Driving this hot rod is like shaking hands with the devil

My first reaction to the Dodge Ram SRT-10 was simple. Do we really need a 500-horsepower pickup truck with 22-inch wheels?

 I mean, fun is fun, and horsepower is like money — the more the better — but a 500-horsepower pickup? Reluctantly I climbed up into the truck's leather bucket seat, turned the key and hit the big red start button. The 8.3-liter, V-10 Dodge Viper engine barked to life with a cackle that would make the Wicked Witch of the West jealous. Hmmm. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

 A fat leather knob tops the Hurst shifter on the six-speed transmission. Grabbing it is like shaking hands with the devil because it unleashes all those teenage urges to speed-shift, peel out and generally be a nuisance.

 After a few minutes on the road, however, I began to warm up to this big truck, and not just because I'm a sucker for vehicles that accelerate to 60 miles an hour in just over five seconds. Sure, the fuel economy is atrocious, and the payload capacity is minimal. It's hard to load anything into the bed because there's a spoiler atop the tailgate. But the SRT-10 is a blast to drive. If fun on wheels is your thing, then the SRT-10 begins to make sense.

 The suspension was reassuringly tight without a log-wagon ride, and the Viper powertrain seemed smoother, and more agreeable, in this truck than it does in the sports car. The Viper is not happy on city streets unless you use second or third gear, but the Ram SRT-10 can loaf along in fourth comfortably. The 4.11 rear axle ratio that is necessary to get this big truck rolling quickly also plays a big role in tightening up the drivetrain.

 The Dodge Ram SRT-10 has been officially certified as the world's fastest production pickup truck. It averaged 154.587 miles per hour over a flying kilometer at Chrysler's test track in Chelsea, Mich.

 Getting a 5,150-pound truck to handle like a sports car is like teaching an elephant to tap dance. Chrysler's in-house hot rod shop, Performance Vehicle Operations, has done an excellent job of taming this truck. It sits 1 inch lower in front and 2.5 inches lower in back. Bilstein shocks and huge stabilizer bars keep it anchored. A shock absorber was installed between rear axle and frame to eliminate wheel hop in drag racing.

 Most folks won't want to fling this Ram around like a sports car, but it does a very creditable job of hanging on to the pavement. The monstrous, 22-inch Pirelli Scorpion tires supply tenacious grip, but generous use of the throttle can still turn the rear tires into piles of dust and smoke. One downside to the tires’ width was their tendency to follow road irregularities and pull a little from side to side on roads with tire grooves.

 The massive antilock brakes have 15-inch front rotors and 14-inch rears.

 From a styling perspective, the Ram SRT-10 is far from subtle. The deep front spoiler, giant hood scoop and humongous tires are almost cartoonish, but they have a purpose. The spoiler improves stability by reducing lift at the rear axle and lowering aerodynamic drag at high speed.

 The SRT-10's cabin is quite pleasant. Light-faced gauges, aluminum pedals and leather seats are sporty touches. A wide center armrest doubles as a storage compartment. The SRT-10 is built on a regular cab, so internal storage space is minimal. I had to carry a suitcase in the front seat on the way to the airport.

 Do we really need a 500-horsepower pickup truck? Of course not. But the Ram SRT-10 is loads of fun. In many ways, I found it to be more enjoyable than the Viper at considerably lower cost.