Sport Truck Resurgence: Performance Pickups Make a Comeback

STREET TRUCKS STAFF . September 26, 2025 . Department .

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Sport Truck Resurgence

In the past few issues we’ve been digging into the custom truck industry’s past to highlight the birth of the sport truck movement courtesy  of  the  C/K  model introduced 25 years ago. Its sleek design complemented by sporty styling, handling-driven suspension and added performance brought trucks from use strictly as farm tools to sporty drivers that everyone had to have. Since that time, OEM trucks have gravitated toward the bigger is better model, towing capacity and work load taking precedence over just being a sports car with a bed. With more and more aftermarket and custom enthusiasts churning out classic performance trucks and upgrading newer trucks, it seems to be the right time for OEMs to get back into the sport truck game.

Granted, anything and everything can be done in the aftermarket, like upgraded motors, superchargers, performance suspension and more. OEM manufacturers have sparingly offered performance truck models; they seem to pop up every few years, and then the trend of bigger, heavy, work trucks takes over, or a few politicians demand gas mileage increases and performance goes out the window. The Ford Lightning, Chevrolet 454SS, Silverado SS, Dodge SRT-10 are all models that were available for a few years and then disappeared.

Recent years have seen crew cab trucks take over, but nothing screams performance more than a lighter regular cab truck with a powerful motor and tuned suspension. Taking note of this and bringing the Lightning heritage up to date, Ford just announced the Tremor truck option with an EcoBoost V-6 twin-turbo platform built for torque and mileage as the power base for a single-cab truck. The Tremor features aggressive flat black styling and bucket seats, instead of the bench offered in regular-cab trucks. It’s the powertrain that brings performance to the forefront with 4:10 gears and 365 hp with 420 ft-lbs torque, thanks to the beefed up EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 engine.

Ram has its R/T styling option and Hemi engines. With the announcement of a Ram ½-ton diesel on the horizon sporting plenty of torque and possible upgrades in a light truck platform, we’re curious to see if it’s viewed as a performance option. The Mr. Norm edition Ram trucks, which feature classic muscle car styling, have been produced, but they’re dealership makes.

GM offers the 6.2L V-8 engine, the same as the version in the new Corvette Stingray and Camaro platforms, as a standard option that provides plenty of power.

With the 2014 trucks hitting lots now, it will be interesting to see if they brand a specific performance truck model or leave it up to consumers to pick their poison.

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