Before the Cybertruck, Dodge’s 1999 Power Wagon concept pointed to the future of pickups

Imagine a four-wheel-drive pickup offering in-your-face styling, Earthmoving torque, and a pledge to slash tailpipe emissions. These days, that sounds like Tesla's Cybertruck. More than 20 years ago, however, it would've described the 1999 Dodge Power Wagon concept.

Today, this one-off dream truck's styling still looks edgy and tough—but it wasn't all show and no go. Below that retro-inspired hood lurked a powerplant designed for medium-duty trucks and road-building equipment: a turbocharged 7.2-liter Caterpillar inline-six diesel, churning out nearly 800 lb-ft of twist. Gutsy, yes, but how could it be environmentally friendly? Part of the answer, according to its creators, was in the "designer fuel" it would burn. Yes, designer fuel, according to a press release issued by Dodge's former parent, DaimlerChrysler:

"Looking at the vehicle, you can see it's not your father's Power Wagon," said Bernard Robertson, senior vice president of engineering technologies and general manager of truck operations at the former DaimlerChrysler Corporation (he's since retired). "Nor is it your father's diesel engine. In fact, this isn't even running on diesel fuel. It's burning a clean, sulfur-free designer fuel that we're jointly developing with Syntroleum."

The finished truck was tall enough, anyway, with a 6-foot 4-inch overall height. At the rear of the Power Wagon concept was a power-operated tailgate that opened to reveal an ash-wood-decked bed floor.

To put this in context, let's step back to the late 1990s: A more innocent time when we were squirreling away canned goods in preparation for Y2K, patting ourselves on the collective back for answering the easy questions on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and completely unaware that over the next decade, a shale-oil boom would make the U.S. the world's top producer of oil. Back then, it was common belief that we'd pumped the profitably attainable oil out of the ground and that the country's abundant natural gas supply would fuel America's future. Seizing on that, a company named Syntroleum set up shop converting natural gas into synthetic liquid fuel for diesels and jet engines. In addition to potentially reducing U.S. reliance on foreign oil, a selling point of the synthetic fuel was that it would be cleaner burning than fuel derived from crude. Synthetic fuels might've gone mainstream in a big way if horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing hadn't transformed U.S. domestic energy production, driving down the price of oil. Nevertheless, Syntroleum stayed in the gas-to-liquid (and biomass-to-liquid) business until 2014 when it was bought out by the Renewable Energy Group—a producer of biodiesel and renewable fuels.

Hindsight being 20/20, it's easy to see why DaimlerChrysler would build a flashy show truck as a conversation piece about the future of cleaner diesel emissions in light vehicles. Daimler built (and still builds) a lot of diesel engines, because they're profitable, fuel-efficient, and can boost a company's corporate average fuel economy. Modern turbocharged diesels offer plenty of power without the noise and vibration of older diesels, too. But, historically, there have been a couple of hurdles hampering the widespread acceptance of light-duty diesel vehicles in the U.S. The first is public perception: American consumers have never really warmed up to diesels the way Europeans have. The second is nitrogen oxide emissions—a major component in smog formation— that diesels produce more of than gasoline engines. Carmakers can mobilize their marketing forces to change public perception about diesels in cars, pickups, and SUVs. But making diesel engines meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements, without sacrificing performance and reliability, or increasing maintenance, is more difficult. The recent Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal illustrated just how difficult achieving these goals could be.

The Power Wagon concept seems to have been tailor-made to help spur diesel light-truck sales among noncommercial buyers: a lifted show rig (what the kids today call a "bro dozer") with a nod toward the environment.

"Our objective was to create more of a 'Sharper Image' truck than an everyday work truck," said Trevor Creed, vice president, advanced design (now retired). "With this concept, we're asking, 'Is there room in the truck market to appeal to new customers who desire all their extras and still want a truck to pull their boat and haul stuff?"

A drawing of the '99 Dodge Power Wagon concept by the truck's exterior designer, Mark Allen, looks like the actual rig down to the finest details—though in the sketch it had considerably more fender clearance.

Dodge's concept truck was far larger than the original Power Wagon: It stood 6-feet 4-inches tall and rode on 19 x 10- inch alloy wheels shod with 35-inch tires. It was based on a full-size Ram 1500 chassis and featured link-coil suspension fore and aft, with a Dana 44 front axle and 9.25-inch Chrysler rear, both loaded with 3.90:1 gears. Behind those big five-spoke wheels, however, were vented disc brake rotors with four-piston calipers in the front and single piston calipers in the rear.

The cab was smaller than the Ram's—closer in size to a club-cab Dakota—and was fitted with rear half doors that opened to access a flat floor and a set of storage drawers. The truck's bucket seats were upholstered in Cognac-colored leather that had a distressed finish—like a vintage leather jacket—for a classic look. Granite-patterned leather was stitched in elsewhere, providing some additional texture to the lower dash and door panels. The driver controls shared a chunky, industrial-grade look and sported raw-looking, brushed-metal finishes. The stainless shifters for the four-speed automatic transmission and transfer case were topped with knurled handles, while the accelerator pedal was stamped with the tread pattern of a boot sole. The instruments and controls were simple even by the standards of the day: no buttons on the steering wheel, one large round bezel for all of the instruments, and dial-type controls for climate control, plus a stripped-down stereo/CD player and basic switches elsewhere.

While the Power Wagon concept never saw production, its front end heavily influenced the 2002-'09 Ram trucks. One attribute hindering this truck's popularity today would likely be the two-seat cabin. Four-door trucks with sedan-like interiors are all the rage with buyers now.

Outside, the cues from the original Power Wagon were obvious: the big front bumper that jutted out with space for a winch, the rounded cab, the old-school styled fenders, running boards, and a louvered hood. Though finished to a show-quality standard, the truck also had a bare, mechanical look with exposed fasteners on the fenders, a visible hinge recessed into the tailgate, big, pushbutton door handles, and a steely, outboard fuel filler cap. The same type of ash wood that lined the cab floor behind the seats was used to deck the bed floor, and access to the bed was via a power operating tailgate.

Allen's drawing for the Power Wagon's "Mega Winch" includes a wisecrack about attaching the hook to a friend's Ford. The setup is hydraulic with a PTO mounted on the transmission driving a pump. It wasn't specified what automatic transmission was used in the truck, but Allisons have provisions for PTOs and would pair well with the Caterpillar engine.

So, why didn't Dodge put this great-looking truck into production? Well, in many ways, it did. Dodge's redesigned 2002-2009 light trucks bear a pretty striking front end resemblance to the Power Wagon concept and, in 2005, the Ram brand brought back the Power Wagon name on a ¾-ton pickup. One of the concept truck's fatal flaws by today's standards would be its cab: four full doors and sedan-like rear seating are what truck buyers are demanding now. We're not sure what happened with the relationship with Caterpillar, which was strange even then considering Dodge's success with Cummins diesels in its light trucks. Interestingly though, Cat quit building road-legal diesel engines for trucks in 2010, because it didn't want to invest in the upgrades needed to comply with tougher emissions standards.

An Ode to the Original

Dodge's original power wagon needs no introduction on these pages—or anywhere the language of vintage trucks is spoken.

The Power Wagon's roots can be traced back to the WC series of four-wheel-drive light haulers— that replaced the VC series—and kept the Allied effort rolling during World War II. WCs were jacks of all trades serving as ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, cargo haulers, weapons carriers, command cars, and more. They grew from ½ ton to ¾ ton by war's end, and there was also a 1½-ton 6x6 version.

In 1946, the civilian Power Wagon broke cover with a 1-ton rating. Its 230-cu.in. inline-six was coupled to a New Process four-speed transmission and two-speed transfer case. The Power Wagon was a natural for serious work as a mobile power unit, snowplow rig, tow truck, farmhand, and more. Its surefootedness and versatility— combined with anvil-like reliability and simplicity—made it the go-to machine for severe duty.

Over the years, the Power Wagon changed very little. For 1951, there was a new cargo box and tweaks to the chassis, as well as rubber body and engine mounts. The 1955 Power Wagons got 12-volt electricals, and power steering became optional in 1956. For 1957, power brakes were made available and a more civilized cockpit arrived. For 1961, the 230 six was replaced by a 251-cu.in., 125-hp six. The Power Wagon soldiered on in the U.S. until 1968, when tougher emissions standards and fierce competition from more modern trucks forced it into retirement. The truck was offered around the world until 1978, however, under the Fargo and De Soto banners.

Innovations in Oil Burning

Caterpillar introduced the 7.2-liter/439-cu.in. turbocharged 3126 inline-six in 1997, promising more horsepower, reduced fuel consumption, and cleaner emissions than its predecessor, the 3116. (In 1998, Cat released the improved 3126B.) Horsepower ratings for the new line of engines ranged from 175 to 330, while the torque ratings ranged from 420 to 860 lb-ft.

The 3116 used conventional mechanical fuel injection, but the 3126 introduced hydraulically actuated, computer-controlled injectors (the system was designed jointly with Navistar). The new injectors were fed a dose of engine oil, pumped in at high pressure to hydraulically actuate a piston inside the injector body. The force of the oil-driven piston helped squeeze fuel out of the nozzle more forcefully than possible using fuel pressure alone. These loftier injector pressures were possible at any rpm, and the computer could manage the injector timing and spray based on information from sensors that monitored oil and coolant temperature, the position of the camshaft, the engine's throttle position, and its manifold pressure, as well as barometric pressure.

The 3126 also had a three-valve cylinder head with two for intake and one for exhaust, plus it used a "crossflow" design that placed the valves opposite of each other—rather than positioned in a line. By bringing in the air from one side of the chamber and sending exhaust out the other, combustion and flow were greatly improved over the 3116.

The 3126B used a more advanced computer to manipulate the fuel and timing, delivering smoother, quieter operation and less engine smoke. Another evolution arrived in 2002 with the 3126E that brought even more sophisticated engine management and a redesigned high-pressure oil pump. The 3126 line was superseded by the C7 7.2-liter six in 2003. Among other things, the C7 went to a common rail-fuel injection system for improved economy and emissions reduction. It also saw the dawn of diesel engine emissions control devices and was discontinued in 2010 when Cat phased out its on-highway engine building efforts.

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE

TYPE Caterpillar 3126 series turbocharged inline-six diesel

DISPLACEMENT 439-cu.in. (7.2-liter)

BORE X STROKE 4.33 x 5 inches

COMPRESSION RATIO 16:1

HORSEPOWER @ RPM 300 @ 2,200

TORQUE @ RPM 800 lb-ft @ 1,440

FUEL SYSTEM High-pressure electronically controlled, direct fuel injection

LUBRICATION SYSTEM Gear driven pump, full-flow spin-on filter

WEIGHT 1,250 pounds (approximate)

TRANSMISSION

TYPE Four-speed automatic

DIFFERENTIALS

TYPE Dana 44 front, Chrysler 9.25-inch rear

RATIO 3.9:1

STEERING

TYPE Power-assisted rack-and-pinion with variable assist

BRAKES

TYPE Power-assisted four-wheel discs

FRONT Vented rotors with four-piston calipers

REAR Vented rotors with single-piston calipers

SUSPENSION

FRONT/REAR Solid live axle with coil springs

WHEELS & TIRES

WHEELS 19 x 10-inch five-spoke alloy, front and rear

TIRES 35 x 12-inch

DIMENSIONS

LENGTH 207 inches

WIDTH 79.9 inches

HEIGHT 77 inches

WHEELBASE 138.7 inches

TRACK 67.7 inches, front and rear

WEIGHT 5,357 pounds