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Junkyard Gem: 1986 Dodge Ram 50

After years of selling the Isuzu Faster with Chevrolet LUV badges here, GM replaced it with the S-10 in 1982. Ford sold Mazda Proceeds with Courier badges for even more years, but ditched the Courier once the Ranger became available as a 1983 model. Chrysler was able to put truck beds on Omnirizons at that time, but didn't have the deep pockets to develop its own rear-wheel-drive small pickup; for this reason, Dodge-badged Mitsubishi Forte pickups continued to be available in the United States all the way through the 1994 model year. Here's one of those trucks, found in a Colorado car graveyard. The first Chrysler-imported Mitsubishi Fortes showed up in the United States as 1979 models. The Dodge-badged version was known as the D-50, while Plymouth dealers got theirs with Arrow badges. The Dodge D-50 became the Ram 50 for the 1981 model year, while the final Plymouth Arrow trucks were sold as 1982 models. Just to make things more interesting, Mitsubishi started selling its own vehicles in the United States beginning with the 1983 model year. That meant that the Ram 50 had to compete for sales with a near-identical twin sporting Mitsubishi badges. Things in the Chrysler-Mitsubishi universe got even more exciting a bit later, when there were four marques selling essentially the same car here simultaneously: the Mitsubishi Mirage, Plymouth Colt, Dodge Colt and Eagle Summit. All of the Dodge D-50s and Ram 50s came with Mitsubishi power under their hoods. This one has a 2.0-liter SOHC straight-four rated at 88 horsepower and 108 pound-feet. For a while, a 2.3-liter Mitsubishi diesel was available in the Ram 50. It had been discontinued by 1986, however. This one has the base five-speed manual transmission. It appears that this truck was being used for long-term storage of many, many boxes of random household stuff when it was banished to this place. Much of the stuff was scattered on the ground nearby. Perhaps it was parked at a rent-a-storage facility and got evicted for lack of rent payments. Much of the contents consisted of stacks of newspapers and magazines from the 1960s and 1970s. Here's an Art Buchwald column about then-Vice President Spiro Agnew from February 23, 1971. Here's a Beetle Bailey strip from the same year. There's plenty of history in the junkyard, if you know where to look. There must have been a half-ton of paper in this truck when it arrived here. Sadly, some family's photo albums were here as well.

2015 Dodge Viper GTC available in 25 million no-cost combos with 1 Of 1 bespoke program

What's the one thing no car can have too much of? Here's a hint – it's not power. It's not efficiency, either, or technology, or even safety. It's exclusivity. It's one reason Rolls-Royce has become a legend building absolutely bespoke motor vehicles, and it's the reason Dodge, of all companies, is offering a new GTC trim level for its Viper supercar. Now, you might be asking what's so special and exclusive about a trim level? Well, in the Viper GTC's case, it gives owners access to a catalog of 8,000 shades of paint for the exterior, 24,000 "hand-painted" custom stripe patterns, 10 different wheel options, 16 interior trims and no fewer than six aerodynamic packages. That results in 25 million different configurations for the 645-horsepower snake. Most shockingly, the customization choices come at no additional cost on the GTC model. And it's only the start. Ordering a GTC will enroll customers in a unique VIP program called Viper Concierge, which according to Dodge, "offers an exclusive point of contact throughout the custom Viper build process." In other words, buyers will be given the means to stay right on top of their car's production, through the 140-to-160-hour painting process, which itself will be fully documented with pictures and through a mobile-friendly website, to the actual construction of their GTC. The Concierge process will start with the ordering stage, which will include Dodge sending customers a paint chip showing the owner's custom choosing, which they can confirm or refuse. Shortly thereafter, Dodge will send buyers a 1:18-scale "speed-form" replica in their chosen custom colors, once again to confirm or deny the build. Once the buyer's color and option selection is locked-in, that car becomes a one-of-one Viper for that year – no other buyer will be permitted to build a Viper to the same specifications. The concierge service also grants access to the Viper Ambassador Owner's Portal, where orderers can track their car's build process, receive weekly updates and share their excitement with (jealous) friends and family. And once the car is complete, it will be fitted with a custom dash plaque identifying its bespoke provenance – the owner can choose to have their name put on the badge, the car's nickname, or whatever they wish (Dodge will also ship each Viper with a second blank plate to include if the original owner sells the car).

1968 Dodge D200 'Lowliner' adds low-down diesel torque to a lowrider

When Mopar does a custom classic car, it's always spectacular, whether it's a Dodge muscle car like the 1,000-horsepower Super Charger or the monster Jeep Five-Quarter off-road pickup. For SEMA this year, Mopar skipped another Dodge sports coupe in favor of a 1968 Dodge D200 pickup truck done up as a lowrider, but with a twist. Or more accurately, with lots of twist. Under the gorgeous candy red metallic body is a 5.9-liter 24-valve Cummins turbodiesel straight-six. It makes an estimated 325 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, and it's paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Representatives from Chrysler estimated the weight of the engine and transmission alone at 1,100 pounds. The diesel engine's power goes to the rear wheels, which are 22 inches in diameter and 11 inches wide with fat 325-mm tires. The front wheels are a tad narrower at 9.5 inches. 1968 Dodge D200 View 7 Photos As cool as the powertrain is, the exterior and the interior of the truck can't be ignored. This generation of Dodge pickup is already intriguing with its distinct character line with a little kink at the end and ribbed and louvered hood. These unique styling cues are accented now that Dodge removed various other details from the body such as the door handles, metallic trim and such. The bumpers were also reshaped to better fit the contours of the body, and the front wheels were pushed forward to reduce the long overhang of the stock truck. The bumpers, grille, and "smoothie" style alloy wheels were also painted in a solid cream color rather than chrome, which both accents the deep red body and gives the truck a more workmanlike feel, as low-trim cars typically had painted trim instead of chrome or stainless steel. The red paint also features subtle Cummins logos on the fenders and Dodge block lettering on the tailgate. The interior continues the simple and classy theme. The original bench seat remains, but with saddle brown leather upholstery. Leather trim has been added throughout, and exposed metal parts have been painted in the same color as the exterior. Simple gray cloth floor mats cover the bottom of the cab, and the instrument panel uses new Mopar gauges in a machine-turned metal housing. The original steering wheel remains, but a custom shifter with red Cummins shift knob sticks through the floor.