Retro in Red: Mr. Norm builds modern interpretation of L'il Red Express Truck
Mr. Norm's Red XPress Truck - Click above for high-res image gallery
There weren't too many exciting sports cars built in the late Seventies thanks to increasingly stringent emissions requirements, but a few performance vehicles did manage to get produced despite the horsepower-strangling legislation. One of those vehicles was the L'il Red Express Truck built by Dodge from 1978-1979. Easily recognized by its signature exhaust stacks protruding prominently from each side of the bed, the Little Red Truck featured a 360ci V8 and could run the 1/4 mile in 14.7 seconds. That doesn't seem particularly quick by today's standards, but L'il Red was actually the fastest American-produced vehicle built in 1978.
As a tribute to the original performance truck, legendary Mopar hot rodder Norm Kraus, better known as "Mr. Norm," has put together his own aftermarket package that will turn a 2009+ Dodge Ram into the L'il Red Express' bigger, more powerful grandson. Granted, the new version doesn't necessarily have the visual impact of the original, but some concessions were made to keep the the basic package relatively affordable. To convert the bed into a stepside and mount the exhaust on the outside, for instance, would have cost seriously big bucks.
So – how does the new one compare? Our friend Mike Levine over at PickupTrucks.com has the answer. Levine managed to wrangle a drive in Mr. Norm's Red Xpress Truck, as well as an all-original '79 with just 16k on the odometer. As you can imagine, Levine found that trucks have come a long way in thirty years, but he still appreciated the unique details that went the original. Check out his comparison here, or browse through the high-res gallery below.
Gallery: Mr. Norm's Red XPress Truck
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Wunderbird 8:39AM (9/29/2009)
B-
Without the stepside bed and wood treatment, it just doesn;t look very retro.
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Farmboy 3:39PM (9/29/2009)
And that sometimes can be a good thing. Wood paneling was not the best idea for Chrysler when the PT Cruiser was taking off.
DiRF 8:39AM (9/29/2009)
No stepside? That makes me a saaaaaaaaad Panda.
So are they gonna offer a black Warlock, too?
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RowFive 8:45AM (9/29/2009)
I realize it was a signature element of the original truck, but I've always found exhaust stacks on regular trucks a bit ridiculous. They are even more ridiculous on a straight-side bed, where they intrude on the cargo area.
This isn't a bad interpretation of the original, but truly it could have been done by an average shadetree mechanic. I would have expected a stepside conversion and some interior touches from Mr. Norm.
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Shiftright 12:53PM (9/29/2009)
I agree. This is lame. Also, the original almost looks dainty next to the monstrously huge modern version. Ugh.
Mr.TiredOfEconomicDownturn 11:21AM (9/29/2009)
At least get the wheels right...
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Taglane 12:52PM (9/29/2009)
Nobody said it was supposed to be a carbon copy. Just a "modern interpretation."
Shiftright 12:54PM (9/29/2009)
Ditto. A weak decal job with fake pipes....Meh...
Mr.TiredOfEconomicDownturn 1:25PM (9/29/2009)
@Taglane,
Yeah but, golden wheels?
Taglane 2:24PM (9/29/2009)
They're pretty!1!!
iamhoff 6:23PM (9/29/2009)
Thank you! In this day of every tuner out there being able to billet, machine, or at least design spec wheels, much less everyone coming out with retro-style wheels (Mustang, Cragar SS/American Racings, Rallye Steelies on the Camaro, et al), why has nobody come up with a properly done retro 5 slot? I had 'em on my old '78 Cherokee (factory fitted), and with proper 33 inch BFG ATs, they looked pretty sweet. Bring back the 5 slot!
ack154 12:38PM (9/29/2009)
Deja vu... did I already read this once today?
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Epyx 8:56PM (9/29/2009)
It was on the blog about year ago as well.
MemphisNET 12:51PM (9/29/2009)
I can appreciate what they're trying to do here; the 78 Lil' Red is one of my all time fav vehicles. But I have to agree that the lack of sidestep bed and wood trim really hurts this modern version. It's neat, but not lust-worthy like some of Mr. Norms other creations.
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MemphisNET 12:53PM (9/29/2009)
Note to Mr. Norm -- build me a Dakota convertible ala 1989-1991 with a moderm RAM-like interior!
Jimbo 1:08PM (9/29/2009)
Shouldn't it be "Lil' Red Truck" instead of "L'il Red Truck"? As in short for "little", not French for "the it"?
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downhill.specialist 1:26PM (9/29/2009)
Doesn't look any different than the scores of trucks running around up here in Alaska with stacked exhaust coming up from the inside of their bed.
Modern interpretation fail.
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hanmojo 4:11PM (9/30/2009)
Nice hood! Nice wheels! Dodge got the nicest looking pickup. However, the exhaust is ridicules, instead should just do a side exhaust under the bed. This is suppose to a modern redo right ?
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Jason 2:03PM (9/29/2009)
I remember the Dodge pickups of this era quite well, and while they were never really #1 at anything, the L'il Red Express always stood out.
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Dave 2:12PM (9/29/2009)
Craptastic. Lame, affected original and lame modern version. A rolling cry for help.
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