Home Page American Government Reference Desk Shopping Special Collections About Us Contribute



Escort, Inc.






GM Icons
By accessing/using The Crittenden Automotive Library/CarsAndRacingStuff.com, you signify your agreement with the Terms of Use on our Legal Information page. Our Privacy Policy is also available there.

Dodge Rampage


Rampage
Vehicle Model

Topic Navigation
Wikipedia: Dodge Rampage

Page Sections
History
Photographs
Documents
Article Index
A small car-based pickup truck produced by Dodge for the 1982-1984 model years. Based on the L-Body Dodge Charger. The Plymouth version was the Scamp.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Dodge Rampage page on 2 February 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982–1984 by Dodge. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp.

The Rampage borrows the car's unibody construction and the front fascia from the sporty 024/Charger variant.

It was available with a Chrysler built and designed 2.2 L carbureted straight-4 engine with 96 hp (72 kW) and a curb weight of around 2,400 lb (1,100 kg). In the first year, it had leisurely performance due to the four-speed manual transmission along with a three-speed automatic transmission.

Performance was improved with the introduction of a five-speed manual transmission in 1983. The truck had a load capacity of 1,145 lb (519 kg), for a true "half ton" rating. This compared favorably to General Motors' Chevrolet El Camino's rating of 1250 lbs. The Volkswagen Rabbit Sportruck and Subaru BRAT were the Rampage's only real competition in the United States market.

The Dodge Rampage was based on the popular Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. Their fuel economy (21 MPG city/29 MPG highway, according to the EPA) and price were good for the time. The Rampage's front-wheel drive configuration was a source of either love or hate depending on one's preferences. A front-wheel drive layout is not usually used for trucks in North America; however, it gave the Rampage great road-holding and traction when unladen without the "fish-tailing" that comes with most rear-wheel-drive pickups. In short, the Rampage drove less like a truck and more like a compact car. A re-badged version, the Plymouth Scamp, was only sold in 1983. The Rampage lasted three years before being dropped from production after the 1984 model year. There was a "Shelby Rampage" built by Chrysler/Shelby engineers in their free time for Carroll Shelby, but there is no official record of the existence of such a vehicle.

While a radical and unique design, the Dodge Rampage (17,636 sold in 1982, 8,033 in 1983, 11,732 in 1984, its final season) didn't take off in the market as had been expected. Its Plymouth Scamp clone would only last for one year—1983. Sales totals for the Scamp were 2184 "base" models and 1,380 in GT trim, almost all of which were taken from its Dodge twin. The market for "car-trucks" was fast drying up in the mid-1980s as one after another was dropped from automakers' North American product lines. Even the El Camino was not immune and it was also withdrawn from production before the decade was through.

2006 concept

Dodge resurrected the Rampage name at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. This new concept car is again a front wheel drive pickup, but is as large as the full-size Dodge Ram. It is powered by the 5.7 L Hemi V8.


Photographs

1983 Dodge Rampage 1983
Photo ©2011 Bill Crittenden
2011 Mopars at the Park (June 26, 2011)
View photo of 1983 Dodge Rampage - 3,806KB
1983 Dodge Rampage 1983
Photo ©2011 Bill Crittenden
2011 Mopars at the Park (June 26, 2011)
View photo of 1983 Dodge Rampage - 4,993KB
Dodge Rampage Concept Concept
Photo ©2006 Bill Crittenden
2006 Chicago Auto Show
View photo of Dodge Rampage Concept - 866KB


Documents

DateDocument Name & DetailsDocuments
8 April 2008Federal-Mogul Corporation: Part 573.6 Notitication
From: Glen Parker, Federal Mogul Corporation
To: Recall Management Division, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 323KB - 3 pages
8 April 2008NHTSA Recall 08E033000
Carquest K7147, Carquest K7329, MasterPro K8683, Moog K7147, Moog K7329, One Source K8683, Parts Depot K8683, Parts Master K8683, Treadsaver K8683, TRW 104353, 1984 Chrysler E Class, 1984-1986 Chrysler Laser, 1984-1990 Chrysler LeBaron, 1984-1988 Chrysler New Yorker, 2001-2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 1989-1990 Chrysler TC, 1990 Chrysler Town and Country, 1984-1988 Dodge 600, 1984-1989 Dodge Aries, 1984-1990 Dodge Caravan, 1984-1987 Dodge Charger, 1984-1990 Dodge Daytona, 1988-1990 Dodge Grand Caravan, 1985-1989 Dodge Lancer, 1984-1988 Dodge Mini Ram Van, 2000-2005 Dodge Neon, 1984-1990 Dodge Omni, 1984 Dodge Rampage, 1987-1990 Dodge Shadow, 1989-1990 Dodge Spirit, 1995-2000 Ford Contour, 1999-2002 Mercury Cougar, 1995-2000 Mercury Mystique, 1989-1990 Plymouth Acclaim, 1985-1988 Plymouth Caravelle, 1988-1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager, 1984-1990 Plymouth Horizon, 2000-2001 Plymouth Neon, 1984-1989 Plymouth Reliant, 1987-1990 Plymouth Sundance, 1985 Plymouth Turismo, 1984-1990 Plymouth Voyager
SuspensionNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Recall Page - 1 page
24 April 2008Ball Joint Recall Attachment A
Ball Joint Affected Date Codes and Applications
Federal Mogul
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 57KB - 1 page
2 May 2008Campaign #08E-033
From: Joe Stephan, Federal-Mogul Corporation
To: Distributors
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 70KB - 2 pages
5 May 2008Aftermarket Ball Joint Assemblies
From: George H. Person, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
To: Glen Parker, Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 121KB - 3 pages
21 July 2008Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 51KB - 1 page
October 2008Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 14KB - 1 page
January 2009Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 28KB - 1 page
4 February 2009From: George H. Person, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
To: Glen Parker, Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 43KB - 1 page
April 2009Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 25KB - 1 page
July 2009Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 36KB - 1 page
October 2009Equipment Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information
Federal Mogul Corporation
NHTSA Recall 08E033000

PDF
- 43KB - 1 page
13 January 2017[Dodge Rampage Direct Connection Research Documents]
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

PDF
- 1.1MKB - 27 pages


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
2 February 2017Reference Desk: 1984 Dodge Rampage Direct Connection Bill Crittenden





The Crittenden Automotive Library