Now this is a Chrysler product we can actually believe Clint Eastwood would drive.
The Legacy Power Wagon is a customized version of Dodge’s 1946-1968 vintage truck, refurbished and fitted with modern underpinnings. Built by Legacy Classic Trucks, a small outfit in the suitably rugged, yet upscale locale of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the old girl has plenty of new tricks.
Legacy starts with the chassis of an original donor vehicle, puts it through a frame-off restoration, primes and paints it on a rotisserie rig to hit every nook and cranny, then goes to work on the running gear and interior appointments.
The trucks are built to order and can be had with a variety of engines including a fuel-injected 360 cubic-inch Magnum V8 stroked to 426 cu-in or a 4.5-liter 4-cylinder Cummins turbodiesel engine with 500 lb-ft of torque. Manual and automatic transmissions are available and a 4x4 drivetrain comes standard with Dynatrac and Dana axles, locking differentials and an Atlas transfer case.
The tow-rating is a healthy 8,000 pounds, while a long-travel leaf-sprung suspension with Bilstein shocks can be complimented with a set of beadlock wheels for off-road capability that would likely give a Jeep Scrambler a run for its money. Even if you overdo it, a 16,500-pound front-mounted winch should be enough to get you out of trouble.
Inside, the Power Wagon gets an all-new quarter-inch steel plate dashboard with bespoke New Vintage gauges and Carling rocker switches, along with a set of leather upholstered captain’s chairs.
Along with the standard cab model, Legacy can do extended cab and four-door versions or a Carryall-style SUV. Prices are slightly higher than the $1,627 list price of the 1946 original, starting at $119,950 and running up to $249,000 for a Woodie wagon with bodywork constructed from mahogany and ash that takes 2,000 man hours to make.
Nevertheless, business has been brisk by boutique auto shop standards. Company founder Winslow Bent says that in the three years he’s been in business he’s delivered 25 trucks around the world and has five more under construction.
Clint’s Super Bowl commercial may have featured the new Power Wagon, but, as with him, it’s clearly hard to resist the appeal of an original.