5 Of The Highest Horsepower Pickup Trucks Of The 1970s

Since Ford introduced the F-150 Raptor back in 2010, the horsepower pickup truck wars have been endless. There were plenty of impressive machines prior to this, but just think about brutes like the Ram TRX with 702 hp or the wildly expensive F-150 Raptor R with 720 hp. Not to mention "regular" trucks like a Ram 1500 with the 540 hp Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder.

Pickup truck fans, consider yourselves lucky — you are living in an era of unbridled power, at least compared to the 1970s. Back then, truck makers were coming off muscle car golden age highs and doing their best to finish strong. However, trucks were only just starting the transition from simple utility vehicles to the comfortable daily drivers we know today, which meant there was little appetite for pickups that could show off at the drag strip, let alone fly through sand dunes like Superman. 

None of the high-horsepower trucks from the 70s come close to present-day hero trucks. That said, these five were especially potent for their time, and today they could offer something of a side-door entry into the world of classic vehicle ownership.

225 hp for a pickup may not sound like much when you consider that the relatively tiny 2025 Maverick offers up to 250 hp. However, in 1978, with the high-powered Detroit muscle era in the rearview, 225 wasn't too shabby. Especially strapped into one of Dodge's "Adult Toys," a lineup that included such headliners as the Warlock and Macho Power Wagon. What made the Li'l Red (Express) Truck so special, however, was both its cartoonish Old West styling and beefed-up powertrain.

Starting with a stock Dodge 360 cubic inch V8, the Li'l Red variant gained an 850 CFM Holley Thermo-Quad carburetor, a police-spec intake manifold, W-2 cylinder heads with 1.5:1 ratio bronzed rocker arms, a revised 8.4:1 compression ratio, and more. In the '78 Magnum, this engine offered just 155 hp, so the Li'l Red Truck was quite impressive. It proved its worth by beating a Camaro Z28 in the quarter mile and being the quickest truck in a 0-100 mph Car and Driver comparison at the time.

Beyond the engine room, Dodge upgraded the D150 Utililine-based pickup with 3.55:1 gears, a Sure-Grip limited-slip differential, and rear anti-roll bar. Of course, the Li'l Red Truck is arguably most famous for its gold pinstriping, oak paneling, and chrome-plated vertical exhaust stacks with heat shields. It may not be the most powerful pickup truck from the 1970s, but the Li'l Red was certainly one of the most memorable.

Before the F-150, there was the Ford F-100, one of the most iconic American pickup trucks, which was produced from the 1950s through the 1980s. Today, the F-Series is a market leader and longtime sales champ with a staggering array of configurations to choose from. But in 1970, the Blue Oval took a back seat to longtime rival Chevrolet when it came to pickups.

Though the automaker advertised that "Ford pickups work like trucks...ride like cars," period marketing suggests less of a focus on power and comfort than Chevy. So, the 255 hp rating of the 1970 F-100, while usable, pales in comparison to a pair of seriously potent Chevrolet pickups from the same year. This was during fifth-gen F-Series production, a generation known as Bumpside due to the three-dimensional spear-like design element running down the body.

Engine options for these fifth-gen F-100s ranged from a 240 CID inline-6 to the 390 big-block V8. It is that latter mill we're looking at, as it made 255 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque in the 1970 F-100. This particular engine dated to 1961 and saw outputs as high as 401 hp in earlier Ford cars, but when it comes to high-horsepower Ford trucks of the '70s, 255 is as good as it gets.

During the same period that Ford was selling its fifth-gen truck, 1967-1972, Chevrolet rolled out an all-new Harry Bradley-designed C10 pickup with a longer nose, lower ride height, and concealed latches. Dubbed the Action Line, we'd argue this Chevy model was among the coolest trucks from the 1970s. Underneath, a new ladder frame and redesigned suspension promised a smoother ride and inside, newly available modern conveniences saw Chevrolet jump ahead of Ford in the burgeoning arena of pickups that were more than just utility vehicles.

It didn't hurt that for 1970, Chevy's truck was quite a bit more powerful than what Ford could muster. At the top of the C10 V8 powertrain roster, one that included a 307 and 327, was the 396 CID V8 that could also be found in the Chevelle SS396. Interestingly, as of 1969, this engine was actually displacing 402 cubic inches, but Chevrolet didn't want to mess with the sub-brand it had built around the SS396, so on its cars, this increase was not advertised.

Whereas with the trucks, this engine was alternately labeled 396 or 400, leading to decades of enthusiast confusion. In any case, a Quadrajet carburetor, oval port heads, and cast aluminum pistons worked to push output on 396-powered C10s to 325 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. Considering the next most powerful truck-based V8, the 327, made just 240 horses, this is all the more impressive.

The Ford Ranchero may not enjoy the same cult following of the similarly designed Chevy El Camino, but its 429 Super Cobra Jet V8 still made it one of the most legendary American muscle trucks in history. The Ranchero actually beat Chevy to the car-meets-truck party in 1957, but it wasn't until the fifth generation showed up in 1970 that consumers were offered serious performance. Along with the typical, for the time, range of inline-six and small-block V8s, the 1970 Ranchero could be had with a trio of big-block 429 CID eight-cylinder engines.

Marketing materials list a Thunder Jet version with 360 hp and a Cobra setup with 370 horsepower. However, the 429 Super Cobra Jet available by special ordering a Ranchero with the Drag Pack option added forged aluminum pistons, an engine oil cooler, a solid lifter cam with a more aggressive profile, and a Holley 4150-series carburetor capable of inhaling 780 cubic feet of air per minute. The Ram-Air induction system with its "shaker" hood scoop helped on this front.

The published increase in power over the base Cobra configuration was just 5 hp, which is thought to be very conservative. However, 375 hp was high for the time, especially considering the questionable — by modern standards — handling provided by standard drum brakes and 14-inch rubber at all four corners. Ultimately, however, this most powerful Ford truck from the 1970s couldn't touch the brute cooked up by cross-town rival Chevrolet.

In the pantheon of weird classic cars with truck beds, the Chevy El Camino stands strong. Particularly in 454 LS6 spec. Sold briefly during third-generation production that ran from 1968 to 1972, this rare El Camino leaned heavily on its Chevelle platform-mate. Sure, in 1970, you could buy an El Camino with a 250 CID six-pot making 155 hp if fuel economy was your thing.

Or, you could do something crazy and go for the big 454 V8. Not the LS5 version, mind you, but the LS6 with its iron block and head, 11.25:1 compression ratio, 800 CFM Holley four-barrel carb, aggressive cam, and solid lifters. Chevy's official ratings for this engine were 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, though that is widely considered an understatement. Buyers had a choice of an automatic or manual transmission and a cowl induction hood.

Built only in 1970, just before the crush of new regulations and insurance companies that had wised up to Detroit's muscle car ways, the El Camino SS with the 454 LS6 V8 would become one of the most desirable muscle cars ever built. At the time, the base price for one of these legends was $3,046.75 with the big V8 adding $269.00 and the special hood another $123.75. Sounds like a fair price to pay for a pickup truck with far and away the most horsepower of any in the 1970s.