Press Release

Chrysler Announces 1997 Dodge Dakota Sidewinder Debut

11/07/96

Big, Bad, Bold: Chrysler Unveils 1997 Dodge Dakota Sidewinder Concept
Truck at SEMA


LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 4 -- What do you get when you
combine Dodge Viper GTS-R's monstrous 600-plus horsepower engine with
a Trans Am-based chassis and design cues from great pickup trucks of
yesterday and today?

The answer, the 1997 Dodge Dakota Sidewinder concept truck, was
unveiled early this afternoon by Robert A. Lutz, President and Chief
Operating Officer, Chrysler Corporation, at the Specialty Equipment
Manufacturers Association (SEMA) convention in Las Vegas.

"If a truck enthusiast were to take the front end of a 1997 Dodge
Dakota to a garage and build the rest from the ground up, the result
might look like our Dakota Sidewinder," said Lutz.  "Dakota Sidewinder
takes trucks to the extreme.  We built this for the street truck
nuts."

"We've been waiting for some time now to design a real street truck
with a real attitude," said Thomas C. Gale, Executive Vice President
of Product Design and International Operations, Chrysler Corporation.
"Dakota Sidewinder is just that -- it's a raw, powerful, bare-bones
design that combines design cues from our 1997 Dodge Dakota with cues
from great trucks from the 1920s, 30s and 40s."

Styling cues from the 1997 Dodge Dakota production vehicle include its
bold off-set hood, fenders and distinctive Dodge "cross hair" grille.
Remaining design elements were inspired by street truck forms of the
past.

Dakota Sidewinder's most notable form is its bucket-shaped cab, a
shape common to trucks of the 1920s, particularly Ford's T-bucket
roadsters.  "From the side, this distinctive curved shape gives the
vehicle a 'muscular jaw look'," said Trevor M. Creed, Chrysler's
Director of Advanced, Exterior Jeep(R)/Truck, Interior Design, & Color
& Trim.  "This look gives Sidewinder the appearance that it will
devour anything that gets in its path.  And it probably will."

Other distinctive elements include a removable one-piece roadster soft
top, a narrow 4X6-foot box, a billet style headerless windshield,
hydraulic clamshell hood, and a small, distinctive sidestep on each
side of the vehicle.  The headerless windshield offers drivers and
passengers better visibility, gives the truck an "open-air feel," and
plain just looks cool.

Cleaned and refined in the tradition of the All-American hot rod,
Dakota Sidewinder discards several design elements in favor of showing
off its muscular curves.  "It's a pure truck design that flows," said
Creed.  "In order to achieve this flowing design, we left all
unnecessary visual elements -- including door handles, bumpers and
trim pieces -- at the curb."

Dakota Sidewinder's interior is a seamless continuation of the
exterior and features a painted metal instrument panel, machined
aluminum controls, and purple leather seats.  To start the engine, the
driver must first flip a switch labeled "Arm" which activates the fuel
pump and then press a switch labeled "Ignite" to start the vehicle.
"With the interior, we re-defined the task of starting a vehicle and
created the sense that something special is about to happen," said
Creed.  "With 600-plus horsepower and only 2,700 pounds of curb
weight, drivers will want to think twice before launching this thing."

The instrument panel is classic street rod with only the essentials.
A large speedometer is strategically placed on the passenger side
while the tachometer is on the driver's side.  Interior elements are
playful and animated.  Dakota Sidewinder's gas pedal is labeled "Go"
and its brake pedal "Whoa!"  The left turn signal on the instrument
panel reads "Louie," the right reads "Ralph."

"Because Sidewinder's design screams fun, power, speed and
performance, we felt obliged to arm it with our Dodge Viper GTS-R
endurance engine," said Gale.  "From its bold design to its
high-performance engine, Sidewinder is pure Dodge."

	Basic vehicle dimensions are as follows:
	Overall Length 189.2 inches
	Overall Width  74.2 inches
	Overall Height 55.9 inches
	Wheelbase      111.9 inches
	Front Track    65.3 inches
	Rear Track     61.3 inches