Since the advent of Curbside Classic, Paul and Company have been able to capture and chronicle a vast array of automobiles. We have also been able to document a number of remarkably rare automobiles, such as a Tatra in the United States (CC here), a six cylinder ’68 Charger (CC here), and even a Marmon (CC here).
This Dodge Ram is perhaps an equally rare bird.
Don’t let the external package persuade you into thinking this is just an ordinary 3/4 ton Dodge pickup. Quite the opposite. The history leading up to the creation of this “Golden Garnet” edition Ram is just shy of legendary.
For years Dodge had been languishing in the perennial pickup sales race in the United States. Chrysler Corporation was always the recipient of some degree of flak over this, mainly from the chattering ninnies in the automotive press. Throughout the 1980s, the focus at Chrysler Corporation had been on cars and since Dodge had always been third in pickup sales anyway, the press-induced grief didn’t really bother anyone. These pickups were a glutton for punishment and government fleets all over North America were perpetually clamoring for more durable, low-cost pickups. Dodge was always able and eager to deliver.
1994 brought a wave of fresh energy to Chrysler Corporation with the introduction of the new Kenworth-on-a-diet look Ram pickup. Sales jumped like a person being defibrillated, going from 100,000 in 1993 to 240,000 in 1994. Everyone at Chrysler was deliriously jubilant and could almost hear Ford and GM saying “uh-oh” to themselves. It was truly a moment of epic proportions.
Yet throughout history, there have always been those nay-sayers, those tedious wet blankets who need to be told to stuff a sock in it. At their highest moment of glee, such happened for Dodge.
Lee Iacocca called Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton. Iacocca wasn’t keen on the new pickup. Lee was concerned there wasn’t enough sizzle, pizzazz, and glamor with the new Ram. As Iacocca did have some influence in the company, as well as with Eaton, time was taken to listen to him.
Various records from Chrysler state Iacocca was emphatic that something similar to the Ford F-150 Eddie Bauer Edition needed to be created for the new Ram. His concern was the big market of pseudo-outdoorsmen left untapped by the new pickup. Knowing Iacocca had a formidable track record in identifying emerging markets, Chrysler management was reluctant to ignore him, but they were also hesitant to listen to him. They knew Iacocca had had a few major blunders over the years, such as the 1981 Imperial (CC here), and they could almost hear him say “Ram” and “vinyl roof” in the same sentence.
A task force was assembled to see what could be done to placate Iacocca. Their task was to create something that wouldn’t embarrass the company if it failed, yet would be in the Chrysler tradition should it realize success.
General Motors has their Skunk Works. Ford has their Special Vehicle Team. Chrysler had the Enhancement Division. While the Japanese auto industry has sometimes been held up as a poster child of taking an idea and making it better, they had never been able to hold a candle to Chrysler’s long successful and vastly underpublicized Enhancement Division (E.D. for short). Perhaps it was due to Chrysler having E.D. in the design studio, but this group of highly analytical thinkers had been creating silk purses from sow’s ears for over a quarter century.
Prime examples of their work were often derided, but were superior nonetheless. Examples included…
…taking a homely early ’70’s Buick LeSabre…
…and fashioning it into the much more visually appealing 1974 Dodge Monaco.
Several years later, the E.D. guys would utilize a 1977 Buick LeSabre (with its posterior erosion syndrome) and…
…craft it into the grossly misunderstood and infinitely more attractive 1979 Dodge St. Regis. The flipping headlight covers were truly a stroke of genius that fell on many unappreciative eyes.
This time the stakes were significantly higher as even perennial third place Dodge sold a lot more pickups than they did nearly any single model of car. They wanted to do this right as the entire future of the Dodge Ram could be riding on an outcome they were given a mere ten calendar days to develop.
Digging into their bag of tricks, the E.D. boys tossed around numerous ideas. Installing the 8.0 liter V10 from a 2500 series Ram into a 1500 series pickup, a la Chevrolet’s 454 SS (CC here), seemed a bit too obvious. Creating a 1500 series with a 5.9 liter V8 and tall gears, dubbed the “Interstate Cruiser” didn’t seem to jibe with the hardworking reputation Dodge was cultivating for their new Ram. Inspiration hit when digging through the marketing files of Oldsmobile.
One of the consistencies in life is that in many bureaucratic organizations, ideas tend to become muddled somewhere between recommendation and execution. In this case, the hijacking has been tracked to Kenyon E. Rodgers, a mid-level junior executive in Chrysler’s periphery Legal Intimidation & Exploitation Division (L.I.E. for short).
Rodgers, a true worry wart, was enamored with the ideas emanating from the E.D. guys, but also knew such a blatant reprise of a General Motors idea was more problematic than it would have been fifteen years prior. Despite its sheer scarcity, Oldsmobile’s Rubies and Gold Edition Ciera (CC Capsule here) had garnered considerable media attention. Knowing the automotive press would cover this Dodge like tabloids cover the British Royal Family, Ken Rodgers didn’t want this Ruby thing going to town in the automotive rags.
Thus, an elaborate plan was devised to keep Iacocca at bay, avoid any legal shenanigans (either by L.I.E. or their GM counterparts), and test the waters with a cosmetic alteration of a new product.
After considerable legal input from his fellow attorneys, combined with input from Chrysler’s logistics personnel, Rodgers was able to help the bounty of the E.D. guys reach full bloom.
It was agreed there could be no reference to “Ruby” or “Rubies” in their marketing. The concern was two-fold; first, it was obvious plagiarism. Second, research had revealed a considerable number of currently registered Ram owners having wives named Ruby. Thus the “Ruby and Gold” Oldsmobile moniker was molded into “Golden Garnet”.
Demographic research also concluded there was a narrow strip of interest for the alteration of a new product. Thankfully, this was in line with Eaton’s desire to limit availability until market reaction could be better gauged. Thus the “Golden Garnet” edition was limited to markets whose zip (postal) codes begin with the number 6 and to dealerships in towns in which the sum of the digits of the zip code was divisible by both three and seven.
In a further effort to limit liability should the program crash and burn, the “Golden Garnet” was limited to the 2500 series.
Upon discovering this highly desirable and almost legendary Ram 2500, I was in awe. Even more amazing, this example is diesel powered as evidenced by the cord erupting from under the hood. As the zip code here is 65109, its discovery should not have been a surprise. Dodge pickups are quite popular in these parts, so there could be another one floating around somewhere.
I had always assumed that these would live out in rural areas where there is always strenuous work to be done. Thankfully I was wrong as our ruby had taken her loveliness to town.
Eww, what have they done to my truck?!
I checked the weather for Jefferson City, and it doesn’t look like it gets cold enough there to warrant using the block heater. I don’t worry about plugging in mine unless the forecast calls for about 5F (-15C) or lower.
Funny, both of my vehicles have block heaters and I have never plugged them in. I was reminded of that this morning when the car started but made that familiar whirring/whining noise they all do when it’s -20C.
I think I’ll start plugging them in again.
Also, it took me half the article to recognize the “seriousness” of this post. Well done Mr. Shafer.
I’m guessing your vehicles aren’t diesel powered, or are newer models if they are. The newer diesels are better about starting in the cold. My 94 Cummins will start at -20C in a pinch, but it’s not happy about it. I did get it started cold at about -40 before… once.
True, if I had a diesel, I would most likely plug it in. I find it funny that both of my vehicles came equipped with block heaters, even though they are both 2011 models and I haven’t used them. I didn’t even know my F150 had one until I was digging around under the hood to clean accumulated snow out of it. The cord was tied off and stuck down behind the headlight for some reason.
I once left my ’92 Saturn in the driveway for two weeks while I went on a trip to Florida one winter (around ’94). While we were gone, we had a major cold snap where the temperature did not go above -15C for the entire two weeks, sometimes dropping below -40C at night. Perfect time to be in Florida. 🙂 I got home and the car started right up like nothing happened. Of course it was frozen to the ground and I had trouble getting the door open, but that’s another issue entirely.
I am delighted that you have done the deep dive into the historical development of this rare truck. You clearly recognized the specialness of this one. To find one still out on the street is amazing, as most were stripped of their expensive gold trim by thieves during times of high gold prices.
I would have mis-identified this is one of the 13 experimental vehicles that represented Chrysler’s attempt at a plug-in hybrid. It was to be called the Ram 110. Eaton had known of the electric vehicle program at GM and tried to do one on the cheap. The idea had been to run on 110v power until you ran out of slack in the cord, then you could either coast to the next outdoor outlet or start the 2.2L four.
The problem, of course, was the limited range due to the finite length of extension cords available on the market, and the technical issue of the long dangling cord getting run over by other cars. But I have read that when running on 110v, these things had a killer electric heater in the cab.
Of course, we all know that all of the Ram 110s were converted to standard trucks and sold except for one that was put to use as a night light in the bedroom of Eaton’s grandchildren. It is reportedly still out there somewhere.
Are you sure this is not just the work of a displaced Florida State fan?
Of course I had to listen to CAKE’s cover of this song after reading the article.
Jeep called and asked why Dodge stole the color scheme from the same era Grand Cherokee or Grand Wagoner.
Great research. If I had seen it, I would have chalked it up as a one off owner custom. Econobiker’s comment that Jeep did some colors like this in a more commonly seen edition is correct – I ‘d forgotten them. Not one of my favorite looks.
I wish I’d had my phone out in time. I actually saw a broughamified Dodge Ram quad-cab dually the other day in central Texas, VINYL ROOF AND ALL. First I’ve ever seen. I think it was an out-of-towner, but if it comes around again, I’ll be ready.
With silver bullets, crucifixes and fire?
I wonder if we would have kept our ’96 farm truck around longer if it were one of these.
Also, obligatory Steely Dan reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G187v1HEjqs
Okay, not Steely Dan, but close enough.
I wonder if this “Ruby” Ram still has its dash. I had to install an aftermarket “dash cover” on my father-in-law’s 96 4X4 TD 2500. Oddly enough, Chrysler never offered replacements for there obviously flawed design. My father-in-law’s dash, like so many others, had started cracking and simply disintegrated. If you check out these Rams on Craigslist and in junkyards, you usually find exposed wiring and framing where the top of the dash had once been. I found websites where owners tried to sue Dodge over the matter and where never successful. One of many reasons that I will never waste money on a ‘94 and up Dodge. ‘93 and older, I love.
I never knew about this problem until recently. The dash on my 94 just cracked last fall. It is never parked indoors, but in the warmer months I put a sunshade in the windshield and crack the windows when it sits during the day.
Methinks this isn’t an actual Golden Garnet edition, but rather a stock 2500 with bumpers and mirrors taken from a junked GG truck. After all, everyone knows the actual GG has gold wheels, and the window tint was gold flames, not silver.
But what is sad is the fact that one of Marchionne’s first decisions was to rid Chrysler of its E.D. because it didn’t fit in with the stereotype of Italian masculinity. ‘Nuff said…
Wow, you really had me going there for a while Jason.
These Rams still look fairly modern for their age. Hard to believe they’re 20 years old.
I have to agree with you 100% on the St. Regis. A very under appreciated, misunderstood automobile.
Was this posting L.I.E. approved?
I believe a certain mid-level junior executive recognizes the work of a L.I.E. project when he sees one, right?
My bullshit detector is going off.
There must be something wrong with it.
Everything on the Internet is fact.
🙂
I know a Toyota T-100 is more akin to what I need in a truck, but a 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel with a stick shift is a truck I pine for.
Needs gold exhaust stacks… That really would show the world you have been blessed by E.D.