Photo: Craigslist
Now that mid-size pickups are back in business as far as the U.S. market is concerned, Ram surely regrets that it left the Dakota for dead. On the upside, Ram head Mike Manley recently let it slip that the revival of the Dakota is something to look forward to.
It’s anybody’s guess how long it will take Fiat Chrysler to find the resources, research, develop, and bring to market a new Dakota, but some say that every cloud has a silver lining. Ours comes in the form of a second-generation model that sports a V10 engine. Listed on Craigslist for a mind-boggling $23,000, this white-striped Dakota has 20,000 miles on the Viper engine.
Located somewhere in Idaho, the Franken-truck looks as if it’d seen better days as far as aesthetic condition is concerned. The interior, meanwhile, appears to be in good nick, save for the horrendous seats. Being born during a time when Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton was preparing to leave the White House, the pictured Dakota also had wind down windows. Be that as it may, the gigantic engine is of the essence here.
Sourced from a first-generation Viper, the odd-firing 8.0-liter V10 behemoth is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission also yanked from a Dodge Viper RT/10. As per the ad description, dyno results hint toward 350 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of tire-shredding torque. At the wheels, that is.
What I find it harder to believe, though, is the following line: “This truck handles just like a sports car.” Dear man from Idaho, I love what you’re selling here, but have you ever driven a sports car? As in a proper sports car, not a Mustang. Having made my point on driving dynamics, the Viper-engined Dakota might be a surprising performance in one instance: straight lines.
And on that note, are there any takers for this 15-year-old truck?
Located somewhere in Idaho, the Franken-truck looks as if it’d seen better days as far as aesthetic condition is concerned. The interior, meanwhile, appears to be in good nick, save for the horrendous seats. Being born during a time when Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton was preparing to leave the White House, the pictured Dakota also had wind down windows. Be that as it may, the gigantic engine is of the essence here.
Sourced from a first-generation Viper, the odd-firing 8.0-liter V10 behemoth is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission also yanked from a Dodge Viper RT/10. As per the ad description, dyno results hint toward 350 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of tire-shredding torque. At the wheels, that is.
What I find it harder to believe, though, is the following line: “This truck handles just like a sports car.” Dear man from Idaho, I love what you’re selling here, but have you ever driven a sports car? As in a proper sports car, not a Mustang. Having made my point on driving dynamics, the Viper-engined Dakota might be a surprising performance in one instance: straight lines.
And on that note, are there any takers for this 15-year-old truck?
Google News