Classic Dodge Pickup is a Smoking-hot, Wood-paneled Bruiser

By James Derek Sapienza - January 28, 2019

1979 Dodge Lil' Red Express.

‘Lil Red Express’ was one the most unique D100 pickups of the late ’70s but this high-powered Mopar is anything but little.

You won’t find too many people out there pining for the cars of the late ’70s-early ’80s – hey, it wasn’t called the Malaise Era for nothing. But a strange thing happened back then: As American performance cars were, by and large, dying out, some genius at Dodge’s truck division realized that the safety and emissions laws that were throttling performance cars didn’t apply to pickups. Enter the Dodge Lil’ Red Express, the fastest-accelerating American vehicle of 1978.

For 1979, the LRE was more of the same. Only now, it had a revised front fascia, catalytic converter, and party-pooping 85 MPH speedometer. Other than that, it had the same police-spec 360 cubic inch V8, same D150 wood-paneled step-side bed, Adventurer convenience features, chrome vertical exhaust stacks, and the same bonkers performance. These trucks were rare, with just over 5,100 built in ’79. And now, this very cherry one can be yours.

One wild time capsule

It’s offered by Hankster’s Hot Rods in their South Daytona, Florida showroom. And this Lil’ Red Express looks like it rolled straight out of 1979. It retains a 360 cubic inch V8, it’s still (presumably) mated to its beefed-up Torqueflite A-727 transmission. And it still has stock black vinyl bucket seats, a Tuff wheel, and an 8-Track player. There’s no word on mileage or originality, but from the photos, it looks damn good to us. And the kicker: It’s classified as an “American Muscle Car,” which it absolutely is.

The price is $27,900, which is steep for something from the Malaise Era. But given its time capsule looks, and the fact that if you adjust its original $8,239 sticker price for inflation, you’re basically getting it for what it cost back when Jimmy Carter was in the White House.

We’ve always thought these trucks were perfect on a few different levels. For one, it’s a bold move to do an end-run around the Feds as they’re cracking down on American performance cars. It’s another thing altogether to do it in such a borderline ridiculous way. And now, 40 years since the ’79s hit showrooms, we love them for their go-to-hell Disco Era looks. In short, this truck is perfect. We hope that its next owner isn’t afraid to stock up on some white letter tires and roast a few sets every now and again.