7 Dodges You've Probably Forgotten Existed
These seven Dodges have faded into history. How many do you remember?
1. Ramcharger (1974-1994)
The Ramcharger, along with its brother the Plymouth Trailduster, was built on a shortened truck platform. Buyers could opt for a fabric or removable steel roof, and engine options ranged from the 318 ci V8 all the way up to a 440. Once the Ramcharger received its first redesign in 1981, it most notably traded the removable roof for a fixed steel top. Sadly, the Ramcharger was last sold in the U.S. in 1994, though it remained on sale in Mexico and Canada through 1994. A third generation, build on the Dakota/Durango platform, was sold in those countries until 2002.
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2. Matador (1960)
The full size Matador was intended to bridge the gap between the smaller Dart and the premium trimmed Polara. The Matador had less chrome trim and a more plain interior than the the Polara, but featured all of the jet age styling of its fancier brother. Dodge only sold 27,908 Matadors in 1960; however, as the Dart proved to be the more popular choice among buyers, Dodge dropped the Matador after only one model year.
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3. Challenger (1978-1983)
Everyone is familiar with the Challenger name, but those produced in the late 70's and early 80's are nothing like the Challengers we know and love today. In fact, not even Dodge mentions the compact, Mitsubishi-built coupes when discussing the Challenger's history. And really, they don't share anything with other Challengers other than frameless hardtop styling. The third gen Challenger used either a 1.6 or 2.6 liter four cylinder for power. Performance was decent for the era, but obviously can't hold a candle to any other generation of the iconic muscle car.
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4. Dodge 400 (1982-1983)
The Dodge 400 was built to be an upscale version of the Aria, one with more luxurious appointments. The mid size car was offered as a two door, four door, or convertible - Dodge's first since the 1971 Challenger. Buyers could opt for either a 2.2 liter four cylinder or the Mitsubishi built 2.6 liter four, in either base or LS trim. Sales of the 400 didn't live up to expectations, leading to its demise after only two years. But the convertible soldiered on for a few more years under the 600 model name.
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5. Rampage (1982-1984)
The Rampage, a unibody, subcompact pickup, was built on Chyrsler's L platform. Curb weight was very light at around 2,400 pounds, but the car/truck had to make due with only 96 horsepower from its 2.2 liter four cylinder engine. Regardless, payload capacity was rather decent at 1,145 pounds, making it suitable for light duty work. Fuel economy and a low price tag made the Rampage a promising prospect for Dodge, but sales never took off as expected.
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6. Raider (1987-1989)
To capitalize on consumer demand for small SUV's at the time, Dodge once again partnered with Mitsubishi and rebadged their Montero into the Raider. Though the Montero was offered in either 3-door or 5-door form, the Raider was only sold as a 3-door. Despite the SUV's off road pedigree and rally winning history, Dodge's version never enjoyed the same sales success and was scrapped after 1989.
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7. Charger (1983-1987)
Much like the 3rd generation Challenger, the L-body Charger is an oft forgotten piece of the muscle car's history. The legendary name was brought back first as a performance package for the Omni in 1981 and 1982 until the car was simply renamed the Charger in 1983. These underpowered, front wheel drive Chargers share little with their muscle car brethren, but buyers could opt for a Shelby version beginning in 1983. The "high performance" version of the Charger had only 107 horsepower, but featured a number of suspension and styling upgrades. Power increased to 146 in 1985 with the addition of a turbocharger.
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