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2021 Ram TRX VIN #001 heads to Barrett-Jackson

The very first production example of the 2021 Ram TRX is headed to auction, the company confirmed Thursday. The truck, in Launch Edition Anvil Gray, will cross the block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale on March 26 to benefit the United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s 2-1-1 helpline. Being one of the 702 Launch Edition models makes it special already, but this particular example will come with a presentation box with a bound book custom-developed by the Ram Brand team. This book highlights the vehicleÂ’s design development and comes with exclusive photos and video, a speed-form model, and a Ram Truck cover developed by the vehicleÂ’s design team. “The award-winning 2021 Ram 1500 TRX bolsters the brandÂ’s strong history of high-performance trucks while expanding the light-duty lineup with the segmentÂ’s best combination of performance, capability, luxury and technology,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram Brand chief executive officer. “When Ram 1500 TRX VIN #001 rolled off the assembly line last month, it instantly became an incredibly exciting one-of-a-kind collectible truck that enthusiasts will clamor for – especially when it goes through the Barrett-Jackson auction lane in March. “More importantly, we expect this first production Ram 1500 TRX to raise significant funds that will go directly to the United Way for Southeastern MichiganÂ’s 2-1-1 helpline to provide services to veterans and their families,” Koval added. “At Ram, we offer unique ‘Built to ServeÂ’ editions of our Ram 1500 pickup as a way to honor all those who serve or have served in the U.S. armed forces with distinction. This is an important mission at Ram, and this auction is another way we can honor our veterans.” The truck will be on display in Scottsdale during the auction March 20-27. You can also bid on it online or by phone if you can't (or don't want to) bid in person. Good luck! Related video:

Ram with a Hellcat V8 coming? Could be, but let's review the evidence

While Fiat-Chrysler has gradually been stuffing bigger V8s into everything it can, one brand that hasn't received any SRT or Hellcat love is Ram. This, despite showing a Raptor-fighting TRX concept with a detuned engine in the fall of 2016. But according to Allpar, there may be a Ram 1500 coming in the near future with the fabled supercharged V8, and at full power. Interesting theory, but let's take a closer look. The two bits of evidence the site points out are (a) an anonymous inside source saying a vehicle is in development, and (b) a displayed time in Ram press photos. If you look closely, some of the Ram interiors show the time 7:07 on the infotainment display. This corresponds with the Hellcat engine's 707 horsepower. Allpar further speculates that the vehicle will be Rebel-based due to a preponderance of the number in Rebel interiors. This wouldn't be the first time FCA has hinted at a future model's power via infotainment time, either, as it did so with the Challenger Demon. View 6 Photos There are some holes in this theory, though. We went back and looked at the press photos of the interiors, and the 7:07 time shows up on Bighorn Rams, too. And not every single Rebel interior has the time. There's at least one that shows the time 8:29, which appears on various other Ram interior shots. Also, while FCA did manage to make a full-time all-wheel-drive system for the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to stand up to the Hellcat's ferocious power, we doubt that drivetrain would be used in a Ram, since it's a much different application. The final nail in this theory's coffin might be that the head of Ram Trucks communication told us that the times in the images are a "complete coincidence" and that "this theory is all speculation." All things considered, we think the odds of a Hellcat-powered Ram reaching production soon, particularly an off-road version like Allpar suggests, is pretty iffy. We wouldn't rule out some sort of Hellcat-powered Ram completely. At the very least, putting a Hellcat V8 into a two-wheel-drive Ram for a street truck would make loads of sense. It would be less expensive to develop compared to a Raptor competitor, it wouldn't have any existing competition, and it could capitalize on the history of the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 from the mid-2000s. And as we've seen, FCA has no problem stuffing absurdly powerful V8s into everything it can, from Charger to Durango to Grand Cherokee. So, don't count on a Hellcat-powered Ram yet.

Truckmakers squabbling over who can sell Jimmy Fallon a pickup

Snagging a celebrity endorsement is a big deal for automakers, as evidenced by the recent efforts of the Detroit Three to try and woo The Tonight Show's newest host, Jimmy Fallon, into one of their trucks.
After announcing during Wednesday night's show that he was in the market for a pickup truck, Fallon set off a firestorm of efforts on Twitter, with both Ford and Chevrolet petitioning the funnyman to test out a truck. According to Ad Age, Ford recommended the King Ranch edition of its next-generation F-150 while the show was still airing. Chevy, meanwhile, waited until the next morning to pitch a Silverado to Fallon.
The winner of this social media feeding frenzy, though, was Ram. Promoting a variation of its "Guts, Glory, Ram" tagline, the Auburn Hills-based manufacturer created the hashtag #GUTSGLORYFallon. It even went so far as to park a Ram 1500 outside 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, where The Tonight Show is filmed. On the back of the Ram sat a sign, reading "Big enough, Jimmy? Test it out," referencing a joke from the Wednesday show.