So, where do we even begin with this particular story? Frankly, we’d love to get the inside scoop, and we spent a good portion of the day trying to find just that. At a glance, the photo above appears harmless enough. It’s a T-shirt with an American flag in the background, Ram Power in big letters in the middle, and a good ol’ Ram pickup truck front and center.
But look closer. Is this actually a teaser for the upcoming midsize Ram Daktoa? Only if it’s an older Toyota. And we haven’t even discussed the problem with the Stars and Stripes. Somewhere, we reckon somebody is having a really bad day, all because of this shirt. Let’s take a closer look to understand why.
A “2026 Ram Patriotic Unisex T-Shirt” That’s Neither Patriotic Nor Ram
First off, this is real. The Motor1 crew caught wind of this T-shirt early on June 2, listed at Ram’s merchandise website. It’s a gray shirt with the aforementioned designs on it, priced at a hefty $29.95. In the details section, we see a simple message: Brave the summer heat with this Ram Patriotic T-shirt that’s constructed for all-day comfort. So far, so good, right?
But you don’t have to be a diehard car fan to notice something odd about the Ram truck featured on the shirt. The hexagon grille with tall sides angled in at the top is a dead giveaway, flanked by large rectangular headlights near the top and smaller driving lamps underneath. Those lamp housings are connected by a narrow strip running the width of the bumper.
Folks, Ram hasn’t ever built a pickup truck like that. But Toyota did – from 2016 through 2023. Minor tweaks aside, that’s the face of a third-generation Tacoma, minus the big RAM branding, of course. If you’re still not convinced, observe that slight up-kink of the rear window on the back door. That’s also a Tacoma styling cue, and the white strip on the side mirrors also matches trim on the Tacoma mirrors. That’s a Toyota, full stop.
The Flag Isn’t Quite Right Either
As for the American flag, check out the 50 white stars in the field of blue. Actually, you can’t because there aren’t 50 in there. We don’t even count 40. We count 35 visible stars, with presumably two or three more hidden by the truck. So, a few states are missing, but that’s not all. The 13 red and white stripes signify the original 13 colonies, but we only count 11, or maybe 12 if you add the phantom red stripe that disappears behind the truck.
But hey, the Ram head and RAM POWER come through loud and clear. At least it’s not a total fail. Well, maybe it is.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
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