Before the Dodge Ram SS/T, before the Viper-powered SRT-10, there was this: the Li’l Red Express. And the 1978 model you see here can be your own piece of Dodge performance truck history.
According to seller RK Motors Charlotte, “Quite possibly the first pickup engineered specifically for speed, the Li’l Red Express was created when an E58 police-spec V8 was shoehorned between the fenders of Dodge’s trusted D-150 half-ton.” That 360-cid eight-banger shoves its power through a three-speed automatic and 3.55 gears. Power front disc and rear drum brakes keep the Li’l Red Express from going straight into a wall.
Over the course of nearly 40 years, this pickup with pickup has only covered 27,460 miles, which explains why it looks so well preserved inside and out. It’s not perfect, though. RK says it has fresh paint on its front left fender. Otherwise, the oak-trimmed body seems straight.
If the next stop this Dodge Li’l Red Express needs to make is in your driveway, it’ll cost you a minimum of $30,000 to get it there.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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