In the early days of the pickup truck, people purchased them solely for their utility, but that would change drastically. At some point in the 1990s, only 15% of truck owners bought a truck for work purposes, and today, that number is probably even lower.
As the way we used trucks changed, manufacturers soon realized they could make some extra money by introducing ‘lifestyle’ trucks. Since then, we’ve seen exotic trucks, performance trucks, luxury trucks, you name it.
It’s gone so far that some car collectors are adding these rare and exclusive trucks to their wishlist, pushing prices higher than ever.
In no particular order, let’s check out some of the rarest and coolest pickup trucks you’ll never see in real life.
Lincoln Blackwood
Lincoln built the Blackwood to look pretty rather than actually being useful as a utility vehicle. Lincoln is known for its premium vehicles, not work vehicles, and no one cared about a pickup truck that used the finest materials.
The Blackwood’s bed had a permanent tonneau cover, which was probably great regarding cargo safety. Unfortunately, it also meant the cargo capacity was minimal. The truck also only came in rear-wheel drive, so it wasn’t particularly good off-road.
Chevrolet Silverado Intimidator SS
In 2006, Chevrolet built a special edition Silverado, the Intimidator SS. Dale Earnhardt Inc. licensed the name in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt, known as The Intimidator.
The Intimidator SS doesn’t stand out in a parking lot, but it does look menacing thanks to its Black Onyx exterior, Intimidator branding, and rear spoiler. It featured embroidered headrests and cloth or leather interior options on the inside. Chevrolet built 1,333 Silverado Intimidator SS pickup trucks, all powered by a Vortec 6000 V8 engine producing 345 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque.
Chevrolet K10 Sno Chaser
The 1984 Chevrolet Sno Chaser is like the abominable snowman – you’ll never spot one of these in the wild. It’s among the rarest of all Chevrolet pickups and was only available in red with golden stripes.
As its name suggests, the Sno Chaser was sold exclusively in the northern states. It was a truck built for colder climates where the roads could get icy and came with snow tires and all-wheel drive as standard.
GMC Sierra California Sundancer
General Motors didn’t just build special trucks for colder climates. With the Sno Chaser available in northern parts of the States, GMC created the Sundancer exclusively for Southern California.
Since it was sold in the Golden State, GMC decided to paint the special edition bright yellow. A sunroof was obligatory to make it more appealing to the southern California market. GMC only sold a handful of Sundancers in 1987.
Dodge Shelby Dakota
Dodge and Carroll Shelby teamed up in the late 1980s, and one of the creations they collaborated on was the Dodge Shelby Dakota. They only built around 1,500 units of the special edition truck; 640 were painted white, and the rest were red.
Under the hood was a 5.2-liter Magnum V8 that produced 175 horsepower. The Shelby Dakota also received some cosmetic updates, such as the 15-inch 5-spoke hollow alloy wheels, unique bumpers, and a fiberglass light bar.
Dodge Dude
The Dodge Dude, or “Dude Sport Trim Package,” was one of the first special edition Dodge trucks. They only built around 1,500 to 2,000 of them; today, they’re like hens’ teeth.
The Dude featured factory-fitted bucket seats, a tachometer, and a 383 V8 engine with over 300 horsepower. It also had a “C” stripe in either black or white that ran along the length of the truck on the sides and unique badges on the rear.
Ford F-250 Bigfoot Cruiser
Monster trucks were huge in the 1980s (pun totally intended), and Ford partnered up with Bob Chandler to cash in on the craze. This partnership led to the F-250 Bigfoot Cruiser Package, available from 1987 to 1990.
Ford only built 300 units of the F250 Bigfoot Cruiser. Under the hood was a 7.5-liter engine paired with an automatic transmission. The Bigfoot Cruiser had oversized 33-inch tires, a 3-inch lift, a light bar, and a Warn Enforcer front bumper. Unfortunately, safety recalls meant that most of the special parts had to be removed.
Jeep J10 Honcho
When Jeep dropped the Gladiator moniker for its J series trucks, they upgraded it with a new front axle, disc brakes on the front, six-stud wheels, and heavier frame cross members. The J10 lineup featured trim options such as the Honcho, 10-4, and Golden Eagle.
The Honcho is the rarest of these, with only 1,264 trucks built between 1976 and 1983. It featured a striking paint job, bold striping, and decals. The wheels measured 8×15 inches and were wrapped in off-road tires. It also had a roll bar, a sports steering wheel, and a denim interior by Levi’s.
Ford SkyRanger Convertible
At one point, someone at the Ford HQ decided that a convertible truck with a superhero-like name was precisely what the world needed. The SkyRanger was a special edition of the extended-cab Ranger with an aero kit and a manual soft top that folded behind the front seats.
Its 4.0-liter Cologne V6 engine and five-speed manual transmission sent the 155 horses to all four wheels. Ford commissioned the American Sunroof Company to perform the convertible conversions. In the end, they made 17 SkyRangers.
Chevrolet Blazer Chalet
The 4×4 Chevy Blazer Chalet was a unique creation that could’ve morphed into the perfect overland vehicle or something for the van life community had Chevy kept developing it. Unfortunately, none of those were a thing back then, so only a few people bought one. It also had a ridiculous price tag, which impacted sales.
The Blazer Chalet had a cabin on the back featuring a pop-up roof, a tiny kitchen, and a bed. Everything that’s needed to get away from society.
Jeep CJ 10
The Jeep CJ 10 was intended for the Australian market but was too expensive, so Jeep only built 300 or so during its four-year production run. If you’re a Jeep enthusiast, this could be the rare pickup truck you didn’t even know you wanted.
The CJ 10 offered three different engine options: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a 4.2-liter straight-six, and a 3.3-liter straight-six diesel made by Nissan.
1962 GMC Fenderside Crew Cab
The 1962 GMC Fenderside Crew Cab certainly has a unique style, and it’s a little-known fact that they weren’t built at GM’s factories.
Coachbuilders purpose-built these four-seaters for the railroad industry. It’s also ridiculously rare – Only six were built, and just one is still in the US today, while three are confirmed to reside in Canada.
Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi GTX
Dodge introduced the Ram 1500 Hemi GTX in 2004. They only built 443 units the first year and roughly the same the following year.
Under the hood, it has a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, so it’s safe to say that it packs a punch. Befitting for a muscle truck, it was available in some proper, eye-catching muscle car colors, such as Plum Crazy Purple, Hemi Orange, Sublime Green, and Banana Yellow.
GMC Sierra Grande Olympic Edition
GMC built the Sierra Grande Olympic Edition to commemorate Canada’s 1976 Olympic Summer Games. Therefore, it was exclusively available on the Canadian market that year.
GMC built only 630 of them, all painted in a white and red color scheme, with decals and a hood ornament that included the five Olympic rings. It had a 165 horsepower 350cid V8 under the hood, which was respectable for a truck back then.
Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible
It wasn’t just Ford that thought it would be a good idea to build a convertible pickup truck. Dodge had the same idea in the early ’90s. Unfortunately, it flopped spectacularly.
It seems most truck drivers aren’t really all that interested in looking stylish and feeling the wind blowing through their hair; they just want to haul stuff around.
GMC Syclone
High-performance trucks and SUVs are everywhere nowadays, but the world was a very different place in the early 1990s. GMC took one of its Sonoma trucks, fitted a 280 horsepower turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 under its hood, and named it Syclone. After all, it was the world’s fastest truck.
The Syclone had all-wheel-drive and sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds – faster than most sports cars back then but could only haul 500 lbs. 2,998 Syclones were made; if that’s not rare enough for you, there were some special editions.
Dodge D Series High Performance
Dodge only built the D Series High-Performance Package between 1964 and 1966, making it very special. But there was more to it than just rarity.
The Dodge D Series High Performance packed a ton of Mopar performance parts. It had a 375 horsepower 426 V8 engine, a 6,000 rpm tacho, performance transmission, revised suspension, bucket seats, and racing stripes. Around 50 were sold, and many of those no longer exist.
Dodge Li’l Red Express
Dodge built several fantastic special edition models for their third-generation D series pickup truck. The Li’l Red Express from 1978 is arguably the coolest one of them all. It was part of Dodge’s ‘adult toys’ line, and featured unique styling, a luxurious interior, and plenty of power.
The Li’l Red Express may have been built at the height of the malaise era, but thanks to a loophole, manufacturers could still build trucks without catalytic converters. That meant the Li’l Red Express’ 360 V8 engine produced 225 horsepower, making it one of the fastest vehicles sold in the States in 1978.
Dodge Midnite Express
The 1978 Dodge Midnite Express was the Li’l Red Express’ brother, and the dealer-converted truck comes with a black paint scheme, ‘Midnite Express Truck’ decals on the doors, gold pinstripes, and twin exhaust stacks.
Whereas the Li’l Red Express used the 360 engines, the Midnite Express came with the 440 engine that produced 245 horsepower. Dodge only built around 200 of these awesome classic trucks.
1956 Chevrolet Cameo Task Force
In the mid-to-late ’50s, Chevrolet’s Task Force series changed the pickup truck game. For the first time, trucks were viewed as possible lifestyle vehicles rather than mere haulers.
The Cameo Carrier featured things found on regular cars, such as V8 engine options, Hydra-Matic transmission, dual-paint schemes, chrome, and wraparound windshields inspired by cars of that era.
Chevrolet S10 EV
Most car manufacturers are producing EVs now, and GM played that game long before electric cars became a thing. In the late ’90s, Chevrolet built 492 S10 EVs – 60 were sold, and the rest were leased. At the end of the lease, GM destroyed them all, but some of the sold ones are still around.
The S10 EV only had 72 miles of range when it was new, so buying one now would most likely come with severely reduced range – you’d be lucky to make it to the end of your driveway.
Chevrolet C10 Big 10
The Chevy C10 was a standard half-ton truck, but Chevy had a stroke of genius when it marketed the Big 10 as a heavy-duty pickup truck, as it effectively allowed them to bypass emissions regulations. The law stated that all vehicles weighing 6,000 lbs or less had to comply with emissions standards. Chevy built the Big 10 to weigh in slightly above that.
The smallest engine available in the Big 10 was a 350ci V8. The most popular choice was, by far, the 454ci V8 that made the truck powerful enough to keep up with the Corvette. The 454 Big 10 sprinted from 0 to 60 in 8.9 seconds, and the 350′ Vette barely beat it with its 8.1 second time.
Dodge Rod Hall Signature Edition
Dodge only built 33 Rod Hall Signature Edition truck units in 1990, so this is a limited edition truck in the truest sense. The Baja-inspired 4×4 truck was a collaboration between professional off-road racer Rod Hall, Dodge, and Carroll Shelby.
The Rod Hall Signature Edition package featured a 170 horsepower 5.2-liter V8 mated to an A727 Torque Flite three-speed automatic transmission and high-performance parts such as Rancho shocks and springs, power steering, power brakes, and a light bar.
Lamborghini LM002
Until recently, Lamborghini was never known for its practical vehicles, and then the Urus came along and ruined it. The Urus wasn’t the Italian brand’s first attempt at making something that could venture off-road.
In the late 1980s, Lamborghini built 328 examples of the LM002, a huge off-road-capable pickup truck lovingly called the ‘Rambo Lambo.’ It wasn’t pretty, but it did come with a Countach-sourced V12 engine.
