While it is undeniable that Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles are true musclecars, what about Chevrolet’s C10 pickup? There are a lot of people out there that drive high performance trucks instead of cars, and we had to ask the question: Can a truck really be considered a muscle vehicle? Tristan Talvi of western Washington has a custom 1979 Chevy C10, and there is a huge contrast between the truck he has had since he was fifteen, and a ’79 C10 that another person would use as a work truck.

Tristan’s truck has a small-block 355 cubic-inch engine, a Turbo 400 transmission, and has been lowered 12 inches in the front and 14 inches in the rear. It’s a custom that has clearly had a lot of time, effort, and money put into it. When we asked Tristan why he built a truck instead of a car, he told us that a lot of it was because of the cost. If someone wanted to go out and get a Nova, “You have to give them a kidney for it,” but he was fifteen years old, and the truck was available, so he bought it. We also asked him if he thought that a truck could be considered a muscle vehicle, just like certain cars, he told us “Yes.” 

What about a nearly identical truck being used as a work truck? Here is an example that we found of an almost identical truck, but instead of a custom paint job and lowered suspension, it’s got a modest lift, flaking old paint, and dents and dings that serve as reminders of a life spent working. Is it the truck at its core that allows it to be considered a muscle truck? Or is it what you do with it? This ’79 C20 wouldn’t come away with as many trophies as Tristan’s truck, but we’re sure the owner would feel more comfortable filling it with a load of gravel for the driveway.

Older Chevy trucks really pose a quandary that you can’t get with cars. They are typically used more often as beaters for work than as Sunday drivers. If you weren’t going to restore a 1966 Nova and use it as a driver or a show car, you’d never be able to get the same use out of it as you would a ’66 Chevy truck that is just kept running to haul a trailer and the occasional load to the dump. Should that really count against them though?

While we definitely feel that a Chevy truck could be considered a muscle truck, we want to hear what you think! Leave us a comment and tell us a little bit about your experience with custom and performance trucks. Should every musclecar-era truck count as a muscle truck? Or is it all about custom paint and performance parts that make it stand out as something that is no longer just another old truck? You decide.

More information about Tristan’s truck can be found here where it is for sale on Craigslist.