Dakota

IKTR x0

That was the Dodge cult rumor of 2021: woo, Dodge is bringing back the Dakota and giving her to Ram! We'll have mini Rambos running the streets again, eating Rangers and Colorados!

And... Cricket cricket. Nothing ever came of the Ram Dakota's anticipated return. Dodge, why you do your cultists dirty??

"The Dodge Dakota, known as the Ram Dakota for the final two years of production, is a mid-size pickup truck from Chrysler's Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) division. The first Dakota was introduced in late 1986 as a 1987 model. From its introduction through 2011, it was marketed under the Dodge brand.
The Dakota was sized above the compact Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10, but below the full-sized pickups such as Dodge's own Ram. It is a conventional design with body-on-frame construction and a leaf spring/live axle rear end. The Dakota is the first mid-size pickup with an optional V8 engine.

The Dakota was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2000.

The Dodge Dakota was developed by Chrysler as a mid-sized pickup. To keep investment low, many components were shared with existing Chrysler products and the manufacturing plant was shared with the full-sized Dodge D and W Models.

The N-body platform was the result of operational efforts by Harold K. Sperlich, who was in charge of Chrysler's product planning in the early 1980s, in which Japanese-inspired compact pickups of the time lacked the size and features necessary to meet the demands of American buyers. In the late-1970s, Chrysler was still recovering from its near-bankruptcy and resources were in short supply. Sperlich challenged the N-Body team to search for all opportunities to reuse existing components to create the Dakota. The resulting highly investment-efficient program enabled Chrysler to create an all-new market segment at low cost. Key individuals involved in making this product a reality included Glenn Gardner, Glen House, Robert Burnham, Don Sebert, Jim Hackstedde, and Clark Ewing.[citation needed] The basic Dakota vehicle was ultimately used as a foundation to create the Dakota Club and Quad Cabs and the Dodge Durango SUV.

The first generation of the Dakota was produced from 1986 through 1996 (for the 1987 to 1996 model years). It was slightly updated for the 1991 model year. Inline-four and V6 engines were offered along with either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive was available only with the V6. Both 6.5- and 8-foot beds were offered. Fuel injection was added to the 3.9 L V6 for 1988, but the rated output remained the same.

The Dakota was the first pickup truck with rack and pinion steering (2WD only, and early years were available without power steering).

In 1988, EFI was added to the V6. Power windows and locks were now optional. The sport package was added as a mid-year release. Exterior colors came in black, bright white, and graphic red. Available in both 2WD and 4x4, the sport included:

AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player
Carpeted logo floor mats
Center armrest bench seat
Charcoal-silver deluxe cloth interior with fold-down armrest
Color-keyed leather-wrapped sport steering wheel
Deluxe wipers
Dual remote control outside mirrors
Floor carpet
Gauge package
Mopar air dam with Bosch fog lamps
Mopar light-bar with Bosch off-road lamps (4x4 only)
Unique bodyside tape stripes
Euro-style blackout grille and bumpers
Sliding rear window
3.9 L V6 engine
15-inch aluminum wheels
Additional options found in first-generation trucks:

Lowered suspension
15-inch chrome rims
Chrome bars along the beds
AM/FM stereo with cassette, and (optional) CD players
Sliding rear windows
Chrome bumpers
V8 engines
Infinity sound systems

For 1989, the Dakota convertible was introduced. It featured a fixed roll bar and a simple manual top. The idea came from Jerry York and they were manufactured by ASC (American Sunroof Company, now known as American Specialty Cars). About 2,482 were sold during the first year.


Another addition that year was Carroll Shelby's V8-powered Shelby Dakota, his first rear-wheel drive vehicle in two decades.

An extended Club Cab model was added for 1990, still with two doors. This model allowed the Dakota to offer six-passenger seating, though the rear seat was best suited for cargo, children, and shorter adults.


Two special editions of the first were constructed with step-side beds. Both were constructed by L.E.R. Industries of Edwardsburg, Michigan. The step-side beds were constructed out of fiberglass and galvanneal. Wooden bed rails were also available.

The Li'l Red Express Dakota was made to resemble the original Express, which was based on the Dodge D-Series. It featured the step-side bed and dual vertical exhaust stacks behind the cab that were non-functional. The Dakota Warrior was made to resemble the Warlock trucks of the late 1970s. Warriors included the bed as the Dakota Express, but lacked the vertical exhaust stacks.[2] Both the Express and Warrior Dakotas had a graphics package made to resemble those of the original models.

Production numbers for the Expresses and Warriors was low, in the hundreds. A few were made with the 5.2 L Magnum V8 engine, which was only an option during 1992, the final model year of Express and Warrior."

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Dodge Dakota
1986-2011