Dodge upped its pickup game for 1961 with an all-new design that included the option of a properly integrated, full-width Sweptline bed (available since mid-'59) as well as stronger frames, increased track width, plus longer and wider leaf springs and Oriflow shocks at all four corners for better ride and handling. To attract new customers to the segment, Dodge offered a comfort-and-style oriented Custom Sports Special package in 1964, priced at $235. The package included black vinyl bucket seats borrowed from the Dodge Dart GT, a center console from the Polara, dual armrests and sunvisors, a fully carpeted floor and gas tank, chrome bumpers and grille, and racing stripes up the hood and cab. The CSS package could be ordered with a variety of engines, any bed (or chassis-cab) configuration, with rear- or four-wheel drive on half- or three-quarter ton trucks in 13 colors.
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 SS454 pickup—and at a pretty good price. Typically equipped, they went for around $3,500, about $29,000 in today's money. The original owner of this pristine example was a gentleman farmer who loved to street-race his buddies on rural backroads. Lore has it that the dealer or factory somehow botched his paperwork and, instead of what he ordered, an identical-looking Custom Sports Special arrived with a measly 230-horse, 318-cubic-inch V-8 instead of the mighty 426. The dealer apologized profusely and allowed him to drive the 318 while the 426 was reordered. He never mentioned this bureaucratic bungle-up to his streetracing pals, allowing them to beat his supposed Street Wedge beast. Then when the real thing arrived, he told them he'd been tinkering with the carburetor and asked if they would give him one more shot. This time, of course, there was no contest. (He was reportedly good enough not to claim any pink slips.)
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A surprising number of these original High-Performance Package trucks have remained in the families of their original owners, including Benjamin Simons'. His folks stretched to buy their $3,420 truck (eschewing the CSS frippery) and racked up 450,000 miles on it, crisscrossing the country with a bed capper and a camping trailer in tow. Ben fondly recalls riding with his mom or dad (they both had lead feet) when some musclecar would stop next to them at the light. They'd press the "1" button on the transmission selector, and it was game on. Their sleeper pickup shamed its fair share of GTOs, Fairlane 390s, Corvettes, and the like, and was once clocked by a Florida Highway Patrol aircraft at 130 mph. The trooper on the ground refused to write the ticket, disbelieving such a plain-Jane truck could go that fast. Those were the days
Driving the 1964 Dodge D-100 Custom Sports Special
This ivory Custom Sports Special test car was lovingly restored by its current owner, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Climbing aboard, it takes some reminding that this was among the poshest pickup trucks on the market in 1964, given the sybaritic standards set by today's Laramie Longhorn, King Ranch, and Denali trim grades. Most of the interior is painted metal, including the door-access panels, which are (correctly) bright white—as jarring a mismatch with the ivory as the mocha brown door armrests are against the black seats (also correct). That unique 6,000-rpm tach doesn't match the other gauges either, and the (optional!) turn signal stalk can't be reached without removing a hand from the steering wheel. There's not much "bucketing" to these thrones, but they're nicely padded, and the huge console offers plenty of storage. The rattan headliner is a nice touch, coordinating nicely with summer cowboy hats. There's no inside rearview mirror, as the regulation stipulated only two mirrors, and each door got one to ensure visibility should the rear window be obscured by a load.
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The big block fires instantly and settles into a delightful lope. A bit of "stiction" in the throttle linkage makes it nearly impossible to roll away from a stop without spitting gravel from the tall, narrow bias plies while parading for the camera at a suburban Detroit horse farm. The steering feels as if power assist was simply added to a manual gear, and with five turns lock to lock, it's astonishing how much input is required to negotiate the gentlest of bends. Keep flailing, however, and it turns tight enough to negotiate a U-turn on a two-lane road with ample shoulders. The brake pedal travels some distance before the manual drum brakes kick in, but they feel strong and are easily modulated. Ride quality is in keeping with half-century-old solid-axle, leaf-sprung technology—purposeful but not overly harsh. A brief spin on the paved roads around the WPC Museum the next day reveals the challenge of routing 470 pound-feet of torque through two hard contact patches that are 4.25 inches wide each. Feather the gas through most of first gear to prevent total tire immolation, and dither it again at the 1-2 upshift or risk another big dose of wheelspin. But, wow, does that bellowing Wedge sound sweet drowning out the Goodyears' squeals for mercy.
After way too little of this hi-po hooliganism, the rising shriek of an unraveling speedometer cable joins the chorus, cutting the test drive of this historic factory muscle truck short. But it's been enough D-100 426 seat time to paint a smirk on this face that mere cold cream could never clean off.
(Editor's NOTE:This story originally appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Motor Trend Classic).
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1964 Dodge D-100 Custom Sports Special Specs
Engine:425.6-cu-in/6974cc OHV V-8, 1x4-bbl Carter AFB3611S carburetor
Power and torque (SAE gross):365 hp @ 4,800 rpm, 470 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm
Drivetrain:3-speed automatic RWD
Brakes:Drums front/rear
Suspension:Solid axle, leaf springs, front/live axle, leaf springs, rear
Dimensions (l x w x h):214.1 x 79.9 x 67.1 in
Weight: 3,874 lb
Performance quarter mile:14.1 at 102 mph (Valdosta Raceway run, Simons family truck, running a 3.55:1 SureGrip axle and stock-size, race compound tires)
Price when new:$3,500
ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS A DODGE D-100 CUSTOM SPORTS SPECIAL
BENJAMIN SIMONS is a Web designer and photographer for the University of Florida school of business by day, and an oracle of Sweptline high-performance truck information by night.
WHY I LIKE IT:"I came home from the hospital in this truck and grew up with it, taking innumerable family camping vacations in it."
