Dodge Ram Sets Record
A standard 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup truck, driven by NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan (USA), reached a speed of 248.783 km/h (154.587 mph) at the DaimlerChrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan, USA, on February 2, 2004.
Guinness World Records Researcher Hein le Roux was in Chelsea as an adjudicator: ?Pickup trucks aren?t normally renowned for their speed, with their designers favoring practicality over aerodynamics,? said Le Roux. ?In addition, there aren?t too many production cars out there capable of reaching 240 km/h (150 mph). So imagine being able to drive a pick-up truck straight off the dealer?s forecourt that can reach nearly 250 km/h (155 mph)!?
In order to qualify as a production vehicle, the 2.3-tonnes (2.5-ton) truck had to be exactly as it was when it rolled off the production line, with no adjustments or modifications of any kind. It had even been filled up at the local gas station ? no racing fuel for this attempt! ? and boasted an impressive eight-speaker CD in-car entertainment system!
?The secret to the Ram SRT-10?s phenomenal speed is its 373 kW (500 hp) 8.3 litre V-10 engine,? concluded Le Roux, ?which comes straight out of the Dodge Viper sports car. With 711 Nm (525 lb-ft) of torque on tap, its makers estimate that the SRT-10 will accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in a shade over 5 seconds.?
And those 2-1/2 tons come in handy when making a hole to pass in commuter traffic, as every ass-hole trucker in the USA seems to try to do of late. I am not the one to begrudge ANYONE the use of horsepower or speed, but the name RAM seems scarily appropriate for the way some people drive. I was taught that defensive driving was the art of avoiding accidents by alertness and anticipation. Now its having more iron under your ass then the next guy. Does the world really need this?