Why Have These Trucks Slipped from Everyone's Mind?
Slideshow: Here are a few of our favorites from over the years.
1977-80 Dodge Ram Top Hand
The 1977 Dodge Ram Top Hand was a collaboration between Dodge and Vic Hickey, an off-road racer and aftermarket parts maker. These trucks got tricked out with a ton of his parts, including a push bar, brush guard, bed mounted roll bar, driving/fog lights, and wagon wheels. The biggest change visually is the wild stripe package. Fewer than 500 of these trucks are said to have been made, though that may not include the similarly equipped Ramcharger and Plymouth Traildusters.
1977-81 Dodge Ram Macho Power Wagon
Later in the 1970s, when the custom van craze was in full swing and the fuel crisis and smog laws were ruining everyone's fun, Dodge produced the Macho package for 4x4 trucks and Ramchargers (also Plymouth Trail Dusters). These packages consisted of tricked-out interiors, special exterior trim, a flat bed mounted "roll bar", and of course bold colors and decals. Perhaps the most famous Macho Power Wagon was the one that Rick drove in the TV show Simon and Simon back in the '80s. They made these trucks with different variations of the stripes and equipment for five years, and no one has an accurate count of exactly how many left the factory.
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1957-59 Dodge Sweptside Trucks
For this special truck, you have to go way back to the over-the-top chrome and fins styling of the '50s. In 1957, Dodge took the rear of one of their full-sized wagons and bolted the fenders to the sides of their short bed truck to create one of the most stylish pickup trucks ever produced. The wagon fenders were not applied on the assembly line, but rather on a special shop on the grounds after the rest of the truck had been built. It was a kind of slapped together package, and if you ever see one up close you can tell everything doesn't quite line up, but it sure is distinctive. Over three years, only about 1,200 were ever made, most of them in 1958, and they are almost impossible to find today.
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1989 Dodge Shelby Dakota
Carroll Shelby had a relationship with Mopar back in the '80s, though it typically meant tricking out turbocharged front-wheel-drive economy cars. In 1989, he struck a deal to build a special version of what was basically the smallest, lightest rear-wheel-drive vehicle Dodge made at the time: the Dakota midsize pickup truck. Out came the 3.9-liter V6, and in went a 318 cubic inch V8 with nearly 200hp and 300ft-lbs of torque. That may not sound like much, but the Mustang only had 30 more horsepower, and five extra lb-ft of torque. Perhaps the best thing, besides the word "Shelby" in several places, was the proper V8 noises coming out of the exhaust. Less than 1,500 of them were made, mostly in red, but 1/3 of them were white, the only other color offered.
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1989-90 Dodge Dakota Convertible
The Dakota Sport Convertible is the only soft top convertible pick up truck offered since the Ford Roadster Pickup in the 1920s. This truck was basically the Dakota but with a simple folding top and integrated roll hoop. Nearly all had V6 motors and the Sport trim, but could be had with two- or four-wheel drive and a manual or automatic. Over the two years, they were made, Dodge managed to sell about 3,000 of them, though how many remains is a mystery since the soft top leaked almost from day one.
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1972 Dodge Yamahauler Van
It really is hard to pin down how many Yamahauler vans were made. The original was a Hot Rod magazine project van that was customized and given away in 1972 as a promotion, as seen in the picture. But afterward there may have been a limited run from the factory, or else dealer-created replicas, with the slot mag wheels and distinctive muscle car style stripe decals. Full-sized vans and motorcycle racing go together like peanut butter and jelly, so it is no surprise the Yamahauler was a hit. Since the decals are available in reproduction today, you have to wonder what a 2019 Ram ProMaster Van customized like this would look like.
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