Dodgevanman.com

Before the Warlock and Li'l Red Express of the late 1960s, Dodge built a COE (cab over engine) design that was marketed as a utilitarian pickup, but ended up being a real performance machine. The stylish A100 was introduced in 1964 to compete with Ford's successful compact Econoline pickups. Both vehicles may have looked somewhat like Volkswagen's bus-based pickup, but these rear-wheel-drive trucks were true COE designs, rather than having the engine in the rear like the VW and Chevy's failed Rampside and Loadside.

The Econoline may have outsold the Dodge, but because of the A100's drag racing heritage and the Chryco performance image of this era, today the A100 is in far greater demand among collectors.

Drag racer Bill "Maverick" Golden drove a 426 Hemi-powered A100. The legendary Little Red Wagon had been built by Jim Collier and Don Schaefer at the Dodge Truck Engineering Shack in Warren Michigan during the Winter of ’64-’65 the Dodge truck engineers as a colourful exhibition machine. A special sub-frame held the Hemi engine and rear-mounted TorqueFlite transmission, 10-in. slicks and a dragster fuel tank. Golden's Little Red Wagon was capable of 10-second E.T.s and speeds of 125 mph, and was slowed by a parachute affixed to the tailgate.

Photographs of the Little Red Wagon always showed it doing "wheelies" as it came off the line, due to its power and short 90-in. wheelbase. Dragster fans had this image, and that of "Wild Bill" Bob Riggle famed "Hemi Under Glass" Barracuda burned into their brains forever. As a result, many restored A100s are not always stock since most came with six-cylinder engines although Chrysler did offer them with V8s. With all the Mopar accessories available it's no wonder these trucks are popular as alternative muscle vehicles.

In 1964, the compact A100 pickup was one of just three models based on this design, along with a van and the multi-passenger Sportsman wagon. The level floor made the loading and delivery of bulky items much easier.

The A100 was shorter, wider and taller than either the Ford Econoline, or the Corvair-based Chevrolet Greenbriar. At 2,790 lbs. it weighed about as much as the Chevy, but was 200 lbs. heavier than the Econoline. The A100 had a GVW rating of 5,200 lbs. and a pickup box that was rated at 213 cu. ft. The spare tire mounted on the inside of the box was unique.

BIGGEST ENGINE

Originally, two slant sixes were available: the 101-hp, 170-cu.-in. engine and the 140 hp, 225-cu.-in. unit. The 225 was actually the biggest engine in the compact truck field back then. A three-speed manual was standard, while the three-speed LoadFlite automatic, with dash-mounted stick, was an option.

Sitting behind the wheel of an A100 is like driving a small bus. Back then its seating position was considered quite different, but with today's FWD minivans, most people would find driving it second nature.

At the 1965 Chicago Auto Show an A100 Camper Wagon was unveiled, but otherwise the A100 compact trucks would look virtually the same throughout their production life, except for minor trim changes.

In 1965, the big news was the availability of the 174-hp, 273-cu.-in. V8. This was the first step in providing a buyer the option of turning his A100 into something more than a utilitarian workhorse. It was also the first year of Dodge's five year/50,000 mile warranty program that caught the entire truck industry off guard.

Built with the only V8 in its class and stronger axles, heavy duty suspension and larger wheels and tires, the A100 was becoming a great dual-purpose work and play vehicle.

In 1966, the A100 continued with only minor changes and production rose for all models, up from the previous year's 22,348 units.

New for the A100 in 1967 was an even larger 210-hp, 318-cu.-in. V8 replacing the 273-cu.-in. engine. New safety regulations saw the addition of a padded instrument panel, padded dual sunvisors and a dual braking system. A different look came in the form of optional rear quarter windows available as part of a custom cab package, or separately. Other optional niceties included a cigar lighter, a driver's armrest, a chrome horn ring and extra interior sound and heat insulation. Bright-finish hubcaps were also offered. An expanded 108-inch wheelbase was available on van and Sportsman models only.

In 1968, more luxurious appointments were added, including colour-keyed interiors. Outside, there was a new grille and new two-tone paint schemes.

The last full year of production continued to see only mild upgrades. In 1970 a fully-synchronized three-speed manual transmission became available for the V8 and the 190-cu.-in. six replaced the old 170-cu.-in. engine.

In April, 1970, the A100 was replaced by the 1971 B-Series vans and no pickup version was available.