The Chevy Silverado RSR: A Performance Pickup Truck No One Remembers
In the early 2000s, something was rumbling in the world of American sports cars. The muscle car era had run out of gas in the ’70s, against a backdrop of emissions regulations and soaring gas prices, and US manufacturers had struggled to find their feet against a barrage of incredible JDM cars hitting the scene. But by the end of the ’90s, however, things were starting to change.
The ’60s were back in, and suddenly everyone started to remember all those wavy US performance cars of the era, from snarling Mustangs to growling Cudas. Nelly’s Country Grammar was on the radio non-stop, and bright, popping colors mixed with a Western vibe were everywhere from The Simple Life to Kid Rock’s wardrobe.
Out of this era came pickup trucks with spinners and the rebirth of the all-American muscle car, spearheaded by the new Dodge Charger and the fifth-generation Mustang. But there is one truck that really embodies this era more than most – it’s just no one remembers it ever existed. This crazy model has oodles of Country and Western bling, as well as more power than a Porsche 911 under the hood. Let’s take a look at a forgotten truck from the days when MTV Cribs and Pimp My Ride were on the box 24-7.
The Chevrolet Silverado RSR Is A Forgotten Performance Hero
The Chevrolet Silverado RSR may be a pickup that no one remembers (or didn’t know existed in the first place), but once you see it, it’s hard to forget. This truck is every inch the mid-2000s, with the kind of garish look-at-me aesthetics normally reserved for a 17-year-old who has just seen how many Playstations Xzibit has fitted in the trunk of his mum’s Civic. But two decades ago, when Paris Hilton was wearing a Juicy Couture tracksuit to muck out some stables, excess was best, and no one was interested in flying under the radar. Even sleeper sedans had turned into V10-powered, four-door F1 cars, so it seemed nothing was safe. Ford had shown that a pick-up truck could be sexy and fast with its F-150 Lightning, so other companies were getting into the quick hay bail market too.
The RSR Was The Perfect Daily For A Bling Cowboy
Enter the Chevrolet Silverado RSR. Admittedly, a quick scout of the Interweb will tell you that the RSR’s looks divide opinion. It’s important to say at this point that this was not, believe it or not, a factory truck. It is the work of a company chirpily called Choo Choo Customs, operating out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The boys at Choo Choo weren’t some fly-by-night firm that had just got into the custom game, they had a lot of experience souping up Chevy trucks (more on that later), with the RSR being the latest in their stable. Whether you dig canary yellow pick-ups or not, there is no arguing that the RSR is a complete job and looks like it could have come from the factory. In fact, it doesn’t look that different to say a Dodge Charger Super Bee of 2007. It also has shades of the Dodge Rumble Bee, too. Before we dive into the specs of the RSR, let’s have a quick run down of the visual enhancements.
These vehicles apparently started life as single-cab Silverado 1500s with two-wheel drive. From what we can tell, customers had two options for paint jobs, either a bright yellow or a similarly retina-burning orange. Then there are old-school muscle car-style bold black stripes on the hood and down the sides, as well as RSR badging and a simulated cowl induction hood. The rear lights are slotted covers and there are two polished exhaust tips poking out the rear. The RSR also gets a handling and visual upgrade in the form of a two-inch suspension drop (with performance tuned set-up), with the whole look finished off by 20-inch six-spoke alloys.
The RSR Isn’t All Show And No Go
Thankfully, the RSR isn’t just about stickers and Pikachu yellow paint. The RSR treatment was available in three stages, with Stage I including all the mechanical bits to make a Silverado go faster. This meant that the Silverado now had a 350-horsepower performance pack, with 1.85-ratio rocker arms, a cold air induction system, stainless steel headers, custom-tuned PCM programmer, and stainless steel exhaust. With this option, buyers also received a lower front facia with driving lights, body color grille accents, rear bumper facia, the lowering kit, and the all-important RSR badging.
The RSR Could Be Ordered With Different Levels Of Awesome
While you are there ticking this box at Choo Choo Customs it would be foolish not to go for Stage 2 and 3 as well, right? The second stage included the hood adornment, the power sport mirrors, soft tonneau cover, the performance-tuned suspension, and a few other goodies, while the third and final stage included a custom instrument cover, two-tone leather steering wheel, carbon-patterned interior trim, and the all-important interior RSR badging. Power is directed to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 gearing. To be fair to the RSR, if you are into this sort of thing, this truck looks pretty good – it’s certainly up there, at a regular glance at least, with some of the better tuners.
How The RSR Stacked Up To The Competition In Price And Power
Powering the RSR is a 4.8-liter Vortec V8 engine, which has been increased from 285 horsepower to 330 horsepower. The price for all this, according to an advert for a yellow RSR on Bringatrailer, started at $25,475 for the Silverado, adding $7,528 for the Stage I package, plus a further $2,133 for Stage II and $2,002.80 for the third and final stage. The total for the full bells and whistles RSR in 2005 was $37,376. By comparison, a base 300-horsepower Mustang GT in 2005 would set you back $24,955. The RSR did seem to have more power, however, on paper at least, with 330 horsepower on tap. A 2005 Porsche Carrera, which cost a few bucks north of $70,000 in 2005, has 321 horsepower from its 3.6-liter aluminum flat-six.
Buying A Silverado By Choo Choo Customs
The RSR is a race beast, with some sources saying that no more than 100 were built. What we do know is that the one-owner 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 RSR 5-speed that was offered for sale in 2024 on Bringatrailer was number 63 – there’s a plaque on the door frame that says so. This vehicle sold for $23,500 in 2024. What is interesting is that Classic.com puts the average price of a 2005 Silverado at $29,029, so the RSR is below average on the used market.
An earlier creation of Choo Choo Customs sold for even less at Sotheby’s in 2017. The 1993 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Choo Choo Customs has a 5.7-liter V-8 engine and plenty of visual modifications, including a body kit, but only sold for $10,450.
Sources: Classic.com; Bringatrailer.com
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