1981 proved crucial for the small D-50, which was renamed the Ram 50. In the same year, a four-wheel-drive version called the Power Ram 50 was introduced. The Ram 50 received some unwanted competition in 1982 when Mitsubishi itself It decided to sell the vehicles directly to the American market and, wouldn’t you know, one of its first products was the “Mighty Max” pickup, a virtual twin of the Ram 50. To differentiate the two trucks, Dodge gave the Ram a lighter look with quad headlights for 1983, as opposed to two Individual headlights from Mitsubishi. Along with the new fascia, 1983 also introduced a new but somewhat underwhelming turbocharged diesel engine.
When Dodge unveiled a mid-size pickup of its own design called the Dakota in 1987, many auto industry insiders thought it might spell the end of the Ram 50, but quite the opposite happened. Smaller than the new Dakota and seemingly worthy of keeping in the lineup, the Ram 50 has been completely redesigned with new chunky, muscular lines. In 1988, an extended cab (“sports cab” in Dodge jargon) was available, with additional storage space or small jump seats behind the front seats, and in 1990, an optional V6 engine was offered, producing a respectable 142 horsepower.
After a longer production run than many had thought, the Ram 50 was finally scrapped after 1993. Some enthusiasts speculate that the cancellation had more to do with Chrysler’s independence from dependence on Mitsubishi than the product overlap between full-size, mid-size, and compact trucks. Nowadays, even one option is smaller than Ram 1500 Sounds like a recipe for success.
[Featured image by dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
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