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The Dengler Domain: Dodge Rampage

The Dodge Rampage was the greatest car ever made. This wonderful beast was built from 1982-1984. Was it a car built as a truck or a truck built as a car? No one knows. This mythical road warrior hit the road looking for adventure. The long front end makes it look like an El Camino, but this vehicle is far from it. The amount of speed in it was average at best. This is okay. If the Rampage was brought back today, it would not be uncool. It would take a page from the Pabst Blue Ribbon playbook and be cool.

At this point, I should reveal I am biased towards this wonderful car. Growing up, my family owned this beast of a vehicle. It was red with two orange stripes down the middle. While this color is not the most appealing to one’s eye, it looks good on the Rampage. Last I knew, this car was sitting out in front of AWE. I remember being driven to school and listening to country music on its knob based radio. The knob controlled a bar which you would have to guess what station you were possibly on. One would need to listen long enough to find out if it was the correct station. This is a long way from our touch based radio systems in today’s vehicles.

On our way to homecoming my freshman year, my brother and I went 0 to 60 in no less than 15 seconds. Some might call this slow, but I call this the most appropriate and safe way to go fast in a car. Speed might be something the Rampage lacked, but undeniable good looks is something it always had. The car was an automatic, but the shifter for park and drive was a stick on the floor. This made one think they were cool enough to drive manual but not really. The seats in this wonderful mobile were black with two red stripes down the middle. This was somewhat like the exterior but with a lot better color coordination.

Sadly, this car met its demise after its twenty plus years cruising the roads. The bottom of the vehicle was rusted out to an extent it might turn into a Flintstone type of car. It proudly went off into the greener pastures of AWE. I miss this car every day. It is like no other car I have seen. It might not have been the coolest car, but it definitely had the admiration and respect of the populace. This vehicle is a wonderful car, and I wish we could all take it out for a spin.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com

The Dengler Domain: Dodge Rampage

The Dodge Rampage was the greatest car ever made. This wonderful beast was built from 1982-1984. Was it a car built as a truck or a truck built as a car? No one knows. This mythical road warrior hit the road looking for adventure. The long front end makes it look like an El Camino, but this vehicle is far from it. The amount of speed in it was average at best. This is okay. If the Rampage was brought back today, it would not be uncool. It would take a page from the Pabst Blue Ribbon playbook and be cool.

At this point, I should reveal I am biased towards this wonderful car. Growing up, my family owned this beast of a vehicle. It was red with two orange stripes down the middle. While this color is not the most appealing to one’s eye, it looks good on the Rampage. Last I knew, this car was sitting out in front of AWE. I remember being driven to school and listening to country music on its knob based radio. The knob controlled a bar which you would have to guess what station you were possibly on. One would need to listen long enough to find out if it was the correct station. This is a long way from our touch based radio systems in today’s vehicles.

On our way to homecoming my freshman year, my brother and I went 0 to 60 in no less than 15 seconds. Some might call this slow, but I call this the most appropriate and safe way to go fast in a car. Speed might be something the Rampage lacked, but undeniable good looks is something it always had. The car was an automatic, but the shifter for park and drive was a stick on the floor. This made one think they were cool enough to drive manual but not really. The seats in this wonderful mobile were black with two red stripes down the middle. This was somewhat like the exterior but with a lot better color coordination.

Sadly, this car met its demise after its twenty plus years cruising the roads. The bottom of the vehicle was rusted out to an extent it might turn into a Flintstone type of car. It proudly went off into the greener pastures of AWE. I miss this car every day. It is like no other car I have seen. It might not have been the coolest car, but it definitely had the admiration and respect of the populace. This vehicle is a wonderful car, and I wish we could all take it out for a spin.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com