The 3 Best and Most Rare Special Edition Chevy Trucks

When enthusiasts hear words like “special” or “limited edition”, “rare” or “collection addition” ears perk up and wallets open.  When that collector is one who enjoy cars and trucks, the stakes get high as nostalgia gets deep. 

There simply is no price one can put on the love and devotion that all American’s share for their pickup trucks.  Chevy trucks are as American as apple pie and who doesn’t want a slice, especially when that pie is in limited edition? 

Below are trucks any enthusiast of used Chevy trucks should know about today and try purchasing tomorrow.  They are the few.  They are the strong and the rare. 

2006 Silverado Intimidator Dale Earnhardt

With only 1333 ever produced, five years after his passing Chevrolet celebrates Dale Earnhardt with the 2006 Silverado “Intimidator”.  Using his own moniker to complete the name, this is just one more way to honor the late Dale Earnhardt.  

One doesn’t have to be a fan of Nascar or even racing to enjoy this pickup, just as one doesn’t have to be a fan of Nascar to appreciate what a tremendous athlete and human Dale Earnhardt was, though it does make this series all the more special. 

Named for the Earnhardt’s aggressive driving style, the 345 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. torque, “Intimidator” is more than appropriately titled.  Its namesake badges are placed on the front doors as well as back so no one will have to guess where loyalties lie.  The sleek monochromatic black exterior is one more nod to Earnhardts’ other nickname, “the Man in Black.” 

It sits noticeably lower to the ground on 20” rims and dawns a race inspired spoiler.  Specially designed silver front grill that separates itself from other Silverado’s leaves a lasting impression.  Unlike the other SS’s, the Intimidator features performance tuned suspension with a stiffer front stabilizer bar. 

To continue honoring the beloved fallen hero, a Dale Earnhardt legacy logo is embroidered on the front headrests of the seats and his signature can be seen backlit by the gauges.  Black leather steering wheel and charcoal leather seating offer optimum comfort while celebrating your inner racecar driver to see if it really can reach 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds.

It is the first time Chevrolet has celebrated Earnhardt with a pick up truck, but the second time with its brand.  In 2002 Chevy introduced a Signature Edition Dale Earnhardt Monte Carlo.

Given Chevrolet’s long standing relationship with the Earnhardt family, donations were made to the Dale Earnhardt foundation every time this Special Edition was sold.

1990 454 SS

I am fairly certain some designer in Chevy had a son turning 16 years old or graduating high school in 1990 because the 454 SS was designed with a teenage boy in mind; youthful and fun but growing up fast. 

With a 7.4 liter V-8 engine and a 3 speed automatic transmission giving you 230 horsepower with 385 lb. ft of torque, it’s a lot of speed in a smaller pickup. Much like yours in high school, it’s body structure isn’t as big as some but boxy and lean where it needs to be; masculine without being huge and pretentious. 

Your father liked it because it’s two door, low frame harkens back to the 1950’s Chevy Cameo he was driving when he was a kid and it makes him feel nostalgic.  It’s youthful.  It’s fast. 

It’s the pickup truck your older brother drove a bit more recklessly when you were riding shotgun because even though you’d yell at him to slow down when it made your belly flip, you secretly loved it.  It’s the pickup truck your girlfriend didn’t hate in high school because its garnet red interior exactly matched her new shade of lipstick. 

It’s heard you sing every song on Journey’s Greatest Hits at the top of your lungs because its luxurious clothed bucket seats were like an extra hug during that long ride home after being dumped for the starting quarterback.  The black onyx exterior is as black as Robert Plant’s leather pants.  Its iconic “bowtie” emblem on the front on the grill outlined in red, shining like a beacon announcing to the world that this it is not only a performance vehicle but a force to be reckoned with. 

(“Beware the bowtie”; was an advertising campaign ran in the late 1980’s by Chevrolet.  It showcased the ‘red bowtie’ on their Indy V8.  The red bowtie started making its appearances on all performance vehicles with which it eventually become synonymous and a visual ranking of quality). 

The Chevy 454 SS bolstered such features like power locks and windows, tinted glass and a sliding rear window.  In 1991 it bettered itself with a four speed automatic transmission and 25 more horsepower with greater torque. Having only been in production during the early 1990’s, less than 17,000 were produced. 

Its unique interior, classic shape and feather-like weight which only improve its performance along with its belonging to an iconic time in Chevy advertising makes the 454 SS a highly collectible pick up.

1958 Cameo Carrier

A rare find for collectors.  It is the last of the Chevy Cameo line.  1958 was the last year it was produced.  Only 1405 were built.

Changing the Face of the Pick Up

A rare find for collectors.  It is the last of the Chevy Cameo line.  1958 was the last year it was produced.  Only 1405 were built. 

In the mid 1950’s American consumerism was up due to the post war economy but sales in trucks were hitting a low.  Fathers were buying large passenger cars that could accommodate their families. 

Chevrolet had to produce something to solve this problem. They knew it was time to improve the look of the truck.  They wanted people to buy their trucks not just for their durability but also because it looked good.  The Cameo was designed for that reason. 

It gave the Chevy truck a ‘car-like’ feel by adding all new sheet metal, new headlamps, hood emblems and seven new colors.  It’s panoramic wrap around windshield and front bumper, smooth side styling and chrome grill and trim made it appear to be more like a passenger car than pick up truck. 

However, this new design also drove up the price by 30% more than other trucks.  The Cameo would inevitably become too expensive for most buyers putting it out of production by the end of 1958.  With so few ever being made and its iconic Americana image, the 1958 Cameo has become a truck collectors’ dream. 

The impact the Cameo has had on the rest of the automotive truck industry is hard to measure.  Even with its lack of sales, Chevrolet wasn’t just redesigning their pickup, they were redesigning who would be, even eventually, driving it.  They modernized the look of the pickup truck forever.  They took it off the farm and into neighborhoods.  The American pickup truck is forever indebted to the Cameo. 

In turn the American people are forever indebted to Chevy for giving us strong, reliable, and handsome trucks. 

We drive used Chevy trucks because they are reliable, dependable and because your Grandfather still drives his. We enjoy their special editions because it honors great American heros, celebrates your youth and brings you back to a time when trucks were changing with the pace of the post WWII American economy. 

There is no monetary value to be placed on nostalgia.  It is in itself of limited and special value and should always be honored and celebrated.