Ram debuts Rumble Bee redux at Woodward [w/video]

Sat, 17 Aug 2013

Ten years ago, when the Ram truck still wore a Dodge badge, a special yellow-and-black model called the Rumble Bee launched, paying homage to the Super Bee muscle car of the 1960s. Now, we have the Charger Super Bee, wearing the same buzzworthy paint job. But for the 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise, Ram has created a modern version of that Rumble Bee pickup based on the current 2013 Ram 1500, though unlike the last go-around, this one is purely a concept. For now, anyway.

This concept truck uses the 1500's lightest configuration – a single cab, two-wheel-drive model. From there, it has been painted in Drone Yellow with a matte finish, and a Mopar ground effects kit gives the truck a more aggressive stance on the road. The large, 22-inch wheels certainly help that, as well, painted in black to match the other dark accents found around the pickup's body.

Inside, to no one's surprise, the black and yellow theme carries on, with leather upholstery and sport mesh seats. That Rumble Bee logo adorns the chairs and floor mats, but the coolest (or weirdest) touch is the actual amber-encased bee found within the rotary shift knob. Seriously.

Like the old Rumble Bee, this new concept uses Hemi power, coming from the Ram's lovely 5.7-liter V8 that packs 395 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends that force to the rear wheels, and with a Mopar cold-air intake and a revised 4.10 final drive ratio, the Rumble Bee should be plenty quick off the line.

We'll have more live photos and impressions of the rough and ready Rumbler live from Woodward Avenue later today, but for now, have a look below for a walkaround video from Ram along with the official press blast.

Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept Buzzes into Detroit for Woodward Dream Cruise

- Inspired by the Super Bee of the late 60's, the Rumble Bee concept celebrates its 10-year anniversary at the 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise
- Ram Truck brand continues with tradition and creative design, building unique pickups for consumers to enjoy

Woodward Dream Cruise, Mich. , Aug 17, 2013 - Ten years ago, the Ram Truck Brand introduced the Rumble Bee, a popular model inspired by the Super Bee muscle car of the late '60s. Today, Ram unveiled a new HEMI-powered Ram 1500 Rumble Bee concept to celebrate the 10-year anniversary and the heritage of Ram's unique truck designs that include the Lil Red Express, Warlock and Power Wagon.

"The Ram 1500 Rumble Bee continues to have a strong fan base and what better place to celebrate its 10-year anniversary than Woodward Dream Cruise," said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "There's a lot of energy surrounding concept trucks and buzz models, and the Ram Design Team revels in creating something that is unique for our customers to enjoy."

The Rumble Bee concept began life as a 2013 Ram 1500 R/T. Keeping with tradition, the lightweight, two-door; 2WD configuration is covered in "Drone Yellow" paint with a unique matte finish. The rare color/finish flows over the entire truck including the bumpers, flares and the Mopar ground effects kit. True to form, a new "Speed Bee" design is swathed on both sides of the truck within a gloss black stripe that fades into honeycomb. The stripe glides front to rear, around the top of the bed and over the Mopar tonneau cover to memorialize HEMI-powered vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which dominated the racing scene. Factory 22-inch wheels are replaced with gloss black, 24-inch, Vellano VRH custom rollers and a 2-inch drop provided by King Suspension enhances handing performance and appearance with the help of a reservoir shock at each wheel. The grille, hood vents, badging, fuel door and the dual exhaust tailpipes are coated in gloss black, carrying the theme on all sides.

The colors and graphics spread through the Ram R/T-based interior, featuring black and Drone Yellow leather sport mesh seats with two-tone yellow/light-grey stitching. "Rumble Bee" lettering and Ram logos adorn chairs, floor mats and door bolsters. The interior center-piece is an actual amber-encased bee mounted into the 8-speed rotary shifter knob that lights up to expose a honeycomb pattern background. Two buttons below the knob control exhaust cutouts to bypass the Mopar cat-back dual-exhaust system, allowing the full sound force of a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 to escape - loud and LOUDER! The unique honeycomb pattern is shared with door trim and the dash, where a milled aluminum "10th Anniversary" commemorative badge serves as the truck's ID.

Under hood, the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee concept houses a 5.7-liter HEMI with 395 horsepower and 407 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission. The HEMI is fitted with a custom gloss yellow and black engine cover with honeycomb graphic pattern. Mopar's cold-air intake system gives the HEMI a bump in performance and relentless torque is transferred through a 4.10 gear set for quick jumps off the line.

By Steven J. Ewing