In November 2023, Ram made one of its most infamous announcements by calling time on the Ram 1500’s Hemi V8. Loyalists were outraged, with US pickup sales dropping 19.5% for Ram during H1 2024, and Ram would admit its mistake. It reversed course with a new array of Hemi engines, eventually resulting in an SRT supercharged flagship making 777 horsepower. This offered enormous output for less than $100,000, and as it would even eclipse a Ford Mustang GTD on a dollar-per-hp basis, that is quite a way to change a corporate mind.
777 hp For Less Than $100,000 Is Now Ram’s Bargain Option
2027 Ram 1500 Rumble BeeRam
It’s remarkable to make any comparison between what is essentially a pickup truck and Ford’s exotic carbon-bodied road and track machine. They are, of course, not direct rivals, but there is still a comparison to be made in the dollars-per-horsepower arena. In the case of the Mustang GTD, Ford includes its 5.2-liter supercharged V8, producing 815 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, which stacks up well against other supercharged V8 sports cars. For example, the charged 6.2-liter V8 in the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing produces 668 hp and 659 lb-ft.
But then there’s Ram’s supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8, which produces 777 hp and 680 lb-ft in both the TRX and the new Rumble Bee SRT. And Ram’s vehicles make things very interesting when you start looking at that dollar-per-hp comparison.
Vehicle
Engine
Output
Price incl dest
$ per horsepower
2027 Ram Rumble Bee SRT
6.2-liter supercharged V8
777 hp
$97,790
126
2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT
6.2-liter supercharged V8
777 hp
$102,790
132
2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
6.2-liter supercharged V8
668 hp
$100,695
151
2025 Ford Mustang GTD
5.2-liter supercharged V8
815 hp
$324,260
398
The Ram Rumble Bee SRT leads the way, as can be seen in the table, even beating its stablemate, the Ram 1500 TRX SRT, with the cheapest factory route to 777 supercharged horsepower. But while the two trucks generally have the same significant output figures, they still come with completely different missions.
The TRX is the desert-running off-road monster, while the Rumble Bee SRT is the company’s road- and track-focused muscle truck. However, they’re both in front of the CT5-V Blackwing and way in front of the Mustang GTD. But the Rumble Bee almost never existed – because Ram spent most of 2024 convinced buyers didn’t want a V8 at all.
Ram’s 19.5% Slide Started Before The Hemi Was Completely Gone
2024 Ram 1500 Classic Front 3/4 ViewRam
Stellantis decision-makers have been fretting for a while about US pickup throughput. They may have been particularly unsettled by a 19.5% decline in US pickups sold during H1 2024 versus H1 2023. But there’s still more to that decline than just the loss of Hemi access. After all, Ram’s previous-generation 1500 Classic, with an available Hemi, did remain in production throughout much of 2024, with some still selling into 2025.
And while Ram unveiled the refreshed 2025 DT-generation 1500 in late 2023, replacing the 5.7-liter V8 with a 3.0-liter Hurricane straight six, there were also other factors in play. Ram was dealing with high inventories, pricing pressure, and a difficult model transition; the disappearance of the lower-priced Classic also removed an important entry point to the range itself.
But that general 19.5% decline does suggest that the brand was inherently heading in the wrong direction, and removing one of its most recognizable engines definitely didn’t help matters. What made the Hurricane’s failure so surprising was that on paper, it was a genuinely better engine than the Hemi it replaced – so why did buyers revolt?
The Hurricane Had More Power, But Ram Had Misread The Buyer
.2026 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi V8 fender badge detail shotRam
Ram must have been fairly confident with its Hemi replacement. After all, the standard-output 3.0-liter Hurricane generated 420 hp and 469 lb-ft, while the high-output version produced 540 hp and 521 lb-ft. By comparison, the 5.7-liter Hemi that would soon join that Hurricane would produce “only” 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, so it wasn’t as if Ram had replaced the Hemi with some kind of inferior engine.
However, many enthusiasts in the marketplace didn’t really care about the Hurricane’s power aspirations and couldn’t bear the idea of a full-size pickup truck without a V8. In fact, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa specifically mentioned that preference, claiming that 40% of full-size truck buyers would never consider a truck brand unless it offered a V8. As Ram had spent decades making the Hemi a crucial part of its identity, the customer response may have been predictable.
When Ram announced the 5.7-liter Hemi’s return in the summer of 2025, it publicly admitted that it had made a mistake and was now correcting course. The company even went so far as to create a new fender emblem called the “Symbol of Protest,” which depicted the head of a ram pushing through a Hemi V8 block.
The marketplace response was enthusiastic, with more than 10,000 orders placed for Hemi-powered 1500s in the first 24 hours after the June announcement.But restoring the 5.7-liter Hemi was only the first move. Ram was already working on something far more extreme – and it started with a truck that hadn’t been seen in years.
The TRX Brought 777 hp Back Before The Rumble Bee
2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRTRam
As it turns out, Ram wasn’t about to offer a 5.7-liter Hemi as part of its apology tour and leave it at that. Instead, it released a short film called “Resurrection” on New Year’s Day 2026, confirming that the TRX was also coming back. It would now have a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi with 777 hp and 680 lb-ft, up from the previous TRX’s 702 hp and 650 lb-ft.
That engine would propel the vehicle to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and deliver a 118-mph top speed. The company also included updated Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks and Ram Active Terrain Dynamics to preserve the truck’s off-road focus.
Then, once the company had dealt with the pure off-road angle, it decided to unveil the Rumble Bee family and push the comeback in a new direction. Instead of another off-roader, Ram was now creating a range of street-focused muscle trucks. First in the Rumble Bee range was the basic version, using the 395-hp 5.7-liter engine. The Rumble Bee 392 got a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi producing 470 hp and 455 lb-ft, and this would represent the first application of the 392 Hemi in the Ram 1500. But Ram would elevate matters even more with the arrival of the Rumble Bee SRT in the first half of 2027.
Ram Didn’t Just Bring The Hemi Back, But Built A 170-mph Street Truck Around It
2027 Ram 1500 Rumble BeeRam
While power-hungry Ram buyers could choose 777 hp and 680 lb-ft in a TRX, they could now also sample the magic of that engine in a very different kind of truck altogether, the Rumble Bee SRT. With this vehicle, Ram shortened the wheelbase by 13 in via a unique Quad Cab/short bed configuration, resulting in a 132.3 in wheelbase and a squat 88 in wide body. It rides on enormous 325/40R22 tires fitted to 12 in wide wheels, which is the widest wheel and tire combination Ram has fitted to a production vehicle since theDodge Viper, (a Stellantis stablemate).
The SRT also comes with impressive aerodynamics, as it’s able to generate 192 lb of positive downforce at its targeted 170 mph top speed, partly due to a large front splitter and other functional aero work. The vehicle can get to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and pass the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds at 116 mph. It also comes with full-time four-wheel drive as standard, with a button that disconnects the front axle to allow the truck to run in rear-wheel drive only.
Following all that new vehicle activity, the sales news for Ram appears to be generally good. Pickup sales in particular have turned upward, with 207,616 sales during the first six months of 2026 versus 174,320 during the corresponding period in 2025. Certainly, it is not fair to credit all of that bounce to the Hemi any more than it would be to blame the entire 2024 decline on its demise. But the company has nevertheless gone all in on its Hemi revival. It not only restored the 5.7-liter Hemi but also confirmed the return of the supercharged TRX with 777 hp.
Ram’s latest Rumble Bee, engineered for both the street and the racetrack, elevates the legend of the Hemi to another level. It also makes Ram’s previous decision to replace its iconic V8 with a turbocharged inline six look quite quaint. Ram’s turnaround has now generated an entirely new question. After all, it’s no longer simply a question of whether a half-ton pickup needs a Hemi at all, but just how powerful and over-the-top that Hemi package can become.
Sources: Stellantis, FCA US.
