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The Chrysler and Cummins relationship started over 30 years ago, and there’s one important artifact that reminds us how far these two companies have come together: the first development truck. The truck was part of the initial fleet of six vehicles that were built to test the viability of a Cummins in-line 6-cylinder diesel engine in a Dodge Ram pickup. <br/><br/>Truck D001 is a 2-wheel-drive standard-cab long-bed 1985 Dodge Ram D350 Prospector. It started life with a V8 gas engine, but a 12-valve rotary-pumped in-line 6 was swapped in for the initial testing. Other than a simple mockup engine that was used to check space claim under the hood, this was the first Cummins 5.9 in a Ram truck. Once the program was approved, the actual test vehicles were assembled. <br/><br/>Troy Simonsen, a pioneer in the automotive diesel industry, recalled the first Cummins-powered Dodge Ram test mule: “I was on hand to test-drive the first prototype Dodge/Cummins diesel pickup, a 2-wheel drive, automatic three-speed. Cummins had set up a test run with comparable Chevy and Ford diesel pickups. It was a thrill to see the Dodge/Cummins outperform both of them with ease.” Cummins went into production in 1989 with the 5.9L for Chrysler, and the rest is history. Truck D001 is the truck that started it all. <br/><br/>Unlike today’s prototype vehicles, which are often scrapped, Truck D001 has continued to perform. For more than 20 years, the truck has been used as a parts runner among facilities and as a shop vehicle for the Cummins Technical Center (CTC). It’s spent most of its time on the highways and interstates in and around Columbus, Ind. The burgundy-and-white paint is faded, the interior is worn and the bed is a little beaten up, but the truck runs as well today as it did in 1985.</p>[/RAW]
#adThe Chrysler and Cummins relationship started over 30 years ago, and there’s one important artifact that reminds us how far these two companies have come together: the first development truck. The truck was part of the initial fleet of six vehicles that were built to test the viability of a Cummins in-line 6-cylinder diesel engine in a Dodge Ram pickup. <br/><br/>Truck D001 is a 2-wheel-drive standard-cab long-bed 1985 Dodge Ram D350 Prospector. It started life with a V8 gas engine, but a 12-valve rotary-pumped in-line 6 was swapped in for the initial testing. Other than a simple mockup engine that was used to check space claim under the hood, this was the first Cummins 5.9 in a Ram truck. Once the program was approved, the actual test vehicles were assembled. <br/><br/>Troy Simonsen, a pioneer in the automotive diesel industry, recalled the first Cummins-powered Dodge Ram test mule: “I was on hand to test-drive the first prototype Dodge/Cummins diesel pickup, a 2-wheel drive, automatic three-speed. Cummins had set up a test run with comparable Chevy and Ford diesel pickups. It was a thrill to see the Dodge/Cummins outperform both of them with ease.” Cummins went into production in 1989 with the 5.9L for Chrysler, and the rest is history. Truck D001 is the truck that started it all. <br/><br/>Unlike today’s prototype vehicles, which are often scrapped, Truck D001 has continued to perform. For more than 20 years, the truck has been used as a parts runner among facilities and as a shop vehicle for the Cummins Technical Center (CTC). It’s spent most of its time on the highways and interstates in and around Columbus, Ind. The burgundy-and-white paint is faded, the interior is worn and the bed is a little beaten up, but the truck runs as well today as it did in 1985.</p>[/RAW]
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