The Ram 1500 RHO has made its official debut as the new go-faster model in the updated range, which ditched all available V8 options. Even so, Ram is quite proud of the fact that its latest truck gets you the most horsepower per dollar, which is quite impressive. In case you’re wondering, the RHO delivers 540 hp and sells for roughly $70,000, which means you pay around $130 for each horse.
That’s not bad, considering an entry-level horse (the real thing, with four legs) costs roughly $500. And a real horse can’t do 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds with an exit speed of 105 mph.
Ram
A real horse is not particularly well-equipped or luxurious, while Ram has given the RHO just about every feature you can imagine. But that’s not the point of this article. We’ve obviously seen performance Ram models before, and some people might be disappointed that it’s not as quick as the TRX. But its straight-line performance is on par with several cars we used to consider stupidly fast. As proof, look at the comparison between the Ram RHO and the A80 fourth-generation Supra, equipped with one of the most reliable and tunable engines side-by-side.
2025 Ram 1500 RHO
1993 Toyota Supra
Engine
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six
Power
540 hp
325 hp
Torque
521 lb-ft
325 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.6 seconds
4.6 seconds
Quarter-Mile
13.1 seconds
13.1 seconds
Curb Weight
Not Available
3,285 lbs
The Ram RHO is a match for this famous sports car. Obviously, we had to go back a bit to find supercars the RHO could beat, but there’s no denying the Ram’s impressive straight-line speed. If someone told you in 1993 that a 5,000-pound plus truck was a botched launch away from spanking a Supra with a 2JZ twin-turbocharged inline-six, you would have laughed in their face. Also, keep in mind that all the cars on this list are still quick. The era of electric performance has skewed what quick means, but all of these cars will still provide enough acceleration to push you back into your seat. Here are six (admittedly older) supercars this performance truck will humiliate in a straight line.
6
1994 Lotus Esprit S4: Back When Lightweight Still Mattered
Engine
2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
Power
264 hp
Torque
261 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.7 seconds
Quarter-Mile
13.5 seconds
Curb Weight
2,866 lbs
The founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman, famously said that the best way to build a car was to “simplify, then add lightness.” One could argue that the Esprit is the best example of this philosophy because there’s nothing complex about it. It was equipped with a 2.2-liter turbocharged four-pot mounted in the middle, it weighted less than 3,000 lbs, and the power went to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s widely known as being one of the best handling cars ever made, so straight-line speed isn’t exactly its forte. Still, the Ram RHO wins this one as it’s both quicker to 60 mph and faster over the quarter-mile.
5
1990 Honda NSX: The First Everyday Supercar
Engine
3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6
Power
269 hp
Torque
209 lb-ft
0-60 mph
5.2 seconds
Quarter-Mile
13.3 seconds
Curb Weight
3,020 lbs
The first-generation Honda NSX followed the same recipe as the Lotus above, but instead of a turbocharged engine, it was equipped with one of the best V6 engines ever made. It couldn’t quite match the straight-speed of its rivals back in the day, but thanks to handling finetuned by Ayrton Senna, the NSX had similar lap times.
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What stood out most was the NSX’s everyday usability. You can daily almost every supercar on sale today, but this car was a revelation when it was new. It was a supercar with a reliable engine, comfortable seats, and luxuries that actually worked. It remains a fast car by modern standards, but once again the Ram RHO beats it to 60 mph and over the quarter-mile.
4
1990 Corvette C4 ZR1: Yes, It’s A Supercar
Engine
5.7-liter naturally aspirated V8
Power
385 hp
Torque
359 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.7 seconds
Quarter-Mile
12.8 seconds
Curb Weight
3,466 lbs
Trying to define a supercar is as difficult as trying to find an honest politician. Since the Lamborghini Miura was called the first supercar, the accepted must-have for entry into this exclusive club has traditionally been a mid-engine layout. But cars like the 1990 Corvette ZR1 forced the definition to become much broader. In spirit, it’s a sports car, but it had the kind of power output that put most supercars of the same era to shame.
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As you can see in the stats above, the ZR1 is a tenth of a second slower to 60 mph, but it’s faster over a quarter-mile. But it’s a front-engine RWD car with a manual gearbox, known for being tricky to get off the line. The Ram RHO has a full-time 4WD system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, so you only have to build some boost and let go of the brake. Once again, this is a supercar that’s one bad launch away from losing to a truck.
3
930 Porsche 911 Turbo: The Real Widowmaker
Porsche
Engine
3.3-liter turbocharged flat-six
Power
300 hp
Torque
304 lb-ft
0-60 mph
5.4 seconds
Quarter-Mile
13.4 seconds
Curb Weight
2,844 lbs
The standard 911 is undoubtedly a sports car, but the Turbo was built to go head-to-head with supercars. Porsche has gone as far as stating that as long as there’s a Ferrari, there will be a 911 Turbo. The model we’re putting up against the Ram RHO is the very first Turbo, internally known as the 930. In the USA, it was sold as the Turbo Carrera. Over the years, many Porsches have wrongfully been labeled “the widowmaker,” but this car is where that nickname comes from. It was the OG dentist killer. And now it’s slower than a truck.
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Turbocharged performance comes with a downside.
This gnarly reputation is also the reason why it’s on this list. The danger only added to the allure, and we can’t believe the widowmaker is now slower than a pickup truck. The reason the 930 killed many people was not the speed, but rather the turbo lag. You never knew exactly when the boost was going to arrive, so there you were mid-corner thinking you’ve got the throttle in the perfect position for the rear wheels to stay planted to the road. But then the 930 would start boosting, increasing the output to the rear wheels by 40% in a second. A few seconds later, you’re upside down in the middle of a field bleeding from the head, wondering if your wife will marry again.
2
Lamborghini Countach LP400S: Faster Than A V12 Lambo
Engine
3.9-liter naturally aspirated V12
Power
354 hp
Torque
210 lb-ft
0-60 mph
5.4 seconds
Quarter-Mile
15 seconds
Curb Weight
2,988 lbs
It’s hard to believe a Ram pickup truck with a turbocharged inline-six is officially faster than the poster car of the 1980s, but here we are. And we didn’t choose the slowest Countach model there is. The LP400S is the updated version of the original LP400 with more power and better acceleration. We would say this is the most shocking car on this list, until we started searching for Ferraris…
1
Ferrari 288 GTO: A Truck Beats A Homologation Special
Engine
2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8
Power
354 hp
Torque
210 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.7 seconds
Quarter-Mile
12.7 seconds
Curb Weight
2,822 lbs
We knew that the Ram RHO could easily beat the Ferrari 348 because it has the same 0-60 mph time as the 355. But what we didn’t expect was that the Ram would beat a homologation special based on the 308 GTB. The 288 GTO was built to race in the Group B Racing Series, established in 1982. Ferrari had the 308 to work with, but its 2.9-liter naturally aspirated V8 wasn’t good enough. The Italian automaker turned to its Formula 1 division, which had experience with turbocharging. They slapped a set of turbos on the car, increased the cooling, gave it the necessary aerodynamic parts, and the result is an automotive icon that now retails for nearly $2 million.
As you can see, the Ram is one tenth faster to 60 mph, and one missed shift from winning a quater-mile drag race.
Ram