Yahoo Autos Dodge Shelby Dakota and D150 Prototypes Headed to Auction
While the bulk of the late Carroll Shelby’s legacy revolves around his collaboration with Ford and the ensuing Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustang, Ol’ Shel kept spinning wrenches and tall tales long after the two parted ways. For evidence, one need look no further than the 1983 Dodge Shelby D150 Ram and 1988 Dodge Shelby Dakota prototypes detailed here. Both have been plucked from Shelby’s personal collection and are set to cross the auction block this June alongside a few more common Omni- and Charger-based Shelby Dodge vehicles.
1983 Dodge Shelby Ram Pickup Prototype (Estimate: $10,000–$15,000)
Built to echo the color and design scheme of the Shelby Charger that was the first fruit of the Shelby/Chrysler union, this 1983 Dodge Shelby Ram pickup prototype is a genuine one-off, one-owner, 11,000-mile vehicle that has remained in the Shelby stable since day one. Built at the Shelby/Chrysler development center in Santa Fe Springs, California, the two-wheel-drive D150 pickup features a 360-cubic-inch V-8 reportedly packing new pistons to deliver a 10.1:1 compression ratio, a performance camshaft with Mopar Performance W-2 heads and 2.0-inch intake valves, and a Holley Street Dominator intake manifold topped off with a 600 CFM Holley carburetor-basically, all the bits that made for a reliable and streetable performance Mopar V-8 in 1983. Yield: a claimed 300 horsepower. With a three-speed Chrysler 727 with a shift kit handling the gear swaps, reports of its running a 16-second quarter at 90 mph seem plausible.
Disc brakes at all four corners reside behind what we believe to be Shelby custom wheels, and the suspension is said to be modified to “lower the center of gravity.”
While horsepower is always welcome, it’s the interior and exterior styling and accessories that both identify and carbon-date this prototype truck. Painted Santa Fe Blue and Radiant Silver with familiar Shelby striping, it features a roll bar with an ample array of ‘80s-riffic off-road lighting, air horns-obviously, right?-a custom fiberglass tonneau cover, side skirts, and a front spoiler. But the showstopper here is the ample and minimalistic chrome front bumper, brush guard, and custom mesh grille with oversize Pentastar badge that all look as if they were crafted from materials sourced from the garden department at Home Depot. Riding front and center on the hood is a not insubstantial Ram hood ornament rendered in greed-is-good-era gold. Interior touches include bucket seats clearly plucked from Chrysler corporate inventory, a CB radio, switches for the aforementioned lights, a column-mounted tachometer, and a Direct Connection steering wheel.
While this prototype is cool in a Night Ranger/acid-washed-denim kind of way, the true value lies in its prototype status and Shelby ownership. The Bonhams auction house is listing the truck without reserve.
1988 Dodge Shelby Dakota (Estimate: $10,000–$15,000)
Completing the pair of Shelby pickups to cross the block is this mid-size, 15,000-mile prototype. It served as the test bed for the production Shelby Dakota, which was produced in a run of 1475 units only for the 1989 model year. Powered by a 5.2-liter overhead-valve V-8-that’s a Chrysler 318, to readers over the age of 40-production versions were rated at 175 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque, reasonably stout for the 1980s. This prototype, however, boasts a nice, round 200 horsepower. Although details are not given, a quick look at Bonhams' underhood photos reveals Edelbrock valve covers, exhaust headers of undetermined manufacture, and a Direct Connection air cleaner hiding whatever’s atop that intake manifold. The production vehicles were fitted with throttle-body fuel injection, but the auction description says it’s a carburetor on this one. Teamed with an automatic transmission (with external cooler, natch) and a limited-slip differential, the Shelby Dakota prototype is claimed to have clocked an 8.5-second zero-to-60-mph time, which was on the quick side for a 1989 truck. The prototype truck is said to have a unique suspension that permits the vehicle to ride much lower than production versions.
Considering a Shelby-owned non-prototype Shelby Dakota recently sold for $39,600, Bonhams’ pre-auction estimate seems a bit conservative.
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The auction is scheduled for June 3 at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. The sale of each of the vehicles will be accompanied by the all-important certificate of authenticity guaranteeing its ownership by Shelby.
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