While the Dodge Rampage is a far cry from the Ram pickups that we usually talk about on Truckin Fast Wednedays, this K-car based compact has a bed so it is technically a truck. And with a quarter mile time in the low 13s it is definitely truckin’ fast. Also, the basic rarity of the Rampage – especially those that will comfortably outrun many modern muscle cars – makes this tiny pickup a fitting feature vehicle.
If you are not familiar with the Dodge Rampage, it was a compact “coupe utility” vehicle built by Chrysler for the 1982-1984 model years. Built on the L-platform, the Rampage was closely related to the fabled K car and it packed a drivetrain based on the K car’s. This meant that it was powered by a 2.2L carbureted 4-cylinder engine making just 96 horsepower, anything but fast. Luckily, with similarities between the Rampage and the high performance turbo Dodge models like the Shadow and Daytona, the Rampage is ripe for an engine swap.
Nothing is known about the Dodge Rampage in the video below but we can guess that its engine’s been swapped to one of the powerful turbocharged engines that would have been featured in the Shelby Dodge products. Those turbocharged engines made the likes of the Shelby Daytona or the Shelby Omni among the quickest American cars of that era so when transplanted into the lightweight Rampage pickup, it makes for one quick little truck. Realistically, with a quarter mile time of 13.15 @ 104 miles per hour, the Rampage in the video below is even fast by our modern standards. This compact Rampage pickup might not haul as much cargo as the 2013 Ram but it most certainly hauls just as much ass – and more.
Note: The video doesn’t offer a very good look at the Rampage so I dug up the image above from Wikipedia. The Rampage shown above is not the Rampage in the video shown here.
"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.
