Among the large indoor Mopar display at the 2012 SEMA Show
in Las Vegas was the awesome Lil Red Express Truck Concept – wearing a vintage
sport truck look but packing a far more powerful engine than the Little Red
Express of the late 1970s.Granted, the aftermarket
turbo package is an unfortunately clear message that this Mopar concept isn’t
headed for production any time soon but that doesn’t make this old school
themed sport truck any less cool.
The ultimate goal of the Little Red Express Truck by Mopar
is to feature some items currently offered for the Ram 1500 lineup beginning
including the Sport Performance Hood (PN 82211065AF), some bright brushed 22″
aluminum wheels with gold inserts and a unique Katzkin leather seats.This new Lil Red Express Concept also sports
the wooden inlay bed surface, wooden bedside rails, Hyperblack grille inserts, a
set of concept smoke stacks and the gold decals that have their own unique look
compared to the old trucks while still obviously drawing the inspiration from
the Lil Red Express of 1978 and 1979.
Unfortunately, the placard accompanying the super cool Lil
Red Express Concept show truck seemed to exclude a great many features,
including the addition of the Jeep SRT8-style driving lights mounted in the
middle of the front fascia, a low sporty chin spoiler and – most importantly –
a Banks Sidewinder turbocharger package for the 5.7L Hemi V8.Since Mopar didn’t address the turbo setup
(shown below), we do not have any idea how much power this forced induction
system adds but figure that if the Banks kit shoved 6-7psi into the 390hp, 5.7L
Hemi V8 – it could pack somewhere in the area of 550 horsepower.Then again, the lack of information could
mean that this 5.7L Hemi is massively built with 20 pounds of boost that could
result in a power output in the area of 1,000 horsepower…although the lower
number is far more likely.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
