3 of the Weirdest Trucks Ever Put Into Production
In the United States, pickup trucks are some of the most popular vehicles on the market. But before manufacturers figured out what consumers really wanted from a truck, some weird stuff got put into production. From Subaru to Chevy, these weird pickups are not necessarily bad, but they certainly aren’t getting built today.
What is the weirdest truck?
In terms of which truck is the weirdest, it might vary on criteria. Pickups are made for hauling and towing, so something with a truck bed that can’t do that could be considered weird. Then, there’s also design to take into account.
In the 2000s, some odd choices were made in the automotive industry. And if you look at a vehicle like the Chevy SSR, you couldn’t be blamed for wondering who approved such a thing. These three weird truck models might be the biggest headscratchers out there.
3. Lincoln Blackwood
Today, luxury trucks are pretty much the norm. Although not pure luxury, models like the Ram 1500 Big Horn and Ford F-150 Lariat come with some premium features. But before those, there was the Lincoln Blackwood. The Blackwood was sold for one model year, and to be honest, it’s not great at truck stuff.
I like to look at the Lincoln Blackwood as a sort of Town Car sedan. It only comes with rear-wheel drive, but its 5.4-liter V8 engine does make 300 horsepower. At the end of the day, this pickup does look like a truck but don’t expect it to do truck stuff. This was before manufacturers realized that consumers want capability and a premium feel.
2. Subaru Baja
While not built today, Subaru did build a small truck from 2002 until 2006, introducing the Subaru Baja for the 2003 model year. And while I will admit that models like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz make this compact pickup feel less odd, maybe it was ahead of its time.
Like most Subaru models, the Baja features standard AWD. But it is also still a unibody truck. One of the weirdest variants might be the turbo variant which was introduced for 2003. With 210 hp, you could also get a manual transmission. And I would argue that this makes the Baja a potential candidate for being an enthusiast vehicle.
One cool feature comes with the rear license plate. If you’re hauling a long item and the tailgate is down, the License plate can be flipped perpendicular to the tailgate. Allowing it to remain visible.
1. Chevy SSR
According to SlashGear, the Chevy SSR convertible truck was a failure. It came from a time when GM was exploring vehicles that use a retro design. Now, on paper, this pickup does look pretty cool. During production, Chevy added a 6.0-liter V8 engine that makes 390 hp.
Although a fast truck with a unique design sounds like it could be a hit, the SSR was anything but. In total, Chevy only managed to move about 24k units from 2003 to 2006. Price, weird design, and a lack of practicality might make the Chevy SSR one of the weirdest trucks ever put into production.
