Manoli Katakis 
Submissions for the official FCA Drive For Design contest aren’t due until May 1st. Yet FCA design executives Ralph Gilles and Mark Trostle put together an impromptu Ram Truck sketch battle that was open up to not only to high schoolers busy with their official design submission, but also anybody who was up to the challenge. With roughly 48 hours to work before the April 9 deadline, hot shot designers went to work.
Renderings and sketches were uploaded either to the FCA Twitter or Facebook page with the #DriveForDesign hashtag. Prior to that, FCA shared sought to inspire contestants with a Dodge Challenger-based pickup truck that was called the Rampage. We like to think it’s another Easter Egg, but unlike the Ram Rebel TRX teaser, it was probably just for fun.
Check out some of the picks from Mark Trostle, the head of design at Ram Trucks:
And from FCA Design chief Ralph Gilles:
The FCA Drive For Design contest is for high school students in grades 10-12, where Head of Ram Truck Design Mark Trostle is challenging young minds and fresh thinkers to come up with what the Ram 1500 of the future will look like. After the May 1st due date, just three students will be named winners.
Prizes for the winners include an exclusive tour and time with leading designers at the FCA Design studios, a scholarship to attend College for Creative Studies Summer Experience Transportation Design program, and serving as a Junior Judge at the prestigious EyesOn Design Car Show. Lastly, writer and artist Josh Welton joins as a special guest judge.
