For those of you who aren’t dead set against anything from the 1980s, we give you this present and future collectible: a 1989 Shelby Dakota. This white lightning machine is listed on eBay with a current bid price of just under $4,000 and there is no reserve! It’s located in Miller Place, New York.
We’ve heard it many times before, that nothing from the 1980s is collectible or worthy of being shown here or really anywhere but a used car lot. We aren’t all the same age and we weren’t all raised with 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s vehicles. Only showing vehicles from those eras would leave out a huge percentage of the Barn Finds readers who don’t care for vehicles that old. This rare and collectible Shelby Dakota pickup is something for those of us who may have grown up in a later era than some other folks here, and that’s ok.
Carroll Shelby had been heavily tweaking cars for Chrysler in the 1980s and it was finally the two-year old Dakota pickup’s turn to be Shelby’ized. It wasn’t a turbocharged four-cylinder that found its way into this one-year-only experiment, but rather a 318 fuel-injected V8 with 175 hp. An extra 5 hp came from deleting the fan belt, due to not having enough room in the engine compartment, and going with an electric fan for cooling. The seller mentions that this truck isn’t a trailer queen but a driver and it has been repainted and new stripes have been added. The “under carriage is solid. It was rusty but I cleaned it and painted it. It is could use a good cleaning”. Only 480 examples were made in white with the other 993 examples being red.
The interior looks great in the photos but they say that the “steering wheel cover is rough. The seat has one small hole.” They go on to add that the “lights and instruments all work, The heat and a/c work normally. The fog lights work. The head liner is sagging and needs replacement. The dash is in good condition with some small cracks in the corner. The radio is original. It works fine but I have never tried the cassette player.”
A good detailing would have done wonders on the presentation, as always. This “engine and trans are good, I did notice some oil seepage from the rear trans seal . The power steering and brakes work well with no issues. The A/c was low, I added Freon and it is down to 54 degrees.” This isn’t a show-quality Shelby Dakota by any means but if the price stays low enough ($5,000?) this would be a nice project and there is no doubt that it’s a future collectible, not to mention just a fun truck to drive.
Hey Scotty – nice find! I guess there was no five-speed option on the Shelby? Apparently 0-60 on these was around 8 seconds. I have to share the story of my friend’s 318 automatic Dakota. It was stock but always felt strong so, for kicks, we put an accelerator on it and knocked out a couple 0-60s around 7.5, so who knows, maybe some of these were under-rated? Those 3.90 gears should help too. Can’t go wrong with a clean truck like this wearing the word “Shelby.”
Well it’s better than that convertible Dakota pickup that didn’t make a lick of sense. This is right about the time, pickups began to turn a corner. They weren’t for hauling broken concrete anymore, and “Sport” trucks popped up all over. Women were buying more trucks than ever, and probably never hauled a pebble with it. Dakota’s were great trucks. The “Shelby” moniker doesn’t do anything for me, and certainly wouldn’t pay extra for his name on the side, despite what a remarkable guy he was, but it shows, even Shelby knew pickups were the next big thing. Cool truck.
Howard A! Did you miss a couple of decades. They were making sport trucks in the 60s and 70s. Pickups began to turn a corner long before this.
This came out when the slammed mini truck craze was still alive, so trucks were in with the younger crowd≥≥small trucks. The Dakota was a lot more roomy inside than the other small trucks back then, which I thought was a much needed idea at the time. I remember these Shelby versions, very very few I might add, and wondered how the “kids” would respond to a V8 powered smaller truck. Still wondering. I was hoping for a 5 liter Ford Ranger at the time with all the rumors going around but that never happened.
I bought a black 89 Dakota 4×4 off a Dodge used car lot in 93. It had a windshield visor / rollbar with lights, graphics on the side, nice wheels and tires, paid 4K for it and it was a beautiful truck and very dependable except the anti lock brake light kept coming on. The mechanic told me it was because the switch was on the rear axle and not water proof so when it rained it would short and cause the light to come on,, he said Dodge fixed the problem the next year so I asked if he could replace the switch with the newer water proof one, NO it won’t fit so he wrapped the current one in electrical tape and said your good for a couple years. I traded it for a Mercury Mountaineer for the wife.
Shelby Dakota sounds like a country crooner with just a hint of “twang”
For 5k how can you go wrong
You would be surprised.
I bought one of these 5 years ago off the back of tow truck that was heading to the crusher with it. After doing some minor maintenance, the truck fired right up and I have been in love ever since. Yes, I still have it and no, I won’t sell it!
Always loved the Dakota. Not a mini-truck, not a full size. The venerable 318/ 5.2 was very well matched to this chasis. 5-speed/4wd options were available. Like the square body 88-96 best. Shelby version or not, looks like a decent truck based on age/price.