The world just lost an absolute legend. Chuck Norris, the world-famous martial artist, pop-culture icon, and undisputed king of action television, passed away on March 19, 2026. At the age of 86, his passing was caused by a sudden medical emergency in Hawaii.
While many of his Hollywood contemporaries spent their millions amassing massive collections of pristine Ferraris and Lamborghinis, Norris’s love for cars was a little different. He loved anything indestructible or unapologetically tough and American. To honor the late legend, we are looking back at the cars and trucks that helped build the myth of Chuck Norris.
The Walker, Texas Ranger Dodge Ram 1500
You cannot talk about Chuck Norris without talking about Walker, Texas Ranger, and you cannot talk about that show without mentioning Cordell Walker’s truck. For nearly a decade, Norris patrolled the television screens of millions driving a second-generation Dodge Ram 1500.
When Dodge introduced the completely redesigned Ram for the 1994 model year, its aggressive, big-rig styling was a massive shock to the pickup market. Putting the toughest guy on television behind the wheel of a silver Ram 1500 V8 was a stroke of marketing genius.
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Driving Out of the Grave in a Dodge Ramcharger
Long before Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris established his love for Mopar off-roaders in the 1983 cult-classic action film Lone Wolf McQuade. Norris played J.J. McQuade, a Texas Ranger who drove a dirty, supercharged 1981 Dodge Ramcharger.
In one of the most famously absurd (and awesome) automotive scenes in action movie history, McQuade is beaten unconscious and buried alive inside his Ramcharger by the film’s villain. Rather than panic, McQuade simply cracks open a beer, pours it on his face to wake up, fires up the supercharger, and literally drives the Dodge out of its own grave, bursting through the dirt to exact his revenge.
The “Tough as Chuck” Toyota Tacoma
By the 2000s, Chuck Norris memes had taken over the internet, turning the actor into a literal superhuman in pop culture. Automakers eventually realized that simply planting a vehicle next to Norris was the ultimate stamp of durability.
In 2018, Toyota tapped Norris for an epic advertising campaign for the Toyota Tacoma. In the commercial, Norris signs the fender of a standard Tacoma, accidentally infusing the midsize truck with his own superhuman powers. The “Truck Norris” Tacoma proceeds to do donuts in the dirt, surf giant waves, rescue stranded workers, and roundhouse kick its way through the rest of the commercial. It was a perfect nod to his being.
