What was the dodges version of the El Camino?
The Dodge Rampage, produced from 1982 to 1984, was Dodge’s compact, front‑wheel‑drive answer to Chevrolet’s El Camino—a two‑door coupe with a built‑in cargo bed designed to blend car‑like handling with pickup utility.
In this article, we explain what the Rampage was, how it fit into Dodge’s lineup, and why it’s often cited as the closest Dodge ever came to the El Camino concept.
Origins and design
The Rampage represented a short‑lived experiment in the U.S. auto market during the early 1980s when makers explored coupe‑style pickups as a niche alternative to full‑size trucks. Dodge marketed the Rampage as a sport truck, borrowing styling cues from its Omni/Horizon siblings while giving it a distinct bed for light hauling. It was built on the same front‑drive, unibody engineering that underpinned Dodge’s Horizon/Omni era vehicles.
What follows is a closer look at how the Rampage fit into the market and what it offered customers.
- Production years: 1982–1984
- Body style: 2‑door coupe utility with a built‑in cargo bed
- Drivetrain: front‑wheel drive with unibody construction
- Platform: based on Dodge’s early‑1980s front‑drive architecture
- Powertrain: typically a 2.2‑liter inline‑four engine
The Rampage offered a blend of car handling with a small pickup’s practicality, aimed at buyers who wanted sportier styling without moving up to a larger truck. However, sales were modest, and Dodge did not continue the concept beyond the mid‑1980s, making the Rampage a niche footnote in American automotive history.
Legacy and why enthusiasts remember it
Today, the Rampage is remembered as Dodge’s most direct attempt to replicate the El Camino formula—a two‑door, front‑drive coupe pickup that captured a brief fascination with blending passenger car comfort and utility. It’s a curiosity for collectors and a notable reminder of a period when automakers experimented with unconventional body types.
Bottom line
The Dodge Rampage stands as the direct, historical answer to the El Camino within the Dodge lineup: a short‑lived, 2‑door coupe utility produced 1982–1984 that aimed to combine sportiness with light hauling capabilities.
Summary: The Rampage embodied Dodge’s El Camino analogue in the 1980s—a bold but brief attempt to offer a car‑like driving experience with the practicality of a pickup bed, a concept that lives on in automotive lore more than in subsequent production.
What is the other car that looks like an El Camino?
Cars that look like the El Camino include its direct counterpart, the Ford Ranchero, and its GMC sibling, the GMC Sprint/Caballero. Other cars with a similar car-based pickup concept are the Dodge Rampage and the Chevrolet SSR, while unique conversions like the 1976 Cadillac Mirage also exist.
You can watch this video to learn about the history of El Camino and Ranchero: 42sGraphic Cars EvolutionYouTube · Nov 25, 2023
Direct competitors and siblings
- Ford Ranchero: A long-time rival to the El Camino, the Ranchero was Ford's version of the car-based pickup truck, similar in concept and design.
- GMC Sprint / Caballero: For many years, GMC produced its own version of the El Camino, which was nearly identical except for the badging.
Other car-based pickups
- Dodge Rampage: This subcompact pickup was based on a car platform and was Dodge's answer to the El Camino and Ranchero.
- Chevrolet SSR: This retro-styled, two-door convertible pickup truck was designed as a modern revival of the car-based pickup concept, paying homage to the El Camino legacy.
Unique and custom conversions
- 1976 Cadillac Mirage: This was a custom conversion of a Cadillac Coupe de Ville into an El Camino-like vehicle by a company in California. Only a limited number were made.
- Toyota Crown Pickup: A car-based pickup truck from Japan that shared a similar design concept to the El Camino and Ranchero.
Are Dodge rampages rare?
Turns out it was a Dodge Rampage, a subcompact pickup truck produced from 1982–1984. It was designed to be a car-like truck that combined the handling of a passenger car with the load capacity of a small pickup truck – Dodge's answer to the Chevy El Camino. Only 37,000 were made.
Did Dodge have a version of El Camino?
Dodge actually did have an El Camino competitor in the 80s called the Rampage.
What was the Dodge El Camino called?
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured and marketed from 1982 to 1984 model years.
