it is. That's fair. But it's not cheap.

Yup! Chrysler started the sport truck market and the off road market. I say Chrysler should build a 392 Hemi 1500. Or they could get crazy and offer the Hellcat. Love my MOPARS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv4oO_3KXdk

@papajim: You appear to be out of touch with the last decade or so of automotive engine technology and accomplishments in durability. You ever hear of TRD ? Here is the link to start with, educate yourself.

http://www.trdusa.com/superchargers.html

GM offered 40 - 60 horsepower upgrade kits for their 2.0 liter ecotec engines without having to strengthen the engine internals.
Also, GM offered complete bolt on Supercharger upgrades for its 2.2 liter ecotech engines.

So my friend, a low- boost (5-6 psi) supercharger upgrade from the factory isn't such a stretch.

@papajim - I'm all for fun-to-drive. I put a 5.0 pushrod v8 into my 2700lb '80s Ford Ranger. That was fun. Didn't handle well being lifted and 4wd, but it was fast. The brakes were barely up to the task of slowing the truck in stock condition. With triple the horsepower and much larger and heavier tires, stops had to be planned in advance.

It's when you get to the 5500+ lb range that managing all that mass becomes an expensive endeavor. The midsize trucks are going to be much more feasible for a sport truck application