Monster trucks are all about that deafening roar, right? It’s their signature attitude. But what if a monster truck hummed like an Electric Vehicle (EV) or rumbled like a diesel?

A video from SamsoMTfan recently dug into a wild piece of monster truck history where these two very different beasts actually faced off in a unique 2014 race.One was Bigfoot #20, rolled out in 2012. As the narrator described it, this was “the first electric-powered monster truck.” Instead of a screaming methanol engine, it had lead-acid batteries and an electric motor.The narrator explained it sounded more “like a small RC car as it drives over junk vehicles,” than a typical monster. While groundbreaking, the narrator pointed out, its roughly 500 horsepower was “a fraction of the 1500 plus horsepower a normal monster truck produces.”Facing it was XDP, a diesel monster truck built by the late Dave Rzepka. This wasn’t Rzepka’s first diesel, but XDP was a serious contender. The narrator noted that XDP “even became the first diesel monster truck to perform a backflip.”The showdown happened at the 2014 Wayne County Fair in Pennsylvania. Legendary original Bigfoot driver Jim Kramer took the wheel of the electric Bigfoot #20 with Rzepka in his XDP diesel. (Watch the video here)

The narrator recounted, “Bigfoot got off the line first but once XDP got its power to the ground the race was over.” The diesel XDP clearly outmuscled the EV for the win. That race, the narrator mentioned, “is still the only time [Bigfoot #20 has] performed in competition.”After their unique clash, the trucks took different paths. Dave Rzepka continued to develop his diesel, eventually running in Monster Jam as “Extreme Diesel,” though he faced challenges with indoor emissions. “Sadly Dave Rzepka has passed away in 2024,” the narrator shared. Bigfoot #20, meanwhile, mostly became an exhibition piece.The SamsoMTfan video wrapped up with some thoughts from the narrator on these unique builds. He praised them for “pushing the boundaries of what a monster truck can do and be,” even if they weren’t always the most competitive.

He observed that modern monster trucks often “seem to have become increasingly homogeneous,” valuing those who “Break the mold and try their own thing.” This old-school clash certainly stirs the pot in the ongoing EV versus diesel debate.While electric technology keeps advancing and showing new potential, diesel power has a long, proven history of capability. What do you think about these alternative monster machines and the innovative spirit behind them?