We’ve featured several Dodge Lil’ Red Express trucks here on Barn Finds over the years. They were one of those vehicles that were “instant collectibles” and it appears quite a few people purchased them and eventually stashed them away. This 1978 can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $12,000. Located in Hoagland, Indiana, it is said to be a genuine barn find. Thanks to Barn Finds reader DPugh for the tip on this truck!
Now that these trucks are turning 40 years old, they are officially classic trucks. They were only made for two years and had some great over-the-top styling including the chrome exhaust stacks and bright red paint. With the single-cab short beds, they were surprisingly fast. You can read more about these trucks here on dodgeconnection.com.
This particular truck is said to have 83,000 original miles and is a real barn find. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of photos and very little information in the ad. At least there are a few photos of the engine compartment and interior. It appears that the truck is dusty, but will probably clean up well. There’s no doubt that these trucks will continue to go up in value. They are not everyone’s taste but have a really unique look and since they were only made for a short period of time, they will remain collectible.
Loved these as a kid and remember seeing them pretty often in metro Detroit area. Here’s a good article on these.
https://www.allpar.com/trucks/dodge/lil-red-truck.html
Tom Hoover had his fingers in the engine. A worthy machine then.
Had a 79 lots of thumbs up when i had it out my 03 Indian Chief was the only other vehicle i owned that got more and it was red also !
Weren’t these the fastest (0-60) new domestic vehicles on the road at the time?
As I recall, these were the fastest domestic vehicles, late 70’s weren’t great for American performance.
I think the first(1978) year they actually had real dual exhaust without the catalytic convertors. Actually sounded nicer than the 1979’s.
The fastest NA production vehicles in 78 and 79, and beat most European cars too. A few cars like Porsche Turbos were faster.
A nice riding, cool looking, unique truck, with a great exhaust sound.
“Found this 1978 Dodge Lil Red Express in a barn that is getting cleaned out…”
Where are these barns? Why can’t I find one?? I love these trucks. A friend of the family had a “Warlock” and as an impressionable teen, I thought it was FAST! Of course, I was comparing it to the wheezing V8s available in the pony cars of the era, so it actually was fast back then!!
They were made for 3 years…77,78,&79
No, just 78-79