Holley’s April Fool’s Sky-Ram intake actually exists

Lots of automotive sites, ours included, use April Fool’s Day as a free pass to get creative with far-fetched stories that hope to convince the reader that a long-awaited product is finally on the horizon, or, conversely, that their favorite car brand has jumped the shark with a radical change to the lineup. The jokes can backfire, so it’s dangerous ground to tread, and some do it better than others.

One of our favorite recent April Fool’s Day fake-outs came from Holley, who debuted the Moonshot, a 3500-hp nitrous oxide kit on April Fool’s Day last year. Stacking ten of its CrossHair plate systems to create a visual spectacle atop an intake manifold and promising 3500+ horsepower in a well-produced yet tongue-in-cheek commercial, Holley raised the bar for April Fool’s pranks. We have to admit that the plumbing job was well done.

This year, the bar is even higher thanks to the Sky-Ram, which takes tunnel rams to the extreme with a ridiculously tall intake that Holley actually built for this year’s fake commercial.

Had Holley gone with a photo-only prank, Photoshop might have been good enough, but for this video, a real part was required. Several pieces were 3D printed and bolted together. Considering Holley uses 3D prints for development and tests them as working parts, we were a bit disappointed we didn’t get to hear this thing run. Holley hinted that we may get our wish, though.

The callback to last year’s Moonshot was a nice touch, and upping the game by adding two of them was superb. However, the attention to detail on the Sky-Ram, the twin Moonshots, and the production quality of the video all serve to make our favorite part of the joke the cardboard template, reciprocating saw blades, and crayons needed to cut a hole in your hood to make room for this monstrosity.

If you saw a great automotive April Fool’s Day prank, share it with us in the comments and also let us know which vehicle would be best suited for this intake. We think a 1949 Plymouth business coupe would be appropriate.