Ram will always hold a special place in our hearts, not because it's the runt of America's pickup truck trio (in terms of sales, not capability) but because it's the only American truck you can buy that still offers a manual transmission. We hope Ram stays in the past well into the future, but that being said, it's worth noting that the current generation of Ram is eight years old and will not be replaced for another year or two, so it behooves FCA to do whatever it takes to keep the truck fresh. In other words, bring on the collection of tricked out special editions.

At the Chicago Auto Show next week, two such models will be unveiled. The first of the two is the Heavy Duty Night Model, which brings the Night Edition packages up from the 1500 to the 2500 and 3500. Because this is FCA and not Honda, Night Edition means that the heavy duty trucks get a blacked out look rather than neon safety coloring, giving the trucks a truly sinister appeal. Think Walter White hauling Meth or Dominic Toretto making away with a bank vault. Lucky for you, you don't need a bank vault worth of cash to buy one because the 2500 Night Edition comes in at $45,520 before a $1,320 destination fee.

For this, you get a blacked out grille with black billet inserts, a black Ram's head grille badge, and flat black door, powertrain, and tailgate lettering to blend in with the large RAM tailgate. Body color wheel flairs, a monochromatic Sport appearance package with the associated components and features, black lighting bezels, body color bumpers, and 20-inch aluminum wheels help make that $46,670 cha-china feel all the more worth it, while black running boards are also available for a true cargo-carrying stealth fighter look. Inside the interior remains comfortable because unlike the law, crime has to rest from time to time. Ten-way power adjustable cloth bucked seats with power-adjustable pedals help sweeten the deal.

Meanwhile automatic temperature control, and dual zone climate control ensure the driver and four passengers ride in comfort while six can fit inside when the front bench seat is optioned. Available colors for the body include Bright Silver Metallic, Bright White, Brilliant Black Crystal, Delmonico Red Pearl, and Granite Crystal Metallic while the package can be had with the crew cab, 4x2, and 4x4 configurations with any of the 2500 and 3500's engine options. If the blacked out look is too tacky for you, then tune your eyes and ears to the Copper Sport package, which is FCA's way of saying it finally offers Radiant Copper Pearl paint on the 1500 to go with the other special edition 1500 that's festooned with an Ignition Orange paint job.

That might sound like an expensive way to spend a $45,630 check ($46,950 when adding the $1,320 destination charge), but Ram kindly throws in a nine-speaker Alpine audio system, 22-inch polished aluminum wheels for the two-wheel drive model and 20-inch wheels for four-wheel drive models, and paints the grille the same color as the body to contrast with the Ram's head grille badge, performance hood, tailgate badge, and body badges all painted in black. The interior gets an upgrade as well with copper-colored accent stitching, color-accented Ram's heads embroidered on the bucket seats, sport mesh seat inserts, and copper-colored spears and trim rings that combine with a black headliner and pillars.

If this sounds appealing then put your order in quick because Ram is only building 3,000 Copper Sport 1500s, making them instant collectibles for truck nuts in all 50 states. Ford may have gone aluminum with the Chevrolet Silverado being caught in limbo somewhere between the F-150 and the Ram, but for those who resist change and want pretty enduring relics, look no further.