Shelby Dakota
The Dakota wasn’t a compact car but a compact pickup sold between 1987 and 1996. It was dependable, tough-looking, and came with a wide arrange of engines and trim levels. But Dodge wanted more, so in the late ’80s, the company conceived a performance version created by the legendary Carroll Shelby, who was working with Chrysler Corporation at the moment (via Hemmings).
Shelby took the regular production Dakota and installed a 5.2-liter V8 engine with 175 HP. Even though the power output was relatively small, the Dakota was light and had lots of torque which meant that this compact truck had some convincing performance. Shelby also dressed up the Dakota with special paint, trim, roll bar, and wheels, making this little truck stand out on the streets.