Dodge Power Wagon Doubles Auction Record at $110K

Auction Record

1963 Dodge W300 Power Wagon sells for $110,000

The hammer fell during Mecum’s Dallas/Fort Worth auction, which ran October 21 to 24. The buyer paid $110,000 for a one-ton, all-wheel-drive 1963 Power Wagon. The previous public-auction high for this kind of truck was $53,000, set by a 1963 WM300. So this one didn’t nudge the record. It more than doubled it.

What did the money buy? A truck that’s had a frame-off, nut-and-bolt restoration, finished in 2019. It wears its original Code-51 Pine Green paint colour. Power comes from a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-litre) V8 rated at 215 horsepower, sent through a four-speed NP420 manual and a two-speed transfer case. Out back sits a limited-slip differential with 4.88 gears, which means it’s built to crawl and pull, not to cruise.

The bed is a nine-foot Utiline Stepside, and the odometer reads 70,513 miles. It isn’t a pure time capsule: rust meant some body panels were sourced from other trucks. Collectors clearly didn’t mind.

Why it matters to you: this sale is a reminder that collectors now treat old work trucks as serious classics, and that “factory-correct and restored” beats “modified” when the big money shows up. If you own an honest old 4×4, from a Power Wagon to an early Land Cruiser or Land Rover, keep the original parts. They may be worth more than you think.

For perspective, $110,000 is just over half of what a nearly new Audi R8 V10 fetched this week (more on that below). One is a mid-engine supercar. The other has a nine-foot bed and gears built for pulling tree stumps. Not long ago, nobody would have put them in the same sentence.

Car History

How a WWII army truck became a farmer’s power plant

Picture a farm in 1946. The war is over, fuel is flowing again, and parked by the barn is a truck that looks like it just rolled off a troop convoy. In a way, it has. Its bones come straight from the army trucks that hauled soldiers, guns and supplies across Europe and the Pacific. This is the Dodge Power Wagon, and today’s $110,000 record makes sense once you know where it came from.

It started as a weapon of war. In 1942, Dodge began building its WC series of military trucks. They were the company’s first factory-built four-wheel-drive trucks, and they served through 1945. When peace came, Dodge didn’t throw that know-how away. It put the military chassis under a civilian truck and started selling it in 1946.

It’s widely credited as America’s first mass-produced civilian 4×4 pickup. Rival 4x4s from GMC and Ford-based Marmon-Herrington stayed close to their military roots. The Power Wagon came from the factory with an enclosed cab and a long cargo bed, ready for ordinary buyers. Under the hood sat a 230-cubic-inch flathead six, paired with a four-speed manual and a two-speed transfer case.

It was really a tractor in disguise. Here’s the part most people miss. The Power Wagon had power take-off points at the front and rear. That meant the engine could drive outside equipment: a winch, a post-hole digger, or farm machinery. Farmers bought it because one machine could plough snow, pull stumps, haul feed and run tools around the yard.

It never really died. The military-style Power Wagon outlived countless car designs, staying in production for decades with only gradual changes. Then, after a long absence, the name returned in 2005 as a hardcore off-road version of the Ram 2500, complete with a big factory winch. Today’s Ram Power Wagon is a direct descendant of that wartime idea.

Why does it still matter? Every modern pickup sold as a “tool” owes something to this truck. The idea that a pickup should work hard off-road, on the farm and on the job site, not just carry things on paved roads, went mainstream with a vehicle born for the battlefield. That’s the story buyers are paying for when a restored Power Wagon crosses the block for six figures.

US Grand Prix

Antonelli takes pole at COTA as Ferrari fades

Kimi Antonelli put his Mercedes on pole for the United States Grand Prix in Austin with a 1:34.035. Max Verstappen was just 0.179 seconds behind, with his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar third.

Ferrari had looked like the team to beat after topping practice, but Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth and fifth. George Russell was sixth in the second Mercedes, while McLaren had a quiet day, with Oscar Piastri seventh and Lando Norris eighth. Racing Bulls filled the top ten with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, who set no time in Q3. The race runs Sunday, and the long run to Turn 1 at COTA gives Verstappen a real shot at the lead.

Recall

Toyota recalls 105,794 Land Cruiser Hybrids over fuel leaks

The biggest recall of the week covers 2024 to 2027 Land Cruiser Hybrids in the US. A fuel tube connection near the tank can separate and leak, which raises the risk of fire if it meets an ignition source. Dealers will inspect the joint, add an extra clamp and replace the resin fuel tube if needed.

The same week’s NHTSA list also includes 8,329 2026 Ram 2500 trucks that can lose electronic stability control, and 548 2024 Porsches whose center-lock wheel bolts can break, letting a wheel come off. Porsche owners are told not to drive until the fix is done. In all, five carmakers recalled about 218,600 vehicles. The US recall covers American-market trucks, so Land Cruiser owners elsewhere, including Kenya’s many fans of the model, should check with their local dealer.

Recall

93,997 Range Rovers called back for soggy cameras

Land Rover is recalling 2022 to 2026 Range Rovers in the US because the rearview camera housing doesn’t drain properly. Trapped water can damage the camera, so the screen may show nothing when you shift into reverse. The fix is low-tech: dealers will drill extra drain holes in the tailgate trim and replace the camera if it’s already damaged, free of charge.

For Sale

A 245-mile Dodge Demon 170 wants $179,900

The last great muscle-car flex is back on the market. A 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170 with only 245 miles is listed by dealer Vanguard Motor Sales at $179,900. On E85 it makes about 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque, or 900 hp on regular E10 pump fuel. On a good day it runs the quarter-mile in 8.91 seconds at 151 mph, which is drag-strip territory for a car with a warranty and air conditioning.