If the new four-door sedan carrying the legendary name didn't drive hardcore fans of the original two-door Dodge Charger muscle car nuts, then using its most famous physical characteristic on a pickup truck should do the job.That would of course be that famous 61-cm rear wing that was the signature piece of the Chrysler models that dominated stock car racing 35 years ago, and which appeared on the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona model that was built to meet NASCAR's homologation rules at the time.The other key piece of that performance package at the time was the Hemi engine, which car fans may have noticed has returned to the Chrysler fold in recent times.The Daytona nameplate has been back since then, but on a model vastly different from the original and the upcoming model, but that was a pretty wussy item that no one at Chrysler mentions.So the wing and the engine and the nameplate are reunited in 2005, on a model called the 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona 1500 and it will soon be available in limited numbers at Dodge dealers across Canada and the U.S.Ron Smith, the vice-president of marketing at DaimlerChrysler Canada, says the 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona is ''a race-inspired, track-tested pickup truck that is ready for the streets. Once again Dodge Ram takes the lead with a performance-packaged pickup truck that is sure to turn heads.''Dodge Ram Daytona 1500 is available on the Regular Cab and Quad Cab body styles of the short wheelbase pickup, and every single model gets the 5.7-litre Hemi V-8 that delivers 345 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque to the road through a five-speed automatic transmission and a 3.92:1 rear axle ratio. That should help with launches, if not fuel economy.Available in SLT trim and equipment in either 4x2 or 4x4 configurations, the Regular Cab features moulded side sills while the Quad Cab includes a running board. The starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices are as follows:
- Regular Cab 4x2 SLT SWB for $32,760
- Regular Cab 4x4 SLT SWB for $36,225
- Quad Cab 4x2 SLT SWB for $36,460
- Quad Cab 4x4 SLT SWB for $39,865