Dodge 100 Commando Truck range

Production period:	1977 to 1987
Class :	Commercial vehicles
Body versions :	Truck
Engines:	various
Length:	various

The Dodge 100 "Commando" was a truck series with a payload of 7.5 to 28 t , which Dodge produced in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK . In the 1950s, there was also already a Dodge 100 and later in the 1980s built as the Renault Commando.

History

The series was developed by Commer , the first concept vehicles were built in 1965/1966. It should replace the Commer types VC and VE. However, when Chrysler acquired a significant stake in the parent company of Commer, the Rootes Group , adapted to the name and appearance of the new series to the Dodge 500 .

with many engine options such as a five-cylinder in-line 3.86 Perkins engine developing 80 hp,six cylinder Perkins engine. 5.8 litre unit a more powerfull turbocompressor, 148 hp verion.Chrysler 8.8 litre Perkins V-8 also A120 hp Mercedes 0M 352 engines.

The Dodge 100 was to get a diesel engine from Rootes, but the new noise regulations put an end to the reliable but noisy engines. Finally, Perkins engines with four or six cylinders, with and without charging, were used for the smaller cars (made in the UK) ; The OM 352 from Daimler-Benz wasoffered as a large diesel engine because Mercedes-Benz was much better known on the European mainland than Perkins. Also Valmet DSA diesel engines was used in some markets. They built manual, fully synchronized Rootes gearboxes with four, five or six gears; the Rear axles were a blend of Roote's proprietary hypoid design and one or two-stage axles from Eaton Corporation . The chassis were made of a special aluminum alloy and were therefore very stiff and light.The permissible total weight was finally 7½-16 t; for teams, the corresponding values ​​were 24-28 t.

The 100 series was built for about 15 years with the series comprised of twelve different models in many parts of the world (except for the USA - because of the high cost of conversion to local regulations). It was sold as Commer, Dodge, DeSoto , Fargo and Renault . In a Mk.-2 version, the engines were revised and made some other minor improvements. 

Finally, the Dodge 100 was abandoned by Renault, which took over the trucking activities of the Rootes Group, after their car division had been sold to Peugeot . However, for a while there was a Renault version of the Dodge 100; From 1987, the trucks were simply called Renault Commando, Renault later built its own diesel engines in the vehicles manufactured in the earlier Rootes factory.