Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept Hits Woodward [First Impressions]

 

Rumble Bee

Last year for the 10th anniversary of the Ram Rumble Bee, Ram took a 2013 1500 R/T and converted it into a modern interpretation of the truck popularized over a decade ago. For this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise, which occurred this past weekend in the suburbs of Detroit, Ram let us borrow the truck to go cruising for the weekend. I had a great time, and while a full review (and video) is coming, here’s some first impressions of the concept pickup truck.

It’s an Attention Grabber

Rumble Bee

 

The truck began life as a 2013 R/T regular cab truck with a short bed. From there, Ram painted the truck a matte yellow finish. To accent the yellow, they used black stripes along the sides, tinted the headlights and taillights black, and equipped it with 24″ black wheels. That alone is enough to attract the attention of people on Woodward, but that’s just the beginning.

It’s Loud

Ram dug through the Mopar catalog and equipped the Rumble Bee with a full exhaust system which is just loud enough and sounds awesome. A Mopar intake resides under the hood. The stock engine is rated at 395 hp and 407 lb-ft of torque, and that power is delivered to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission and a 4.10 final drive setup.

But if it’s not loud enough for you, there’s a button inside that closes off the regular exhaust and dumps it straight out just below the driver’s seat. That takes the noise up to 11 and makes it sound like a full-on, NASCAR stock car. It sounds unreal, and many people that I talked to while cruising couldn’t believe that it was a Hemi V8 under the hood, and not something bigger.

It’s Comfortable

Rumble Bee

 

I wasn’t expecting a concept sport truck to be livable, but the Rumble Bee surprisingly was. The truck sits 2″ lower than stock, and 24″ wheels don’t provide the best ride on the planet, but while it was stiff it was by no means unbearable. The Uconnect stereo worked with my phone, and the air conditioning was operational. The seat adjustments worked, including lumbar, and they were padded nicely. For a concept, they really completed a lot of the truck. For the enthusiast, this is something you could live with everyday.

Will They Put It Into Production?

Rumble Bee

 

No. Despite the public’s desire to see this truck in production, it sadly won’t happen. Dodge is now the performance brand of the Chrysler Group, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see an crazy creations from the other marques. That doesn’t mean there won’t be concepts like this one, but I don’t expect to see a Hellcat Ram on sale anytime soon. I hope I’m wrong!

Stay tuned for our full write-up on the truck, as well as the video overview.

Chad Kirchner

Chad Kirchner is a freelance automotive journalist with a sincere passion for the industry and helping people. He’s a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Texas Auto Writers Association. When not writing about the latest automotive news or vehicles, you can catch him at car shows around the country. Be sure to check him out on social media, including Google+Twitter, and his website.