Truck Concept Designs That Sadly Never Made it to Production
Concept trucks are always vague images of what one day in the future you might be able to buy.
1967 Deora
The Dodge Deora was based on the 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck, and it was customized by Mike and Larry Alexander for the '67 Detroit Autorama. Originally not a Dodge project, the Deora was the full-sized concept version of one of the first Hot Wheels toys, but was so loved by Dodge management that they put it on tour. The Deora featured a slant-six engine with a three-speed manual transmission. The original concept was sold at an auction in 2009 for $230,000.
2000 MAXXcab
The Dodge MAXXcab concept was introduced at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show and designated as a Passenger Priority Truck. Based on the modified Dodge Dakota chassis, the MAXXcab was said to handle like a sedan, but offer the utility of a short-bed, and the power of the popular Dodge 4.7 Magnum V8 engine. Inside was well thought out with a class-leading minivan style interior, which seats five passengers in near-luxury comfort.
2006 Rampage
Dodge first introduced the Dodge Rampage concept in 2006, and like the MAXXcab, was designed as a truck for the occasional user who needed more passenger space. It shared the name with a car based front-wheel-drive minitruck that was in production in the '80s and may have shared a platform with the Dodge Caravan. The Dodge Rampage was supposed to target non-traditional truck buyers, as it combined a truck and an SUV, much like the Chevy Avalanche or the Honda Ridgeline. The Rampage had extremely functional features, like the seats folding down evenly with the floor, and the rear of the bed opening (like the Avalanche) creating a larger truck bed in the back. The biggest question is how they managed to fit a Hemi mounted sideways in there, and hook it to an FWD transaxle.
2002 M80
At the 2002 North American International Auto Show, Dodge introduced its latest truck concept, the Dodge M80. The M80 looked like a modern version of the 1940s Dodge trucks like the Power Wagon. The M80 was powered by a 3.7-liter six-cylinder engine, which develops 201 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, and rides on a Dakota frame. The V6 engine worked together with a 5-speed manual transmission and the sub 3,000lb curb weight, to allow the M80 to go from 0 to 60 mph in eight seconds. A flip-up rear cab glass allowed long objects (like 2 x 4 lumber) to project into the cab instead of hanging out of the bed.
1997 T-Rex
The Dodge T-Rex was introduced by Dodge as a concept in 1997. This dinosaur was powered by an 8.0-Liter Magnum V10 engine, which was used in the production Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks, as well as the Viper in much-modified form. The Dodge T-Rex concept had three axles and six-wheel drive, which performed perfectly off the road, but it was a bit impractical on the city street. Parking and fuel economy concerns made this one pretty much just a car show shocker with no practical application.
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