The Dodge Ramcharger, especially it’s 1981-93 variation with the fixed roof, doesn’t get a lot of respect compared to the full-size Chevrolet Blazer and the Ford Bronco. Maybe familiarity bred contempt…the D-series line (1972-93) went with only one major refreshening, and if it weren’t for the near-annual grille updating, might as well be the same truck throughout. They were boxy, weren’t what you’d call “powerful”, and once Ford and GM got overdrive automatics, were almost backwards (Dodge didn’t get the overdrive A500/A518 until 1991, two years before the SUV disappeared from the U.S. market.) But they were still D-series trucks, so for all of the faults, you had the benefits: a strong chassis that was easy to work on. As one of only two sport-utility vehicles and the only four-wheel-drive I’ve ever owned, I’ve always been impressed with Ramchargers. They are good, honest rigs.

This beautiful red example isn’t honest. Oh, hell no. It’s lying straight through it’s teeth directly at you while smiling the whole time. On the surface, it looks like a beautifully restored four-wheel-drive model with fresh paint, a truck whose loving owner dumped serious coin into the restoration as a way of thanks for years of service. We’d be happy with a perfectly stock Ramcharger that looks like this, wouldn’t you? Those truck-specific dog dish caps, that searing red paint that Dodge made look so damn good on their trucks in the advertisements (it’s DT4583 “Graphic Red”) and a look that indicates a clean, 318-powered example. Nothing to hide here, right?

Wrong. So very, very wrong, but you won’t complain. This Ramcharger is the automotive equivalent of the shy girl turning a full 180 degrees on you once you two are alone: it’s gonna terrify you and you’re gonna love every last second of it. The running gear is all Grand Cherokee SRT-8, so it’ll grip like a scared housecat on shag carpeting, and that’s a good thing, because under that Ram’s head hood ornament is a Viper V-10 and a Tremec six-speed manual. Somebody had some unbelievably evil intentions and executed the project perfectly. I often say that it’s difficult to build a convincing sleeper with anything over ten years old. Here’s the proof that it can be done and executed to the highest level.

Love? Hell no…we’re in lust. Get in our driveway, now!

Craigslist Link: 1980-something Dodge Ramcharger