This is what happens when Dodge gives its best-selling truck a serious smack with the attitude stick - you get "the baddest-looking factory-built truck on the US market".
It's called the Ram 1500 Black Express - and it's black all over, from the 20" alloy rims to the front apron with built-in foglights, grille surround with black hex-link inserts, rear bumper, and black ram's head badges on the grille and tailgate.
There's no badging, other than the mandatory indicator repeaters, on the sides.
The Ram Black Express also has halogen projector headlights with black bezels, 15 LEDs in each black-finish tail light cluster and three in each indicator repeater.
By the way, the number has nothing to do with the size of the engine - it's this brawny bakkie's payload in kilograms (yes, Cyril a tonne and a half).
SERIOUS MUSCLES
Motorvation is provided by a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 rated at 290kW and 557Nm, running on multi-link coil rear suspension with heavy-duty shock absorbers and anti-roll bars.
Standard kit includes a locking tailgate, a cargo lamp to light the load box at night, humungous 150 x 225mm side mirrors, electric power steering, aircon, a 12-volt auxiliary socket, a six-speaker audio system with a 125mm touch screen, an MP3 audio jack and a USB port, remote central locking and power windows, automatic headlights, and a choice of fabric or vinyl upholstery and carpeted or heavy-duty vinyl flooring,
The Ram Black Express will be in Chrysler showrooms in North America by the end of July, in two or four-wheel-drive format in a choice of single cab, quad cab or crew cab, starting at $28 090 (R282 000) - about the same price as a 2.5-litre Toyota Hilux diesel one-tonner in South Africa.
No right-hand drive production is envisaged, so the Ram Black Express will not, sadly, be released locally.
Related Topics: