If you like that pickup’s Stinger Yellow paint, but missed your chance to pluck one of the big metal roses from your local Ram dealer’s inventory, don’t worry. The company is using the same color on its 2016 Ram 1500 Stinger Yellow Sport model (obviously). It’s available as a Crew Cab only, with either two- or four-wheel drive. Power comes from a 395-hp 5.7-liter HEMI V8, which is hooked up to an eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission and breathes through a vented hood and a dual exhaust with chrome tips. Two-wheel-drive trucks come with 22-inch wheels; 4X4s get 20-inchers.
Inside, the largely black cabin is brightened by body-color accent stitching and Sport embroidery on the black leather/colored accent sport mesh seats which feature an accent color Ram’s head on their headrests. Each truck is also fitted with the 8.4AN Uconnect system with navigation and a standard rear-view camera setup.
Prices for the 2016 Ram 1500 Stinger Yellow Sports start at $43,145 (plus $1,195 destination). Look for them in dealerships (they shouldn’t be hard to spot) early this month.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
