25. Chevy Hydrogen Powered US Army Pickup Truck
At first glance, the three-ton Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 looks like any other jacked-up truck, just with a camouflage paint job. But inside, this is one of the most unique rides on the market. Replacing gasoline and diesel, or even hybrid engines, the ZH2’s power plant runs 100% off a hydrogen power cell.
motor1
While not the most powerful truck around, the drivetrain produces only 174 horsepower, the system has several impressive advantages over traditional power plants. First and foremost, fuel cell engines are incredibly quiet and won’t be heard from miles away. The hydro cells are much more efficient and offer much longer operating ranges than gas or diesel, especially when considered in terms of fuel weight carried. The hydrogen/oxygen fuel tank is also much less flammable if hit. As a bonus, the ZH2’s fuel cell produces about two gallons of water an hour, potentially useful in hostile deserts. You could even use the truck as a clean, quiet, generator to power auxiliary equipment.
24. 2017 Ford Raptor
YOUCARS
The ramped up improvement to Ford’s iconic F150, the 2017 Raptor, is made out of military-grade aluminum alloys that cut out 500 pounds of unneeded weight, as well as giving unrivaled strength and reliability to the truck’s frame. The 2017 Raptor is loaded down with a heavy-duty FOX Racing shock absorber system, exclusive 17” BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires and a torque-on-demand transfer case. The case handles power distribution between the front and rear wheels in the most efficient manner yet. Coupled with Ford’s reengineered “Terrain Management System,” the whole system provides unmatched speed and handling from the swamps to deserts.
Another big shift in this new model is Ford’s use of a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 instead of the old iron block 6.2-liter V8. And while official numbers have not been released yet on what this direct-injection aluminum power plant will be producing, there is little doubt that this machine won’t be cranking out anything less than 450 horses right out of the gate. The styling cues on this carnivore aren’t too shabby either; we like the truck’s oversized fenders, bold grille, dual-port exhaust, and LED lighting package.
23. 1972 Chevy John Deere Truck
Another retro Chevy truck outfitted with modern gear, and then ramped up to a whole new level, this truck dominates everything it sees. While top heavy, the lifted undercarriage includes state of the art shocks and a redesigned, custom transmission. Riding on 37” all-terrain tires and with a massive power to weight ratio, this monster truck can still flit around like most medium-size pickups.
But best of all, the 316-horsepower V8 engine is a sight to behold. It’s also still a Chevy at heart, so you can rest assured its rugged and proven design won’t ever leave you stuck out in the woods.
22. Hell Camino Monster Diesel
Diesel Brothers
Sporting a total redesign that’s vaguely similar to a Dodge Ram, the Hell Camino takes things to a whole new level. Rocking a 6.4-liter turbo-charge Hemi V8, it can still generate 510 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. All while getting 20 mpg on the highway.
With its 11.5-inch axle, the Hell Camino is perfect for mudding or towing more than 10,000 pounds. There’s also a tow winch on the front, six more inches of ground clearance over the base model, and 17” forged aluminum wheels. Which look gorgeous wrapped inside 33” Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. This truck also comes complete with heavy-duty skid plates underneath and all kinds of vinyl graphics across its sides.
21. Ford F-650 Monster Truck
Hot Machines
Blurring the line between truck and semi, you can’t get tougher than a mudding-ready Ford F650 mod. Rocking a 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel, this V8 slams down 725 pound/feet of torque. While the chassis here is stock, nearly everything below the belt has been custom outfitted. This version includes a 12” lift, custom tow assembly, side steps, larger wheels, revamped exhaust, spike lug nuts, and a hot LED light bar. Not to mention a full hood covering grill and double the fuel capacity to keep you in the woods all day long.
20. Jeep’s Gladiator Pickup
Fox News
This modded Jeep J-series truck can hold its own with any of the light duty pickups on this list. The Gladiator 4×4 is optimized for off-road performance in a way that none of its predecessors ever were.
The Gladiator is both tough and incredibly fun. With its 20:1 crawl ratio and “Selec-Terrain System” transmission with exclusive “Rock Mode,” the Renegade is ready to rock any terrain. It also has much higher ground clearance, integrated skid plates, and front and rear tow hooks.
The 1986 Gladiator edition also utilizes unique fascias designed to clear obstacles, 17-inch all-terrain tires, hill-descent control, and 3,300 pounds of towing capability with the MultiJet II diesel engine once a tow package is fully equipped. This little runt even can ford up to 19 inches of water without issue.
19. 1953 Chevy 3100
Rockwell Catering
This beauty is a customized Chevy 3100 that will blow you away. The 3100 is sleek looking truck without high end upgrades but this modification takes it to he next level. With Foose Legend 5 spoke 22″ x 8 in the front & 22″ x 12″ in the back, this lowrider looks sharp as ever. These vintage Chevys are a favorite for the lowriding communities and we can certainly see why. Air Ride Technologies assisted in creating this low profile by dumping nearly a foot off of the original Chevy profile, a feat that was made possible thanks to adjustable struts located on all four corners of the truck. With the profile set low, a sick paint job and new components under the hood and in the cab, this vintage truck is more than welcome on our list of baddest trucks on the road.
18. Restored and Improved 1951 MACK Truck
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Renovated MACK trucks like this one rock a 5.7-liter V8 engine that pumps out a solid 461 horsepower. Plus a six-speed manual transmission for even more fun. They’re also loaded with plenty of modern gear, such as the Bilstein off-road shock system, hill start assistance, and a downhill descent control. The automatic electronic locking rear differentials are quite useful, and the incredibly sensitive power steering makes parking and reversing a breeze, even with oversized loads.
17. Cummins 1965 International Stepside on 1988 Ford Frame
Black Smoke Media
Jason Harmon’s rebuilt monster boasts 365 horsepower. While this truck may seem weak from the outside, he’s redesigned the whole thing from the ground up. First is the 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger addition, coming on top of the completely rebuilt motor. Everything from camshafts to cylinders were taken out and optimized for this mod. All of this incredible power is controlled by the HPE Engine Management Calibration program, and has been carefully tuned before hitting the mud.
16. F100 Prerunner
This vintage 70’s custom ride isn’t just a great work truck; it’s also a ton of fun on the weekends. With a Heavy-Duty 6-speed Automatic transmission giving unbeatable high-torque performance, it’s hard as can be to get this beast stuck. The new, oversized gears easily handle the heavy torque demands of the turbo diesel reliably and without slipping.
The slick system, with a high-quality torque converter that locks up at lower speeds, gets more done with less horsepower. All of which saves you plenty of money at the gas pump. The unique SelectShift transmission gives incredible control when towing, especially by minimizing gear hunting on uphill slopes and stopping upshifting when heading downhill.
15. 700HP F-250 Mod
This is definitely the most intimidating Ford truck in a while. Both in raw power and its clever, muscular profile. Building upon the solid F-150 design, one of the bestselling trucks in the America for the last 38 years, the American Force designers ramps things up to “hypercar” levels.
There are a ton of tweaks to the profile and drivetrain, but the most clearly marked are the trio of horizontal front grilles and built-in hardpoints for a pro-level LED light bar. The Shelby F150’s corner sections have also been fitted with mesh guards. The front also features a polycarbonate hood. At the rear, the truck features a customized steel unit in place of the factory bumper on the standard F-150. The bumper unit features stainless steel rivets and LED light pods.
14. Tonka T-Rex
Diesel Tech
While not the most powerful pickup on this list, the Tonka T-Rex is still incredible to drive in this custom built All-Terrain Edition. Armed with the reliable Z71 off-road suspension that’s also been carefully optimized to fit the truck’s midsize dimensions. Four-wheel drive is optional, though, but it’s coupled with a strong transfer-case shield for protection against rough terrain.
New custom upgrades for the Canyon All Terrain include Hill Descent Control and a body-color CornerStep rear bumper. CornerStep is a handy advantage that gives Ford lifted trucks a leg up against the competition when it comes to cargo bed access. When it comes to design cues, the trailedition carries 17” cast-aluminum wheels in a Dark Argent Metallic, along with heated front seats in Jet Black/Cobalt Red.
13. Seaside’s No Limitz Super Duty
This 2012 Ford F250 Super Duty owned by Tim and Danielle Wing out of Oregon has tons of aftermarket upgrades that make it worth of a spot on our list of the baddest trucks on and off the road. It was spotted at the 2013 SEMA show, a magical event full of some of the coolest trucks on the planet. If you have never had the pleasure of attending one, we highly suggest it.
Back to the truck at hand – let’s start with the wheels and tires. Here you have 37×13.50×22 Toyo M/Ts hooked up to 22×14 American Force Evade 8s with some style added in the form of a hint of green color. Obviously there’s some serious lift going on thanks to the BDS Suspension with an 8” 4-link long arm kit in combination with dual shock hoop and Fox 2.0 shocks. They stuck with the stock tuxedo black paint on the body but upgraded the bumpers for Road Armors complete with high-end lighting. The whole build can be credited to the talented team at Seaside Muffler and Off-Road which is also located in Oregon. With all these impressive upgrades, we’re willing to bet this beast is a blast both on the road and out in the muck.
12. 1944 Dodge Power Wagon
FCA North America
All the classic charm of a rugged 40’s workhorse, but with modern tech under the hood. With a revamped diesel engine and custom transmission, this humble-looking beast can handle double the payload of its “vanilla” ancestor. With its 18” alloy TRD wheels and custom-designed 32” Michelin LTX AT2 tires, the Power Wagon sure is getting stuck on the farm or even the muddiest field.
11. Trophy Rat Hot Rod Mod
Northrup Fabricators
This isn’t your grandpappy’s 1937 International pickup. Northup Fabrication rebuilt this wild mod from the ground up with the latest extreme sports tech inside. Surprisingly, it’s street legal, but you’ll have to hit the mountains to really savor all the custom features. And with the ruggedized 5.7L GM pushrod V-8 engine pumping out 300 hp to push around this 3,600-pound truck, you’ll sure get around in a hurry. All of which is riding on 35×12.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers attached to custom-built axles and shocks.
Besides chopping the top of the pickup by four inches, and bringing down the front and sides windows to match, Northup left the rest of the exterior cab and truck bed alone. Inside, you’ll find a Racepak Data Logger IQ3, along with a custom in-house fabricated shifter and a custom 0.90 aluminum firewall. The rear suspension is a four-link with trailing arm setup. Attached to the beefy lower arms are 10-inch-travel 2.5-inch King coilovers that net 14 inches of total wheel travel. A Speedway Engineering sway bar helps provide stability for the long travel setup.
10. Mercedes Benz G500 4×4
Magazín ProDriver CZ
Another jeep with a soon-to-come light truck version, the Mercedes G500 4×4 is one of the funnest trucks to play away the weekend with. It’s small, at only 82.7” wide and 88.6” tall, the G500 still packs in a ton of power. Riding on 37” all-terrain tires and with a massive power to weight ratio, the G500 flits around with unprecedented handling. The electronically controlled dampers alternate automatically between “Comfort and Sport Modes,” without even needing to press a button.
But best of all, the twin-turbocharged, 416-horsepower V8 engine is a sight to behold. It’s also still a Mercedes at heart, so you rest assured it’s comfy and customizable on the inside as well. While pricing has not been listed for Das Demon, there is still an overwhelmingly positive impression from publications like “Car and Driver” that Mercedes will put this bad boy into production in limited quantities down the line.
9. 1949 Dodge Extended Cab Power Wagon
iwriterwork/Neo Drive & Brian Lohnes/ Bangshift.com
This modern version of the classic post-war farm truck is packed with modern amenities inside and under the hood. This midsize beast offers world-class performance over rugged terrain, mostly thanks to the dual exhaust system and 5.7-liter V8 engine. Which produces 381 horsepower and 401 pounds-feet of torque, giving drivers a payload capacity of up to 1,630 pounds.
The designers also outfitted similar versions of this Power Wagon with a heavy-duty ¼” custom front skid plate, TRD-tuned 2-inch lift springs, and oversized remote-reservoir Bilstein shocks that are designed to maximize wheel travel by utilizing a three-stage compression dampening design.
8. Commander Cody
SuvsandCrossovers.com
This diesel, 6×6 mod of a classic Ford F350 is sure to grab attention. With 500 hp and oversized, lifted mud tires, it’s a blast to drive. Not to mention even more fun when you’re pulling someone’s cute little pickup out of the mud with the rear mounted winch. The incredibly spacious, three-row ultra-extended cab also features all the amenities you’d expect from a stock truck. All riding on top of a frame more rugged and powerful than an Army 5-ton supply truck.
7. 1936 Ford Rat Rod Hot Rod Street Rod Pickup
Rat Rods
This 1936 Ford Rat Rod is guaranteed to give you a good time on the road and turn some heads in the process. You can outfit this bad boy with 35×12. 50×15 B. F. Goodrich mud terrain KM2 on 15×8 rock crawler wheels or a set of Rocket Racing wheels Launcher 15×4. 5 fronts with Coker 165r15 tires and Igniter 15×8 with Coker 235x75x15 tires in the rear – depending on what you’d like to accomplish with your 1936 rat rod. We’re sure you’re wondering what this street rod is packing for a motor. How about a punched out 4 bolt 350 that’s been rebuilt from top to bottom including camel hump heads from a 1968 327. Compression is 9. 5 to 1 with two 450 cfm Holley carbs on a Weiand tunnel ram. Yep, we think this is how you do a rat rod right, and they’ve done this old 1936 Ford proud.
6. Lingenfelter 2014 Silverado Reaper Package
SoCo Auto
This great truck was born from the clever aftermarket work of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. Rocking 550 horsepower on a mid-sized truck frame, thanks to the Magnuson Supercharger package, the Reaper package would make any off-road enthusiast drool. This package also includes a 6.2-liter engine upgrade, plus custom grille and high-clearance front bumper/ skid plate. To top it all off, they’ve also added Fox Racing reservoir shocks and a Ride Tech suspension package.
This supercharged beast comes with a Corsa Performance exhaust system, Reaper 20-inch wheels, off-road rubber, a custom Reaper gauge cluster, custom interior stitching, and Reaper-exclusive 17-inch Bead Lock Wheels with 33-inch General Grabber tires. Lingenfelter has also just released a similar package for the GMC Sierra, so GM junkies now have a contender in their corner when it comes time to battle it out with Mother Nature.
5. Operator Edition F150 – Tribute to the Troops
Hot Rod Network
This limited edition “operator” version of the F150 was Ford’s “Tribute to the Troops,” but all the great special features included are no joke. The 5.0L 8-Cyl engine pumps out 600 hp. And the 35″ Nitto Trail Grappler Tires on ProComp 20″ wheels ensures none of it is wasted. The whole kit rides on a 6″ ProComp Lift Kit and custom MX-6 Adjustable Shocks.
Inside and out, the Operator Edition is packed with storage compartments and racks, plus a stylish “tactical” trim. It’s basically everything the Special Forces version uses, minus the Gatling gun.
4. M715 Kaiser Mod
image courtesy of WGtactical via m715zone
It might surprise you to learn this awesome looking truck once served as a fire truck for a volunteer fire department in the 1970s. It’s a M715 Kaiser and the restoration and modifications its received are top notch. If you’re wondering what’s under the hood, you’re in luck. This beast received a Mopar 440 and an aftermarket EFI coupled with a 727 transmission to get started. The owner of the truck has said that the truck wouldn’t be doing too many extreme excursions, and instead focused on making the truck look as good as possible – we think he definitely succeeded. Even though he doesn’t plan to take this truck out on the trails too often, that didn’t stop him from throwing Super Swamper TSI tires on it, a move we approve of! He’s also attached a razor grill and topped it all off with a sick paint job. Kudos to him for a job well done.
3. Toyota Tacoma Polar Expedition
image courtesy of newatlas.com
At number 3 we have a truck that is a world record holder of the fastest overland trek to the South Pole. Bet you didn’t think your Tacoma was capable of that did you? Well, this isn’t your run of the mill Tacoma by any means. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This special truck is known as the Thomson Reuters Eikon Polar Expedition vehicle. It’s equipped with a 4.0 liter TRD supercharged V6 engine producing around 380 horsepower – which isn’t anything very special. What is special is the modifications the Tacoma received in order to perform successfully in the most extreme conditions found on earth. Thanks to the talented people at Arctic Trucks, you might liken the extensive modifications more like a complete reengineering. Everything from relocating the front and rear suspension to rebuilding the drive-line to accommodate for the extreme cold conditions was done in preparation for the expedition. In short, the vehicle could no longer be considered a Tacoma at all.
You may be wondering just what was the world record setting trek time? It covered 692 miles in 39 hours and 54 minutes.
2. Land Rover Defender 110 “007 Spectre” ‘2015
Silodrome – Gasoline Culture
If you saw 2015’s James Bond reboot, Spectre, then our next bad truck should be pretty familiar. This is the Defender 110. Special Vehicle Operations took the project and created one bad Land Rover truck. The tires on this beast are 37″ Baja-jobs that required a separate Bilstein steering shock-absorber in order to keep the steering rack in it’s mountings. This is certainly a truck meant to tackle all kinds of terrain, so we’re happy to know it was put to good use during the filming of the action flick. SVO also attached an enormous winch to the front along with special lighting that could blind an oncoming motorist. Tack on a pretty epic integrated roll cage and and roof rack and you’ve got a Land Rover unlike any other on the road. They only made ten of these special Defenders for the movie, and only a few survived filming so we can only imagine what one of these would run you. We’re just happy to get a closer peak to one of the baddest trucks on earth!
1. Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6
Now these awesome VelociRaptor’s start at $295,000, but that includes the extended cab, advanced Fox Racing suspension, custom front and back bumpers, a bed-mounted roll bar, and plenty of LED lighting. You’ll also enjoy Hennessey’s new 20-inch wheels and super-wide tires, to get the best truck handling on or off road.
The new engine kit is pretty impressive as well. Besides the extra horsepower and torque, the Hennessey VelociRaptor comes with redesigned turbos, a custom exhaust, front-mounted air-to-air intercooler. Not to mention the option for a hot new ECU tune up, which raises power output to “more than 600 horsepower,” for just an extra $23k.