Ram 1500 gets Hurst treatment in 2011 Hurst Hemi Hauler

There's a long lineage of hairy Dodge haulers, going back to the 1964-'66 D-100 Custom Sports Special with a 365-hp, 426-cid wedge V-8 through the Li'l Red Express and Warlock stepsides of the late 1970s to the Shelby Dakotas of the 1980s and Ram SSTs and Dakota R/T's of the 1990s. For 2011, the tradition of performance trucks from "Ma Mopar" continues with the help of Hurst Performance Vehicles, which is unleashing a supercharged Ram 1500 using the sporty regular car, short box packed with the 5.7-Liter Hemi engine.

This performance-packing Ram has been christened the Hurst Hemi Hauler, which should conjure images of the Pentastar's past, one quarter mile at a time. This rig won't wear the red paint of some of those hot trucks, but charge its own way with white paint carrying a unique Hurst stripe down the flanks. No horsepower figures or prices were released by Hurst, and just 50 will be built per year.

Here's a view of this righteous rig:

Here's Hurst's official release on the Hurst Hemi Hauler:

INTRODUCING THE 2011 HURST HEMI HAULER

RAM 1500 Given Hurst Treatment Merging Performance and Utility

San Francisco, Calif. (February 4, 2011) – Hurst Performance Vehicles, a company synonymous with more than 50 years of experience creating high performance muscle cars and performance parts, announced today at the NADA Convention, that it has begun designing and fabricating parts for its newest project, The Hurst HEMI Hauler, a performance oriented, limited-edition supercharged RAM 1500.

Beginning with a 2011 Regular Cab Sport R/T RAM 1500 as their base, the technicians at Hurst will modify the truck with a series of cosmetic accessories and performance parts to not only make the truck faster, but also look good going fast, as well.

The team at Hurst will first work to make the truck’s 5.7L HEMI V-8 breathe better with the addition of a supercharger and polished custom exhaust. What results is a truck that sounds as good as it performs.

Continuing in a proud Hurst tradition of custom craftsmanship, the exterior of the truck will feature Hurst graphics on the driver and passenger side fenders, doors and bed, as well as Hurst badges on the grill and tailgate. The wheels remain factory 22” forged aluminum polished rims, but are given the Hurst treatment with a custom paint job on the interior spokes.

Driving a performance vehicle, whether a truck or a car, is as much a tactile experience as it is an emotional one. Inside, driver and passenger seating surfaces feature red top-stitching and an embroidered Hurst logo in the headrests, while drivers get to have Hurst’s signature “Pistol-Grip” billet aluminum anodized shifter in hand when engaging the drive gears. Also inside, an interior dash plaque made of real metal verifying the truck’s provenance as an officially modified Hurst vehicle, is accompanied by Hurst-embroidered floor mats.

“We’ve talked about doing a high-performance truck a number of times,” said Nate Shelton, President and Chairman of Hurst Performance Vehicles. “With the help of our very dedicated dealer network, we’ve found enough customer interest to make this project feasible and look forward to welcoming a whole new type of enthusiast to the Hurst family.”

Only 50 of these special trucks will be built by Hurst each year. Each comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity and signatures in the cab from the Hurst Team for added collectability.

Further information can be found on the Hurst Performance website at www.hurst-performance.com, or by calling the facility directly at (949) 261-5500.