The late 1970s were tough for the muscle car industry. Most performance vehicles were barely delivering 200 horsepower, and many nameplates were unrecognizable compared to their late 1960s counterparts. In an era when the range-topping Chevrolet Corvette was generating about 220 horsepower, Dodge rolled out the Li'l Red Express, the grandfather of factory-built performance trucks.
Powered by a 360-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8, the Li'l Red Express was a beefed-up D-series truck with exhaust stacks and red livery with gold pinstriping and lettering. And it had just enough oomph to go with the muscular looks at 225 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of torque. Sure, it's far from impressive compared to the 1960s, but it was just as powerful as the Chevrolet Corvette in 1979.
Built in a little over 7,000 units in 1978 and 1979, the Li'l Red Express is a rare classic truck. And it's definitely not the kind of vehicle you would expect to find at the drag strip, but one owner decided to put it through its paces against other muscle cars. In the video below, you'll see it run for quarter-mile glory against a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 XL.
Unlike the Li'l Red Express, the Galaxie 500 wasn't having issues with emission and fuel-economy restrictions back in 1965. As a result, its 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 generates a healthy 300 horsepower and 427 pound-feet (579 Nm) of torque. On the other hand, the Galaxie 500 is notably heavier than the truck, so the power difference might not be that big in a straight-line race. And as this race proves, the gap is actually smaller than expected.
The first race sees the truck getting the lead at the green light, but the Galaxie catches up and wins with a comfortable margin. At 15.57 seconds, the Ford is more than a second quicker than the Li'l Red Express. The truck takes the lead in the second duel, too, and even though it takes longer than the Ford to reach the finish line, it wins thanks to the driver's quicker reaction time.
The cars line up for a third race to decide who wins, and the outcome is worthy of a photo finish. While the Dodge driver manages to dip into the 15s with a 15.98-second sprint, the Ford is slightly quicker and takes the win with a 15.78-second run.
The result is obviously far from shocking, but the Li'l Red Express is impressively quick for a Malaise-era hauler, don't you think?
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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