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By the time the 1990s rolled, pickups became an increasingly popular option for everyday drivers. Detroit’s Big 3 wants to expand the role of the truck beyond its traditional status as a working rig.
Many of these special edition tracks were put together with performance in mind, but these are not the picks we call them here. Instead, we dig deeper to find a version of the 1990s truck that you probably forgot. The model brought something special to the table in terms of design, styling or a unique approach to the pickup market.
Some of these trucks affected their day, while others were destined to be almost obscure from the moment they tumbled off the assembly line. If you come across one of these special edition 90’s tracks today, be sure to take a photo.
1990–1991 Chevrolet S-10 Baja
Compact trucks were the most common target for automakers trying to make waves with special editions in the 1990s, so it’s appropriate to start the list with the Chevrolet S-10 Baja. Originally introduced in 1989, the Baja package was associated with the optional four-wheel drive choice, allowing it to be combined with almost any S-10 body style of the time.
In addition to extensive cosmetic updates such as brush guards, tubular bumpers, light bars, fog lights, available bed-mounted spare tires, and three colors (midnight black, frost white, apple red), BAJA also includes a wide range of underbody armor and a heavy-duty suspension package that gives other pickups a folding off-road lined up.
1990–1991 Dodge Dakota Convertible
The concept of convertible pickups is unusual, with its pedigree going back to a single production model that debuted in the late 1980s and ran in the 90s. The Dodge Dakota Convertible was produced in cooperation with ASC. The ASC took a sport-trimmed version of the regular cab medium truck and switched from the steel roof in support of the top of the folding fabric sitting in front of the cargo floor. Rollbar has completed the package.
Dodge decides to go on the convertible route with his Dakota after seeing many custom open air pickups wandering the streets of California. Unfortunately, the rest of the country appears to have much less appetite for picks that have also guaranteed that the driver would behead if they stopped too fast with bed luggage. The company had to absorb slow sales and extra extensions of its contract with ASC to meet the minimum guaranteed purchases from its suppliers.
1990–1992 Dodge Dakota Li’l Red Express
Dakota, another special edition of Dodge in the 1990s, took a more conservative approach from a business standpoint, if not when it came to styling. I want to win a Dodge Cache Li’l Red Express from the late 70s The full-size truck is an aftermarket outfitter called LER Industries, and has put together similar designs from the Dakota, resulting in mixed results.
On the one hand, the angled step side cargo beds, pinstripe graphics and towering exhaust stacks perched just behind the taxi certainly evoked the original design. On the other hand, these stacks are completely cosmetic and unlike the original Li’l Red Express, there was no performance advantage when choosing a package. As a result, few buyers paid for “upgrade” freight sold directly through Dodge dealers.
1991 Ford Skylanger
Remember when you said there was only one convertible pickup truck in the factory that was built in the 1990s? It was Ford Skylanger that Detroit doubled in the category over the decade. This is a proof-of-concept study filled the streets to regain the costs of abandoned programs.
Like the Dakota Convertible, Skylanger was ASC’s job, but the overall effort was made on a much smaller scale, outside of Ford’s traditional product line. Only 17 of these models also feature eye-catching body kits consisting of a swooping roll bar and a fiberglass rear wing, a side skirt and an air dam, with few surviving in private hands.
1991–1992 Ford F-150 Night
Ford’s more successful was the F-150 Nite. Modern automakers offer seemingly black trim levels like dozens of people, but in the 1990s it was a bit less common. The F-150 Knight combines its monochromatic bumpers, paint and trim with a bright teal and purple sticker package made up of the body length stripes and the word “night” on the rear quarter panel. Floormats and Dashboard also featured night callouts in the cabin.
I had to order the XLT Lariat edition of the F-150 to introduce the Nite, but when I first arrived on the scene it was limited to regular cab trucks, but eventually expanded to all possible body styles in the Ford catalogue.
1993–1997 Ford Ranger Splash
When Ford switched from Boxy Ranger to Kirby Ranger in 1993, it was celebrated with a special edition package called Splash. Like the F-150 Nite, the Ranger’s splash was all in with coloured bumpers and trim, but this time it offered a palette of much lighter shades to highlight the youthful, fun-oriented images used to sell trucks.
The Ford Ranger Splash comes standard with a flareside cargo bed, Miss M Splash decals and one of two V-6 engine options. A slight suspension drop gave him a visual attitude, and its 15-inch wheels were considered brave for that period.
To promote the splash sitting in the showroom, Ford has also put together a concept track (sea splash and skysplash) dedicated to water sports and hang gliding, respectively. This one-off pair earned points with their own face paint job and what looked like an entire Ford accessory package.
1994–1999 Chevrolet S-10 ZR2
It was a Chevrolet S-10 Zr2 that picked up the torch from the Baja model. This took place in 1994, when the compact truck was completely redesigned. The latest version of the Zr2 package (found in Chevrolet Colorado) is celebrated with off-road insights, but the original ZR2 is often forgotten, despite representing a major step up from what the entry-level trucks had previously offered.
Important of the appeal of the S-10 ZR2 was a 3-inch boost in ground clearance, a factory installed 31-inch all-terrain tire (and fender flares to cover them), skid plates, more sturdy axles and wheel bearings, a wider overall truck, and a full complement of Bilstein off-road shocks. The package remained in the mix all the way through to the early 2000s, but remains an unusual version of Chevy’s smallest pickup.
1997–1998 Chevrolet S-10 ev
Even more unusual than the S-10 Zr2 was the all-electric S-10 EV. Yes, yes: decades before Ford Lightning arrived on the scene, and well before Tesla Cybertruck could be considered, Chevrolet had a battery-powered pickup on its order sheet. Borrowing from the EV1, the truck delivered 114 horsepower to the front wheels, becoming the only bowtie-wearing puller pickup in history.
Of course, lead-acid battery technology at the time meant that the S-10 EV had limited functionality. Buyers could expect a range of about 45 miles from a single charge at stop-and-go driving, allowing them to smash at 60 miles at highway speeds (where the factory limiter is 70 mph), but in 1998 the switch to a nickel metal hydride battery brought the drive range to a healthy 95 miles. It was also relatively lethargic in terms of its performance (thanks to bring in a battery of about 1,400 pounds), but it was not a problem for the fleet buyers who bought or leased most of the limited number of electric S-10s (less than 500) that were published.
1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR
Ford’s 1998 F-150 NASCAR Special Edition truck was like a mixed bag. On the plus side, it offers a 1-inch suspension drop, a mesh grille and a front air dam, and is found throughout the black aluminum rim and yellow letter tires to suggest the appearance of the racing track. Unfortunately, even with the inspiration for dual exhaust on the base XL trim and limitations on single-cab body style, the NASCAR trucks did not offer any additional performance and stuck to the standard 4.6-liter modular V-8 engine that can be found throughout the F-Series fleet.
At the very least, you can specify a five-speed manual transmission, shift the rig yourself, and place an ambiguous closeness to the antics of the NASCAR drivers that Ford commemorates. The entire project was born as the result of the 50th anniversary of America’s most popular racing series.
1999 Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme
The 90s ended with a bang for the Chevrolet S-10, and eventually won a street track model that attracted its own attention. The S-10 Xtreme fully embraced the energy of the period with an extroverted body kit, low sports suspension (featuring almost two-inch drops, Beefy sway bars and Bilstein shocks), monochromatic trim, bumpers, grilles, limited slip rear differentials, and 16-inch aluminum wheels.
Xtreme did an incredible job of mimicking aftermarket styling trends that were spreading in the mini-to-rack and compact pickup segments at the time. It was also available as an add-on package with every version of pickup. That means there was no need to drop a lot of money on the range top V-6 to look smarter than the standard S-10. The truck continued into the new millennium until the S-10 was eventually replaced by Colorado.
Special edition 90’s trucks you forgot
- 1990–1991 Chevrolet S-10 Baja
- 1990–1991 Dodge Dakota Convertible
- 1990–1992 Dodge Dakota Li’l Red Express
- 1991 Ford Skylanger
- 1991–1992 Ford F-150 Night
- 1993–1997 Ford Ranger Splash
- 1994–1999 Chevrolet S-10 ZR2
- 1997–1998 Chevrolet S-10 ev
- 1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR
- 1999 Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme
Photo by Motertrend Archive, Mecum Auctions. Illustrations by Ryan Lugo
