Let’s go back to 1989, when a small Dodge pickup was put into the hands of one of history’s most prolific performance tuners and quickly transformed into the industry’s first production performance truck. A closer look at the machines and features gives you a unique look at how far the industry has come in terms of pickups that are made for fun and not for work.
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The 1989 Shelby Dakota is the first production performance pickup
Dodge has never been a stranger to performance machines. Just take a look at their past and present lineup, which includes such legends as their classic muscle cars, gnarly Hellcat models, and the widow maker himself, the Dodge Viper. That said, Dodge’s lineup in the 1970s and early 1980s was quite stagnant in terms of excitement, which can be attributed to the lackluster era of the cars as a whole, as well as poor direction.
Enter Uncle Lee Iacocca, the man who put Chrysler (and Dodge) back on the path to success in the late 1970s. Later he also enlisted his good friend Carroll Shelby, a man who to this day needs no introduction. Shelby was tasked with bringing performance and true American road dominance back to the Dodge family of vehicles. Models like the Shelby Charger marked a return to form, or something like that, with the Shelby Dakota reigniting the exciting atmosphere that would redefine the brand.
Shelby Dakota’s improved composition from 1989
Engine | Horsepower | Couple | 0-60 mph |
|---|---|---|---|
5.2 liter (318 in) V-8 | 175 hp at 4,000 rpm | 279 lb-ft. @ 2,000 rpm | 8.7 seconds |
Dodge shipped the standard Dodge Dakota Sport to Shelby’s California factories in the hopes that they would return as truly impressive machines. This hope was made tangible when the Shelby Dakota hit the market with a growling V-8, upgraded chassis components and a fair amount of Shelby signage. The standard V-6 was swapped for the Ram’s 5.2-liter Magnum V-8, which made 175 horsepower. While this isn’t all that impressive next to a Ford F-150 Raptor, small trucks weren’t known for their power in the late 1980s.
It’s no secret that a 0-60 mph sprint of 8.7 seconds and a 16.5-second 1/4-mile sprint aren’t impressive for a performance model by today’s standards, although the Shelby Dakota raised a few eyebrows when it exploded onto the pavement in the late 1980s. The 1989 Shelby Dakota was also Shelby’s first RWD V-8 model in nearly 20 years at the time, which was a milestone in itself for those who followed Carroll Shelby’s impressive catalog before the Shelby Dakota.
But more than that, it marked Shelby’s return to raw, all-out, rumbling production performance, as just a few years later he would go on to consult on the production of the venerated Dodge Viper, a model as synonymous with high performance as Shelby himself.
Improved machinery helped the overall road capability
Aside from its remarkable horsepower and speed (for the 1980s), the Shelby Dakota was more competent than just revving and running in a straight line. Shelby equipped the Dakota with a four-speed automatic transmission with electronic overdrive, a high stall converter and an additional cooler to further emphasize the 318 Magnum V-8, although he also installed a limited-slip rear axle, a front sway bar and gas pressure shocks front and rear.
These upgrades gave the midsize pickup the tools it needed to not only go fast, but also stay calm when tapping the speedometer. Features like gas-pressurized shock absorbers are a common aspect of modern performance pickups like the Ford F-150 Raptor and Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro.
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Cabin aspects were not luxuries, although they were unique
Stepping into the 1989 Shelby Dakota takes you back to a simpler time, when digital cabin features were minimal and the experience was more analog. All Shelby Dakotas were identical in cabin features, layout and appearance, which consisted of red cloth upholstery with gray charcoal inserts, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a personalized nameplate with the production number of the Shelby Dakota. Other cabin features include:
Full instrumentation (190 km/h speedometer, tachometer and voltage meter)
AM/FM stereo with cassette player
Four-speaker audio system
Ample ‘Shelby’ decals and signage
Outward appearance offered little customization options
The only choice buyers had in this matter was the exterior color, with Exotic Red and Bright White being the only options. That said, body upgrades and exterior flair were standard for all Shelby Dakota models regardless of color, and included a blacked-out grille, bumpers and fender flairs, as well as a body-color light bar, 15-inch Shelby five-spoke wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT+4 radials and a front air dam. This not only set it apart from the crowd, but also gave it a sporty touch, which was not so common with pickups of this era.
In addition, all Shelby Dakotas were further distinguished by Shelby graphics, which were applied to the sides, tailgate and upper windshield. These cosmetic and performance upgrades allowed the Shelby Dakota to break away not only from the standard Dodge Dakota, but also from the general pickup aesthetic of the time, which focused primarily on rugged features and conservative flair. Flashy pickups are a dime a dozen these days, with almost every modern model offering a premium finish and/or higher-end options, although the Shelby Dakota in the late 1980s opened eyes to what a unique pickup could be.
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The long-lasting influence of the Shelby Dakota
As previously mentioned, performance pickups are as common as sports cars in today’s market, although they didn’t really come to life in the mainstream until the Shelby Dakota set the blueprint in the late 1980s. And while the Shelby Dakota isn’t the first performance truck (see Li’l Red Express), it has sparked interest in full-production performance trucks, as previously they were often ideas, some of which came to fruition in very limited numbers.
Speaking of limited numbers, the 1989 Shelby Dakota was only produced for one model year, and that model year produced fewer than 1,500 units: 995 Exotic Reds and 480 Bright Whites. Today, there are still quite a few on the go – just check out auction sites for a quick look at the active market. That said, many buyers have swapped engines with the Shelby Dakota, compromising the original integrity but adding a huge amount of horsepower depending on the swap.
Performance pickups that came next
While most people know what an F-150 Raptor is, it’s not the only performance truck impacting the modern landscape. On multiple occasions, Shelby offers production packages for the Ford F-150, known as the Super Snake, that include high-end upgrades and unique appearance packages. Other early models such as the Saleen S331 Sport Truck, Dodge Ram SRT-10 and 1500 SS/T, Chevrolet S-10 LS
1989 Shelby Dakota average used price
According to Classic.com the average price for a 1989 Shelby Dakota is $15,849although this price is highly dependent on condition, with worse-tuned models sometimes selling for less than $5,000. The lowest recorded sale is $2,500, with the highest peaking at $30,250 – likely for a pristine original example. That said, the used market is chock-full of performance pickups, both new and old, with recent years continuing to bring out new models with more benefits and capabilities, though it all started in 1989 when Dodge put Carrol Shelby’s modified Dakota into production.
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