Back in the early 1960s, pickup trucks were utilitarian vehicles. Maybe you were a farmer picking up livestock feed, a gardener transporting mulch, or a tradesman bringing heavy materials to a job site — the humble pickup truck got it done. Fast forward to today and you'll see a variety of high-end, luxurious trucks with power and acceleration that rivals that of sports cars. So, how did we get here? The Dodge D100 and its High Performance Package option paved the way to modern muscle trucks like the Ram TRX, but its high cost and limited production made the D100 HPP extremely rare.
Photos courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine and Mecum Auctions
The Grandfather to Modern Muscle Trucks
"Dragmaster" photo via user TexasHardcore on TheJalopyJournal.com
As with many innovations in the muscle car world, the story of the muscle truck started on the drag strip. A San Diego, California radio DJ named Dick Boynton got the idea to modify his 1963 Dodge D100 with a 420-horsepower 413ci Max Wedge V8, the same type that appeared in Chrysler's famous Dart Ramcharger the previous year. Boynton called it the "Dragmaster" and ran an impressive 12.7 second quarter-mile at 108mph, winning the B/FX (factory experimental) class at the 1963 Pomona Winternationals event.
Dodge leadership took notice and decided to offer D100 buyers a taste of this race-ready performance. Starting in 1963, buyers could select the High Performance Package (HPP) option to equip their new D100 with a street-legal 413ci Street Wedge, which produced a stout 360 horsepower. In early 1964, the 413 got upgraded to 426ci displacement with 365 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque.
The High Performance Package also included a 727 LoadFlite three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, heavy-duty springs and traction bars, and a 6,000rpm tachometer.
Unlike some other secretive, race-oriented option packages — like the 427ci COPO Camaro — the D100 HPP wasn't only available to insiders who knew what to ask for. Anyone could buy one... but there was a catch. The HPP option cost $1,235, which was a staggering 67% of the $3,500 base price of a Dodge D100, and buyers had to pay in full up front without any Chrysler financing.
Dodge reportedly only built 50 D100s with the HPP package between 1963 and 1965, and only a handful are known to survive today. The HPP-equipped 1964 D100 pictured here was featured by Motor Trend.
Most D100s with the HPP package also featured another innovative option package known as Custom Sports Special (CSS). The CSS package cost an additional $235 and added black vinyl Dodge Dart GT bucket seats, full interior carpet, armrests, and sun visors. The exterior received chrome bumpers and racing stripes on the hood and roof. This level of luxury in a truck was unexpected at the time but proved to be a wise forecast for the future of the truck market.
With the HPP and CSS packages, the D100 was nearly $5,000. This truck cost more than a new Corvette at the time, and it had to be bought outright without financing!
Motor Trend wrote, "The lucky few who sprang for the magic combination of CSS and HPP bought the great-granddaddy of every Ram SRT-10, Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, or Chevy Silverado 454SS pickup." It was truly a groundbreaking vehicle.
A decade later, Dodge would continue down the high-performance truck path with its famous Li'l Red Express, which is often considered the first proper "muscle truck." It was also seemingly a little before its time and didn't sell well, but it paved the way to modern trucks like the TRX and Raptor.
Looking for Classic Dodge Truck Parts?
The Dodge D100's history is intertwined with that of modern luxury and muscle trucks, so we're always happy to see restored examples like the one pictured above. While reproduction parts for Dodge trucks aren't quite as plentiful as those for Ford and GM, Classic Industries offers a growing selection of restoration parts for classic 1961-93 Dodge trucks. Click the button below to browse our complete selection of Dodge truck parts:
