Ram's Bucking Hemi Mechanical Bull Ride Stolen From Roadkill Nights Event [Update: Ram CEO 'This Is Bull****']

Stellantis likes to go all out for its Roadkill Nights drag race events — bringing in all sorts of sideshows to keep everyone entertained. Its newest addition to the event, meant to celebrate the reinvigoration of Hemi V8s in Dodge and Ram products, was called the "Bucking Hemi." Basically, what we've got here is a mechanical bull-style ride that sort of looks like a V8 with a big Ram head on the front of it. It's a silly thing that fits in very well with the rest of this silly brand. However, something not so silly has befallen the Bucking Hemi: some bastard stole it. No, this isn't a PR stunt.

Updated Tuesday, August 12, 2:35 p.m. EST - Dodge released this statement regarding the theft:

Said Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, "This is bull****. Our Bucking HEMI® was taken on Saturday evening. The search is officially on and we won't stop searching until we get him back."

While this is a tremendous loss for the HEMI® community, Ram remains undeterred. We ask the public to help us spread the word and assist in locating our beloved Bucking HEMI®.

Ram is actively collaborating with authorities and welcomes any information regarding the whereabouts of the stolen ride. Those with tips are encouraged to contact local law enforcement or reach out to Ram Brand directly.

This bizarre beast made its first public appearance at the Michigan International Speedway about a month ago to celebrate Ram's re-entry into NASCAR. It was clearly a hit, so Ram brought it back out for a Roadkill Nights event on August 9. After the program wrapped up, someone who clearly knows what they were doing stole the entire apparatus during teardown at the event in southeast Michigan. Ram tells us that a formal police report has been filed and an investigation is underway.

Ram is asking the public to help spread the word and look for the Bucking Hemi, so I guess keep your eye out if you see a loose mechanical bull with a head that looks like a Ram logo. I know I'm on the lookout.

Ram did a lot to make sure its Bucking Hemi was up to snuff. Ram says it worked with professionals in bull-riding engineering to create the custom machine. It comes with two independent 1-horsepower motors with six ride modes. I know 1 hp doesn't sound like a lot, but on a mechanical bull, that's more than enough to chuck you off.

Its control panel has a whole bunch of buttons, switches and even a joystick for manual operation. It also has a large, red digit timer that scores each rider for an accurate read on a 15-second attempt. If you last all 15 seconds, you get a t-shirt that reads "I rode the HEMI to redline, and it was Bucking Awesome." God, what a great company.

There are six ride modes to choose from: Posing operation, Medium, Fast, Greenhorn, Cowboy and — at the very top — Redeck Games.

As far as I can tell, this is the only Bucking Hemi in existence, so I will pray for its safe and swift return. Knowing it's out there, scared and cold in the wild, just hurts my heart.