Photo: jlord8/Instagram
For many, Christmas hasn’t gone after December 25th. Instead, its jolly old spirit can linger on in everything we do for a while. And that’s probably valid for automotive virtual artists as well.
After all, why else would Jim – the pixel master better known as jlord8 on social media – continue his jumps across time and bring back the crimson grandfather of OEM performance trucks? Granted, factory high-performance pickups have become a regular thing these days.
And their history may even be traced back to the 1964 Dodge D-100 Street Wedge if you are a diehard fan of the niche. Considered by many to be America’s first muscle truck, it paved the way forward for way better-known models such as the late 1970s Dodge Li’l Red Express. See the connection? Crimson trucks, Christmas, jolly spirit, etc.
Even better, the CGI expert decided to feature his vision of a “modern-day” Li’l Red Express based on an equally crimson Ram 1500 pickup truck. Only that it features a few twists, just to make sure we can recognize it as the virtual spiritual successor of the Malaise-era truck. One that was clearly built to stand out in any crowd, not just the ones passionate about trucks.
And we should not be surprised by this apparition, considering the recent string of remarkably successful revivals and modernizations of iconic nameplates. Or even that strange idea that Jeep might seek to sell its version of Ram’s 1500 TRX. Anyway, there is no mention of the TRX here whatsoever, which is a bummer.
Frankly, if our own two cents are permitted, a reincarnated Li’l Red Express based on the current Ram 1500 generation would never be complete without proper access to the latest powertrain goodies. And that involves a 702-horsepower Hellcat “heart” transplant! Too bad it’s just a vertically-stacked chrome-piped dream with no chance of getting past the wishful thinking stage...
And their history may even be traced back to the 1964 Dodge D-100 Street Wedge if you are a diehard fan of the niche. Considered by many to be America’s first muscle truck, it paved the way forward for way better-known models such as the late 1970s Dodge Li’l Red Express. See the connection? Crimson trucks, Christmas, jolly spirit, etc.
Even better, the CGI expert decided to feature his vision of a “modern-day” Li’l Red Express based on an equally crimson Ram 1500 pickup truck. Only that it features a few twists, just to make sure we can recognize it as the virtual spiritual successor of the Malaise-era truck. One that was clearly built to stand out in any crowd, not just the ones passionate about trucks.
And we should not be surprised by this apparition, considering the recent string of remarkably successful revivals and modernizations of iconic nameplates. Or even that strange idea that Jeep might seek to sell its version of Ram’s 1500 TRX. Anyway, there is no mention of the TRX here whatsoever, which is a bummer.
Frankly, if our own two cents are permitted, a reincarnated Li’l Red Express based on the current Ram 1500 generation would never be complete without proper access to the latest powertrain goodies. And that involves a 702-horsepower Hellcat “heart” transplant! Too bad it’s just a vertically-stacked chrome-piped dream with no chance of getting past the wishful thinking stage...
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