Dana White has been behind the wheel of some seriously expensive machinery over the years, but his latest purchase isn’t an exotic supercar. Instead, the UFC boss just spent seven figures on a pair of Ram performance trucks.
The two pickups represent very different eras of the same wonderfully excessive idea. One comes from the days when Dodge decided a Viper engine belonged in a full-size truck, while the other revives Ram’s street-performance formula with modern supercharged V8 power.
White already had a connection to the newer truck before bidding began. He appeared in Ram’s promotional campaign ahead of the Rumble Bee’s return, sliding a black-and-yellow pickup around while the automaker promoted its relationship as the UFC’s Official Truck Partner.
Now he’s taking one home. White placed the winning $1.5 million bid at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction for a package containing the first retail-production 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee SRT and a customized 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10.
His Rumble Bee Makes More Than 900 HP
White isn’t getting an ordinary production Rumble Bee SRT. His truck carries VIN 001 and was given several special upgrades before heading across the auction block.
Its 6.2-liter HEMI V8 receives a Direct Connection 3.0-liter supercharger that pushes output beyond 900 hp. That’s a significant jump over the already outrageous 777 hp offered by the regular Rumble Bee SRT, which Ram says can hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.
The one-off truck is finished in a hand-painted combination of Molten Red Pearl and Diamond Black, complete with graphics inspired by the original Rumble Bee. It also gets a custom MagnaFlow stainless-steel cat-back exhaust, upgraded Brembo brakes, and Track Mode air suspension.
For perspective, a regular Rumble Bee SRT starts at $94,995. VIN 001 is obviously a considerably different proposition, although it still accounts for only half of the performance-truck pairing White purchased.
The Other Truck Has A Viper V10
Sharing the auction lot was a customized 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10, the truck Ram considers a spiritual predecessor to its new high-performance Rumble Bee. Its approach to horsepower is distinctly old-school.
Under the hood is an 8.3-liter V10 derived from the Dodge Viper, producing 500 hp. The SRT-10 famously entered the Guinness World Records books as the world’s fastest production pickup, making it one of the wildest factory trucks of the early 2000s.
White’s example received its own makeover from ProMotorsports and RealTruck. Its yellow-and-black two-tone finish is joined by Viper-inspired bedside graphics, custom matching wheels, powered running boards, a roll-up tonneau cover, and additional bed and interior protection.
Putting the two together creates an appropriate before-and-after picture of Ram’s performance-truck philosophy. The V10 SRT-10 was outrageous for its time, while the supercharged Rumble Bee takes the same basic idea beyond 900 hp two decades later.
The $1.5 Million Was A Charity Bid
Of course, neither truck’s conventional market value explains a $1.5 million hammer price. This was a charity auction, and Barrett-Jackson waived its normal fees and commissions.
The proceeds benefit Folds of Honor and the UFC Foundation, with Folds of Honor providing educational scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. White was present at the Las Vegas event and joined Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO Craig Jackson on stage before ultimately placing the winning bid himself.
Comparing the $1.5 million figure with the Rumble Bee’s normal sticker price doesn’t make sense. White wasn’t simply paying an enormous premium for two pickups; the unusually high bid was part of the fundraising effort.
Still, some might say it was money well spent, as a charity gets funding and he gets the first 900-plus-hp Rumble Bee SRT and a Viper-powered truck that helped establish Ram’s reputation for outrageous street pickups in the first place.