Fast Pickups Are the Real Golden Age of Muscle
One of Hagerty’s insightful market observers recently wrote about how the Second Golden Age of Muscle is Over. I don’t dispute that conclusion, but I also think there is another part of the muscle market being overlooked—the trucks that shared engines with those recently departed golden age muscle cars. Ford F-150 Raptor Rs, RAM 1500 TRXs, and others seem poised to be the next great collectible.
Why will the muscular trucks and SUVs of the past 10 years become more collectible than their engine-sharing car cousins? For the usual reasons: supply and demand. Let’s dig into the details.
Supply
How many of these trucks are being put away with zero miles? How many are taken off-road and jumped? Sure, Cadillac Escalade-V drivers may not be catching air over the sand dunes very often, but is anyone mothballing one next to their LaFerrari? Similarly, most Raptor Rs and TRXs are going to be driven. Looking at the mileage of Ford Raptors and Shelby GT500s sold at auction, we see that the average miles per year on the trucks is 2818, more than six times the 430 of the GT500. Looking at it another way, the number of vehicles with fewer than 100 miles shows only 25 Raptor trucks with two-digit odometer readings vs. 63 for the GT500. Similarly, TRXs sold at auction have averaged 2511 miles per year compared to 254 miles per year for same-era Hellcats. Also, there are 16 TRXs with less than 100 miles vs. 140 Challenger SRT Hellcats.
Vehicles sold at auctions are only part of the story. Based on the anticipated annual mileage in a Hagerty insurance policy quote for the above vehicles shows TRX owners expect to drive 6228 miles per year, while Hellcat owners expect to drive 2307 miles per year. F-150 Raptor owners plan to drive 5460 miles per year, and Shelby GT500 owners plan to drive 1835.
The attrition of these trucks is likely to be greater, too, despite the muscle cars’ tail-happy reputation and the Mustang crash compilation videos on YouTube. Searching Copart reveals that for medium to heavily damaged vehicles with overlapping model years (2020+ for the GT500 and Raptor, and 2021+ for the TRX and Challenger SRT Hellcat), there are 32 Raptors and 57 TRXs vs. 13 GT500s and 15 Challenger SRT Hellcats.
Demand
The muscle cars of the late 1960s were innovative in part because they had a combination of style, performance, availability, and accessibility. The muscle cars of the second golden age, while vastly improved, were really just a sequel to that same story from the late 1960s. Even their styling and nomenclature borrow heavily from their ancestors. The muscle trucks of the past 10 years, however, brought something truly new to the new-vehicle market.
Of course, off-road capability in a passenger pick-up was nothing new, and neither were pickups with high horsepower and quick quarter-mile times. But having off-road prowess, unprecedented power figures and incredible acceleration times all in one package was a fresh and exciting concept. Years on, vehicles that were fresh and exciting concepts when they were new tend to gain historical significance and notoriety, which resonates with collectors. That, combined with a limited supply of clean, low-mile examples, suggest that collectors of the future will clamor for this golden age of muscle trucks.
***
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.
Such negative thoughts. Incidentally I have 2019 RAM that gets anywhere from 17 to 20 mpg. At seventy six years old I kinda like all those creature comforts. I figure I’ve earned them.
“Fast trucks” are no better or worse than their passenger car counterparts. They’re fun and (mostly) good-lookin’ rides that have a bit more utility than your average muscle car. Back in ’06 I purchased a Ram 1500 of the same year that was an executive lease. Loved it then, love it now. All the bling you could want, luxury, and power enough to play a little if I want to. What could be better. If I want/need more, I’ll just roll out the old RR.
Trucks are big, ugly, overweight, and totally unneeded by probably 90% of their owners. They interest me about as much as watching paint dry. I wish trucks of a certain size or weight would be banned unless it is proven they are needed for employment. Anyone owning a large heavy truck should have to pay a certain tax or fee to help offset the damage they do to infrastructure like highways, bridges, etc. and having to take up 2 parking spaces in a normal parking lot.
I am from the Golden Age Of Mucilage.
These “trucks” are usually a blur in the left lane around here. I figure that’s why the decals have gotten so big, so I can read as they go by. 4X4 stands for “4 doors, 4 foot bed, right? To the point of the article, I’m skeptical any but special editions maintained well will become collectible. Most of this market is driven by fashion and prestige, not nostalgia.
4×4 stands for “16”
One, the bros buying these trucks mostly “off-road” them in mall parking lots and parking them in their lawns to polish their wheels. Two, while I have no issue with serious off-roading (done with built up beater trucks you don’t mind damaging), I would like to see a return of street trucks, think the Syclone and Typhoon, the SVT Lightning, etc. Heck, give me a lowered Honda Ridgeline with the engine from the Acura TLX Type S (3.0l Turbo paired with the SH-AWD system which is already in the Ridgeline), that engine puts the TLX 0-60 at 5.1s, I bet with a little work they could have the Ridgeline running a 5-6s flat 0-60, heck it already pulls about 7s 0-60 with its NA 3.5l V-6 (6.8-7.2s depending on varied reports).
screw the Raptors, how bout reporting on the Ford Lightning!!! i’ve had Hagerty for several years now and have yet to see anything on my own truck.
Haters are just gonna hate.
And they usually have good reason to.
The next article will be “Fast Minivans are the Golden Age of Muscle”.
Agree! My 2019 Dodge Caravan is mighty quick, has a fast-shifting automatic transmission, and is much more practical than a truck!
If I may put out a defense of my earlier comment about power and reasonable fuel consumption I should add that drag racing and aggressive off-roading is not my thing. Most of my driving is in a rural or semi-rural environment. I am retired and enjoy volunteering. One of my volunteer commitments is with a heritage operating water driven sawmill. My truck is occasionally used to trailer several thousand pounds of donated logs, sawn boards or taking very heavy loads of barrels of wood waste to a local green waste facility. Certainly not the task for a car or 1500 series of pickup truck. My age has determined a much calmer style of driving. I could even use my Dodge 2500 diesel to trailer my 64 year old Hagerty insured very slow flat fendered Fargo 4WD Power Wagon. Not a fan of the aggressive drivers of overly lifted trucks who give our hobby a bad name. Criticism is always welcomed but should be done in a proper context. Perhaps also ask a tradesman, RV’er or volunteer driver. Hope those suggesting criticism might be more selective.