Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept: Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Full-Size Pickup

Whether you think bee-related pop culture references peaked with Chris Farley’s reckless-driving-ticket-avoiding “Bees!” stunt in the movieTommy Boy or with this Oprah-tastic gif, Ram is hoping folks instead think back on the ultra-yellow Rumble Bee. Like a bigger, heavier, more pickup-trucky Super Bee—one of Mopar’s classic muscle cars—the Dodge Ram Rumble Bee briefly buzzed onto the scene about a decade ago, and now a new one (sans the Dodge badging) is here. Ram is debuting the truck in concept form at the Woodward Dream Cruise just a short drive from our Ann Arbor offices.

Unlike previous iterations, the new Rumble Bee takes the insect theme to new heights. There are, of course, the requisite screaming Drone Yellow paint color, the ground-hugging body kit, and the contrasting black 24-inch wheels and body stripes, but Ram really swarmed the details. The bee references range from the expected—like the bee/Hemi engine graphic on the rear quarter panels—to the downright fetishistic, like the backlit honeycomb insert with what looks like a thumb-sized bee suspended in amber featured prominently on the transmission’s rotary shift dial. Ram also repeated the quarter-panel graphic on each door panel, fitted honeycomb-like yellow mesh seat inserts, and adopted actual honeycomb-pattern trim pieces for the dash, door panels, and engine cover.

There also are some performance upgrades in the form of a Mopar exhaust system—with driver-activated bypass valves for more buzz, er, noise—and a cold-air intake for the standard 395-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. A shorter 4.10 axle ratio gives the Ram more off-the-line scoot, and a King Suspension with reservoir shocks lowers the truck by a full two inches. Although the totally insane, Viper V-10–powered Dodge Ram SRT10remains the sportiest Mopar pickup yet created, the Rumble Bee should prove to be quite fun—assuming it progresses past concept form. The show truck is based on one of the Ram 1500’s lightest body configurations, a two-door regular cab R/T model, and with the upgraded axle ratio and engine breathing enhancements, it likely will be quick, too.

The original Rumble Bee was sold in limited numbers between 2004 and 2005, so we wouldn’t bee surprised if Ram turned around and offered something similar to this “concept” for sale within a year or two. One thing’s for sure, Ram will be closely monitoring consumer reactions to its big yellow truck to see whether there’s any green, paper-like honey to be squeezed from it. View Photo Gallery

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