It was the 1970s, and the light-duty American pickup was transforming into something far beyond the dented, dusty workhorse that had defined its social status since the first cargo bed was haphazardly bolted to a car frame.

Arguably started when Chevrolet first introduced its decidedly upmarket Cameo in the late 1950s, pickups had gradually made their way to a new level of comfort and appointments ever since.

By the decade’s midpoint, the Big Three had transformed their trucks into cruisers that were more about ponying up profits than packing in a payload. Ford had the Lariat option package for its F-Series, and a C-K pickup from Chevrolet could be had as a Cheyenne (or from GMC, as a High Sierra). Order one of these trucks and you received all of the available bright exterior trim, a seriously upgraded, car-like cab interior, and any number of convenience extras. At Dodge, where the maximum pickup was usually defined as a no-bologna Power Wagon, the pendulum began to swing in the direction of lavish appointments, at least by pickup standards.

The result was the Adventurer package, which resurrected a retired De Soto model moniker and applied it to a full-size Dodge pickup. Bright, two-toned finishes and additional chrome befitting an upscale American sedan or hardtop was the norm in an Adventurer. It did a lot to transform the way in which people considered Dodge trucks. All of a sudden, a Dodge pickup wasn’t the stripped hauler on a dirt road that featured in so many episodes of Lassie. Instead, Dodge had itself a dressy truck.

ABOUT THIS TRUCK

• For a variety of reasons —starting with rust—not many examples of Adventurer pickups from the 1970s are still around today. Even fewer are as well preserved and authentic as this 1975 Dodge D100.
• We bought this truck in factory original condition, as can be seen in photos here. It was a relatively rust free truck with worn out paintwork; it was actually in pretty good shape when we got it.
• We got it fully repainted by Performance Panel & Paint in Christchurch at a cost of circa 25K. Any mechanical work was carried out by V8 specialist Dr Trans in North Canterbury.
• Truck looks and goes great, and this one is a good, honest example.
• Good tires, new battery.
• Lots of power (360 Cubic Inch) and so smooth to drive.
• A (VERY) worn out build sheet comes with Truck.
• Spare wheel available.
• Sale will include white Dodge Decal on rear tail gate, a brand new (White or black) Tonneau Cover, and front Dodge letters on bonnet.

We don’t have a lot of pickup trucks in our collection but we know that these style Dodges are very popular now, and that it’s hard to find one that’s in decent shape.

This is a good example - once on the sideline, classic pickup trucks are commanding huge interest—and big-time prices—against the backdrop of an evolving hobby.

Vintage trucks are hot and a driving force in the collector market. They’re no longer a niche, reserved for Chevy Cameo pickups, Dodge Li’l Red Expresses or the sporadic Willys/Jeep. Trucks are mainstream for the first time since World War II or maybe in 100 years, and they’re the market’s most consistent fast-growing subset.

No one is precisely sure how we got here, or when, exactly. But we’re definitely here, and from here, we can identify some of the channels that carried trucks to the center. Trucks are still generally cheaper to acquire than a lot of classic cars—cheaper to restore, easier to modify or upgrade and more durable and utilitarian than most vintage cars to drive, even on a daily basis. The new-car market’s appetite for trucks and SUVs is bleeding into the vintage world. Yet maybe the most important (and optimistic) force behind the vintage truck boom is demographic. For the first time in a long, long time, a shift in the market is being driven by someone other than baby boomers. The leading edge of the vintage truck wave is Gen Xers and even millennials, and it has legs.

We actually think there could be a blue-chip truck. The open question is what it’s going to be?

Car will be sold WOF'd and Registered if sold in New Zealand.

TRANSPORT / WORLDWIDE SHIPPING CAN BE ORGANISED ON THIS VEHICLE ON BUYER'S BEHALF AT BUYERS COST.

Viewing is STRICTLY BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT only.