A look back at the Dodge Dakota convertible, a softtop pickup:
To hear Bruce Benedict tell it, inventing the first modern ragtop pickup truck was not a stroke of genius but rather a reasoned response to an obvious marketing need. Benedict, product-planning chief for the Dodge Dakota pickup line, says that his people were simply "looking for a niche product that no one else had, to help bring buyers into the showrooms to see the rest of the Dakotas.
Benedict and his posse of Dodge Boys may act as if creating the Dakota convertible was a short day's labor, but deep down they've got to be excited about their new baby. The Dakota convertible is going to thaw hearts otherwise ice-cold to these motorized pack horses. We know. It happened to us.On the surface, a pickup truck with a flop top makes about as much sense as a steel baseball mitt. Pickups are designed for hard work, after all.
To keep things simple, all Dakota ragtops will be equipped with the Dakota line's Sport package. The Sport package includes the short-wheelbase chassis; a 125-hp, 3.9-liter, 90-degree V-6; and a heavy helping of extras. A five-speed manual transmission, alloy wheels, driving lights, a dashful of gauges, a padded roll bar, velour upholstery, power windows and locks, and rear-wheel anti-lock brakes are standard. The few options include a four-speed automatic and air conditioning.
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