What Ever Happened To The Dodge Dude Pickup Truck & How Many Were Made?
In its 100-plus years of existence, Dodge has become a brand name synonymous with producing some of the most iconic pickup trucks on the road. If the automaker (now Ram Trucks) has any say in the matter, it'll continue to manufacture tough trucks like the famed Adventurer for another 100 years and more. The company has, of course, developed and manufactured dozens of makes and models (including a groundbreaking 4WD pickup) since its inception, and offered countless trim packages for each. However, in the early 1970s, the company debuted one of its funkiest pickup truck trims to date with the Dude sport package.
The manufacturer first offered the Dude trim in 1970, making it available on its D100 production pickups. The Dude package was largely a cosmetic overhaul for the Sweptline D100s, with Dodge adorning the build with a few snazzy decals including a full-body black or white C-stripe on the side, a Dude decal complete with cowboy hat on the rear side panel, and a Dodge decal on the tailgate. Duding up your D100 also included the choice of some wonky paint options, including Lime Green, Burnt Orange, and Bright Yellow, among others.
Enhancements to the wheels and taillight bezels were also available, which made trucks adorned in the Dude package look about as far from a traditional Dodge as you could get. Unfortunately, the Dodge traditionalists never really embraced the decidedly flashy sport trim package. As such, the manufacturer pulled the plug on the Dodge Dude after the '71 model year.
[Featured image by Dave_07 from Lethbridge, Canada, via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC-By 2.0]
Dodge didn't make many Dudes in the 1970s
Nonetheless, the Dodge Dude pickup debuted to some amount of fanfare in 1970, with none other than "The Andy Griffith Show" star Don Knotts promoting the trim package in print ads. Dodge even marketed the Dude as a pickup that, "Works like a wrangler. Looks like a 'Dude,'" targeting those who wanted a sporty work truck that could "make heads turn." While Dude pickups no doubt turned some heads, the number of trucks sold with the eye-catching trim package likely implied that they were turning heads for all the wrong reasons.
Alas, even with the clever marketing campaign and celebrity endorsement, the Dude movement never caught on. While no official sales numbers for Duded-up Dodge pickups have been made available to the general public, it's widely believed that somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 trucks left the manufacturer's Fenton, Missouri, factory adorned in the funky sport trim package. That number is particularly underwhelming when contrasted with the estimated 73,000 D100 pickup trucks Dodge manufactured between 1970 and 1971 when the Dude trim package was offered.
But given their relative scarcity, it's hardly surprising that Dodge Dude pickups have become fairly sought after artifacts by truck lovers in the vintage automobile market. According to Hagerty's valuation tool, a 1971 Dodge Dude in good condition could fetch more than $16,000 at open auction. The price obviously goes up for Dudes in excellent condition or better. So, if you've got a legit Dude pickup in good shape that's gathering dust in your garage, it might be a good time to sell.
[Featured image by Dave_07 from Lethbridge, Canada, via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC-By 2.0]