1979 Dodge Li'l Red Express — Numbers-Matching 360 V8, 1 of Only 5,118 Built Why This Car Is Special The 1979 Dodge Li'l Red Express is one of the most historically significant American trucks ever built, and that is not an overstatement. When Chrysler engineers and marketers put together the Li'l Red Express package in 1978, they did so with a specific goal: build the fastest production vehicle available to American consumers by exploiting a regulatory loophole. At the time, passenger cars were subject to increasingly strict EPA emissions controls that strangled horsepower.

Light trucks were not held to the same standard. Dodge took full advantage of that window, building a truck that could outrun most sports cars of the era in a straight line. The Li'l Red Express was only offered for two model years — 1978 and 1979.

The 1978 version came with a 360 cubic inch LA V8 rated at 225 horsepower and produced 2,188 units. For 1979, Dodge revised the package, bumping production to 5,118 units. This truck is one of those 5,118.

The 1979 model received a number of refinements over the first year, including the addition of the new rectangular quad headlight front end — a departure from the round headlights on the 1978 — which gives the truck its distinctive square-faced look that collectors specifically seek out. The Li'l Red Express was built on Dodge's D150 half-ton short-bed platform, badged as the Adventurer 150, which is confirmed by the Adventurer badge present on this truck. The package was dealer-installed from factory components, meaning each truck left the Dodge plant with the same core visual and mechanical identity: the pair of chrome exhaust stacks rising alongside the cab, the oak wood bed sides and tailgate, the stepside bed configuration, and the red-on-red color scheme that was the only option available.

This truck delivers all of it. A word on context: Road & Track magazine tested the 1978 Li'l Red Express and clocked it as the quickest American vehicle they had tested that year — faster than the Corvette and the Pontiac Trans Am in the quarter mile. By 1979, tightened emissions tuning brought the output numbers down somewhat, but the formula remained intact.

What you have here is a low-production, purpose-built performance truck from an era when trucks like this simply were not supposed to exist. Features List 360 CID LA V8 engine Edelbrock performance intake manifold Holley carburetor MSD ignition upgrade 3-speed automatic transmission Power steering Power front disc brakes, drum brakes rear Dual chrome exhaust stacks with chrome heat shields Iconic Li'l Red Express package Oak wood bed sides and tailgate Stepside bed Cragar chrome wheels Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires Auto Meter custom gauge cluster Dash-mount tachometer GT Sport aftermarket steering wheel Aftermarket touchscreen stereo Door panel speakers Red cloth bench seat Wood-trimmed dash Chrome front and rear bumpers Chrome side steps Gold body pinstriping Li'l Red Express door and tailgate decals Adventurer 150 badge Solid, clean undercarriage Spare tire Rectangular quad headlights Mechanical Under the hood sits the 360 cubic inch LA V8 — the same displacement engine that gave the Li'l Red Express its reputation in the late 1970s. This particular truck has been upgraded with an Edelbrock performance intake manifold, which replaces the factory iron unit with a design that improves airflow and throttle response across a broader RPM range.

Sitting on top of that is a Holley carburetor, a natural pairing with the Edelbrock manifold and a combination that is well-documented to improve power output over the factory setup. The ignition has been upgraded to an MSD unit, which provides a stronger and more consistent spark — particularly useful at higher RPMs where a stock points-style or basic electronic ignition can begin to misfire. The transmission is a 3-speed automatic, which was the correct pairing for the Li'l Red Express package as offer