Classic Mopar muscle stood for many things, making for one of the main pillars of the genre. However, none of the Chrysler brands managed to successfully enter the coupe utility segment, which remained split between Ford and Chevy for decades. As you can imagine, the lack of a proper Mopar car-based pickup truck has left many enthusiasts with an unquenched thirst, which is where this digital proposal steps onto the scene. Welcome to an alternate past, one where Dodge also made the 1970 Challenger into an UTE.
While Chrysler did try its hand at making coupe utlitlies in the early 1980s, its efforts came late and at an unfortunate time (we’ll get to that below). However, while the 1970 Challenger was also late to the muscle car party, this was a massive success. And that’s what this rendering bets on.
You see, the new E-Body platform that the Challenger shared with the third-gen Plymouth Barracuda and legendary motors like the 440 Big Block and the 426 HEMI, which were offered from the get-go, ensured that the captivating looks of these machines were fully matched by their driving dynamics.
And this digital fantasy portrays a world where Chyrsler’s enthusiasm for the release also included a pickup truck version. Now, as some of you have noticed, this pixel mix is based on the era’s Chevrolet El Camino, namely the third generation that GM built between 1968 and 1972. And with the this and the Challenger sharing the Coke bottle styling of the day, their union goes easy on the eyes—pixel tip to the digital artist known as carbreeding (aka mordyizhopy) for the quick visual stunt.
What really happened in the coupe utility world?
The Coupe Utlility segment was kickstarted by Ford, whose Ranchero showed that a wagon could always take a bed back in 1957. Chevy followed suit two years later, debuting the original El Camino. Nevertheless, these machines didn’t quite earn an impressive reputation until the second-gen El Camino switched to a Chevelle chassis and got proper muscle for 1964.
While the Ranchero would try to keep up with the El Camino until the former’s 1979 retirement, it was the Chevy that truly won the people’s hearts. However, despite the shrinking market segment, the Blue Oval decided to carry on via the Fox Body-based Ford Durango, which was built between 1979 and 1982.
And that final year saw Chrysler coming up with a rival for the El Camino, introducing the Dodge Rampage, which got a Plymouth Scamp sibling, but only for the 1983 model year. The Rampage itself would vanish after 1984, with the El Camino left to close the show after 1987. Chrysler’s duo couldn’t convince customers, since it lacked the history of its rivals, while the FWD platform (and 4-cylinder motivation) it shared with the ill-fated third-gen Charger mean performance just wasn’t there.
These unibody performance pickups are experiencing an aftermarket resurgence nowadays
As internal combustion engines become more and more threatened by electrification, enthusiasts hold on to every piece of muscle car history they can get their hands on. So the popularity of UTEs in America seems to be on the rise, even if we’re talking about aftermarket efforts.
Renderings aside (this Challenger SRT Demon-based modern Rampage makes a convincing case), we recently discussed a real-world pickup truck conversion kit for the current Gen VII Dodge Charger.
Released by Smyth Performance, this is prepared for the Widebody/Hellcat madness Dodge has unleashed, following the footsteps of the specialist’s popular Gen VI kit, which is a blast for popular YouTubers and other Americana aficionados.
Builders have even gone back in time before the muscle era to come up with these UTEs. For instance, while GM never gave Pontiac an El Camino sister car, we met just that at this year’s Detroit Autorama show. In fact, the resulting 1959 Pontiac Bonneville Pickup Truck was one of the most impressive projects at the event. And with SEMA coming in November, you can expect more builds of the sort.