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Dodge Rampage
1982 Dodge Rampage
Overview
Manufacturer	Dodge (Chrysler)
Also called	Plymouth Scamp
Production	1982–1984
Model years	1982–1984
Assembly	United States: Belvidere, Illinois (Belvidere Assembly)
Body and chassis
Class	Coupé utility
Body style	2-door truck
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
Platform	L-body
Related	Dodge Charger Dodge Omni 024 Plymouth TC3 Plymouth Turismo
Powertrain
Engine	2.2 L K I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 5-speed manual 3-speed TorqueFlite A404 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	104.2 in (2,647 mm)
Length	183.8 in (4,669 mm)
Width	66.8 in (1,696 mm)
Height	51.7 in (1,314 mm)
Curb weight	2,293 lbs (1,040 kg)

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. Plymouth marketed a rebadged variant for model year 1983, as the Scamp.

The Rampage combined the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a traditional passenger car with the open-bed versatility and load capacity of a small pickup truck, similar to its competitors: the Volkswagen Rabbit Sportruck and Subaru BRAT.

Description

Rampage

The Rampage borrowed the car's unibody construction and front end panels and components from the Dodge Omni 024 (later renamed the Charger), using the suspension from its parent vehicles with coil struts and a linkless sway bar at the front, and leaf springs with shock absorbers unique to the Rampage at the rear.

The Rampage was available with a Chrysler-built and designed 2.2 L carbureted inline-four engine with 84 hp (63 kW) to 99 hp (74 kW) depending on the year, a curb weight of around 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) and used a four-speed manual transmission or three-speed automatic transmission. These arrangements gave the vehicle limited performance.

Performance was improved with the introduction of a five-speed manual transmission in 1983. The truck had a load capacity of 1,145 lb (519 kg), for a true "half ton" rating and about 90% that of the Chevrolet El Camino’s rating of 1,250 lb (570 kg).

In 1984, the Rampage received a facelifted front fascia shared with the Charger, with quad 165 mm x 100 mm sealed beam headlights opposed to the dual 200 mm x 142 mm sealed beam headlights found on previous models. The grille was also changed, switching from a 6-slot design to a vertically split design. The lower bumper featured revised indicators, a horizontally split lower air intake, and an impact strip that wrapped around the front end.

The Plymouth Scamp was only marketed for 1983. The Rampage lasted three years before being dropped from production after the 1984 model year. There was a "Shelby Rampage" built by Chrysler/Shelby engineers in their free time for Carroll Shelby, but there is no official record of the existence of such a vehicle. However, a special California market "Direct Connection" Rampage was built in 1984 and only sold at certain California-area Dodge dealerships, which featured the front fascia from the Shelby Charger, 15-inch alloy wheels, and a ground effects package.

Only 250 "Direct Connection" Rampages were produced. 1/3 Black 1/3 Garnet Red 1/3 Santa Fe Blue.

The Dodge Rampage produced sales of 17,636 in 1982, 8,033 in 1983, and 11,732 in 1984 — and total sales for the Plymouth Scamp were 2,184 base models and 1,380 for the Scamp GT.

2006 concept

Dodge resurrected the Rampage name at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show with a front-wheel drive concept pickup. As opposed to the original Rampage, this concept vehicle was as large as the full-size Dodge Ram. It was powered by the 5.7 L Hemi V8 and featured "Stow 'n Go" seating taken from the Chrysler minivans.

References

1. "The Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon". allpar.com.
2. "Plymouth Scamp and Dodge Rampage: economy car based pickups". Allpar. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
3. "The 1984 Dodge California Shelby Rampage". Allpar. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
4. Florea, Ciprian (2022-02-26). "The Story of the Dodge Rampage, Mopar's Forgotten Mini Truck". autoevolution. Retrieved 2023-05-05.

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Category Commons Rebadged models, mostly from Japanese or Korean manufacturers – Rebadged Chrysler/Plymouth models for external markets

• Dodge vehicles
• Front-wheel-drive vehicles
• Coupé utilities
• Cars introduced in 1982
• Cars discontinued in 1984