False Alarm: Ram’s ‘Bucking Hemi’ Wasn’t Stolen From Pontiac — Here’s What Happened

It was just a stray!

Ram has recovered the “Bucking Hemi” mechanical bull it reported stolen this week after it went missing from the Roadkill Nights event in Pontiac, Mich.

The unique ride was designed after the V8 engine with a ram’s head logo that will be featured on the upcoming V8-powered 2026 Ram 1500 pickups.

Ram is bringing it to events around the country and challenging people to ride it for 15 seconds, which wins them an exclusive T-Shirt. It’s all part of the promotion around the V8’s return and Ram’s entry in the NASCAR Truck Series next season.

Ram said it went missing on August 9 as the machine was being disassembled after the event and filed a report with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, which later told the media it was skeptical that the Bucking Hemi had actually been stolen.

Now Ram has confirmed that it was “mistakenly taken by one of the show contractors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention,” but not before it was carted all the way to North Carolina.

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It’s back with the folks at Ram, who said they are “extremely grateful and sincerely appreciate” the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office’s assistance. Ram hasn’t said where the Bucking Hemi will show up next, but that it plans to continue offering free rides at future events.

Ram 1500 pickups with the 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque engine are scheduled to start shipping to dealers in the coming weeks. It’s the same 395 hp, 410 lb-ft powertrain that was last offered during the 2024 model year before Ram tried to replace it entirely with its new 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six-cylinder Hurricane engine.

It will offer both for the 2026 model year, but received 10,000 orders for V8s on the first day they were available and Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis thinks they could end up accounting for 35% or more of Ram 1500 sales.