Why aren’t we seeing more sport trucks? You know, low, handling, big power haulers that can still carry the beans. They function as a traditional pickup, you just can’t take them to the dump or into the bushes. Instead, you can carve and haul-both kinds of hauling. To see a recent iteration take a look at this Chevy Colorado max’d out by Mallett. It was done for the SEMA Show which shows in its over-the-top bling. Inside it’s all business-so much business that Mallett plucked an ATS-V V6 out of a Cadillac and huffed it for 700 hp.

The 700 hp V6 comes from an ATS-V Cadillac that’s huffed and built

Going to this extreme is rare these days but thanks to the aftermarket there are still opportunities to do this. But rather than blowing open Colorado’s 3.6-liter V6 Mallett started with Cadillac’s ATS-V 3.6-liter V6 to get a head start.

From there they pitched the twin-turbos. Then they swapped in Mallett’s intercooler intake manifold for a Magnuson 1.9-liter supercharger. Finally, it’s topped with a C7 Corvette LT1 throttle body.

Mallett also swapped internals for a forged crank and pistons and titanium rods

Digging into the internals Mallett installed a forged crank, forged pistons, titanium connecting rods, and some fancy milled aluminum bits anodized in black. A 64mm C&R intercooler was worked into the mix as well. A custom exhaust system was fabricated for better breathing. With the higher compression and added power, it is meant to take 109 octane racing fuel. Not the most practical but worth the extra jolt.

With all of that power, you have to be able to use it on the road. To that end, Mallett installed custom adjustable Penske coil-overs. Copper anodized Forgeline concave wheels pull the BF Goodrich G-Force Rival tires out to the corners. Brembo brakes add stopping power.

The rear frame has been extensively modified for the extra power and added suspension clearance

The big change underneath is the reconfigured and strengthened rear portion of the frame to handle the extra oomph. It also allows for some extra clearance for suspension travel. 

Outside the front fascia has been changed up around the air intakes. A carbon front splitter has also been fab’d. In the back, a lip spoiler adds some business in the looks department. A rear pan smoothes out the rear as well. The whole truck was then painted the candy dark green that shows off the stock fender bulges and adds a whole other element to the build.

Will all of these mods allow the Colorado to be registered in every state?

The only downside we can see is that with the engine mods this may not pass emissions in certain states. It makes a difference because it’s for sale, though no price has been given. Mallett does say the truck has only a bit more than 600 miles on the ticker.

As popular as Raptors and lifted four-Xs are you would think there is a huge market for the other end of the spectrum; performance pickups. Especially now that cars are slowly going the way of the dinosaurs there should be a contingent out there for custom, hi-performance pickups. Handling haulers as it were. Though a bit of an extreme this Mallett example would be a nice blueprint for a new wave of sport trucks.