Cops N Rodders-Brian’s Little Red Express

Hello, Tipp City, and welcome to another edition of Cops N Rodders!

This month's edition comes to us from Troy, and my old friend, former officer, Mr. Brian Gray.

Brian and his wife, Nora, are the proud owners of a 1979 Dodge D-150, Little Red Express Pickup Truck.

Brian's father, Sam Gray, bought this truck new in late 1979 from Goodwin Chrysler-Dodge in New Castle, Indiana. Goodwin had the truck on the showroom floor. The dealership had used the truck as a promotional vehicle. The Goodwin brothers took the truck to the drag strip in Muncie, Indiana, and raced it. Goodwin Dodge had put a “tri-power” (three two-barrel carburetors) or a “six-pack” intake on the truck for this promotion.

When Sam bought the truck, he had the “Six Pack” removed and the factory intake and four-barrel carburetor reinstalled—the cost of putting the truck back to factory spec. Sam gave him the three-carburetor setup. 

The truck has factory air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes and had 51,000 actual miles.

Sam drove the car to work every day. Two miles a day, according to Brian. 

After Sam retired, he had the truck restored. Soon thereafter, he gave the Little Red Express to Brian. He wanted to see Brian enjoy the car while he (Sam) was still living. Brian shared that he and his father took the truck to several car shows together over the course of five years. 

In 2022, Sam passed away. The running joke in the family was that they’d take Sam to his grave in the bed of the truck. Brian and the family decided to make the running joke a reality. After the funeral, they loaded Sam up in the bed of the car and took him to the cemetery for one last ride. I remarked that Brian and his father were “Bonding through burn-outs!” 

So let's talk about how the Dodge Little Red Express came to be.

In the waning years of the 1970s, when emission controls and fuel economy were killing off the traditional American muscle car, Dodge fired back with one of the era’s most outrageous and charismatic vehicles: the 1979 Little Red Express — a factory-built muscle truck that turned heads then and still does today. 

The Little Red Express was Dodge’s answer to a slump in performance during the Malaise Era. Rather than just dressing up a pickup with flashy graphics, engineers led by Tom Hoover exploited a clever emissions loophole. At the time, light-duty trucks over a certain weight didn’t require catalytic converters, allowing Chrysler to bolt a potent V8 into a short-wheelbase utility pickup. 

Under the hood sat a highly tuned 360-cubic-inch (5.9 L) V8 — based on a police-spec engine and featuring a four-barrel carburetor, cold-air induction, and a stout automatic transmission. This setup produced about 225 horsepower and roughly 295 lb-ft of torque, impressive figures at a time when many cars were struggling to reach 150 hp. 

Performance was no joke: in tests, the Little Red Express could hit 0-100 mph quicker than many contemporary sports cars and even claimed bragging rights over the Corvette in acceleration. 

The Little Red Express wasn’t just fast — it was unforgettable. It only came in a bright Canyon Red finish with bold gold pinstriping and decals, and featured oak wood trim in the bed, reminiscent of classic Western pickups. But its most iconic design cues were the twin chrome exhaust stacks that rose behind the cab like those on a big rig, giving it a powerful, almost rebellious silhouette. 

Inside, buyers could choose between sporty red bucket seats or a bench, along with the usual truck comforts of power steering, automatic transmission, and AM/FM radio — not too shabby for a muscle truck in 1979. 

After debuting in 1978, the Little Red Express returned for the 1979 model year with only modest changes — including a required catalytic converter and some style tweaks, such as a new headlamp design — yet it still retained its spirited performance and unmistakable vibe. 

A total of 5,118 ’79 units were built, bringing the total to roughly 2,188, making these trucks rare survivors today. 

For enthusiasts, the Little Red Express isn’t just a truck. It’s a rolling piece of Mopar history that represents a brief, fiery burst of performance during a time when Detroit’s horsepower was essentially on life support. 

Today, the 1979 Little Red Express stands as a beloved classic — part pickup, part muscle car, all attitude. Whether seen at a local classic cruise-in or tucked away in a collection, this bright red rocket-hauler reminds enthusiasts of a time when clever engineering and bold styling could still deliver thrills, even in the most challenging regulatory climate. 

Fun Fact: Even though its raw numbers may seem modest by today’s standards, the Little Red Express was the fastest American-built production vehicle of its time, at least in early tests — proof that horsepower can come in any form, even on four rugged tires and a truck bed. 

Do you have a car with a great story you'd like featured in this column? You can email me at Marcthecop@tippgazette.com, 

The opinions and statements in this column are those of the author, who is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency. This column is for entertainment purposes only. Persons referred to may be fictional for comedic purposes only.