Mopar Madness at the Fall Fling
What makes a Mopar fanatic? For those unfamiliar with the term, Mopar refers to the brand conglomerations of Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Plymouth, Imperial, De Soto, many others, and now Fiat. The smallest of the veritable Big Three behind Ford and General Motors, Mopar enthusiasts are a special breed. While Chevy small blocks sell for 500 bucks, Mopar enthusiasts have bought and sold themselves into a bubble on auto parts. If you are working on a classic Mopar, expect to pay nearly twice or more for parts. I’ve seen cast iron 318 exhaust manifolds being sold for 800 dollars.
Last month, we attended the Mopar Fall Fling in Woodley Park. The event was threatened by the wildfires rampaging through the Greater Los Angeles Area. Thankfully, the day of the event was remarkably clear. While the air did smell like a campfire, the skies were blue and the attendance didn’t suffer too much. Over 300 cars were on display and a significant sized swap meet took place along the side. The event occurs twice a year. The Fall Fling is the shadow of the Spring Fling which fills the whole park and spills out onto the city street parking. The Flings are open to any vintage of vehicle and as a result many of the cars on display were specced out Dodge Challengers and Chargers. We arrived in a lightly modified B5 Blue 2017 Dodge Challenger 392 Scat Pack ourselves. A quick word on the Challenger line. It’s ridiculous. We drive around in the 8 speed, rapid shifting, 485 horsepower muscle car. I could not fathom daily driving a Hellcat or any of the supercharged variations, be it a Redeye or the purpose built Demon. 485 horsepower is already pushing the minimum threshold for fun to felonious limits as is. I just can’t imagine having that much horsepower to be anything other than a frustratingly out of reach temptation. You just never will have your full sensation without risking your life and the safety of those around you.
We arrived about a third of the way through the event. Cars would continue to pull in for another hour or so after our arrival. We found a perfect spot in the shade next to a subdued green Plymouth 1973 ‘Cuda. The lineage was obvious between the new Scat Pack and the vintage eye candy. Mopar is uncompromisingly Mopar and will beat the drum of the V8 for as long as it can. Despite being limited by make, the variety of automobiles was vast. The evolution of the car was beautifully depicted by the range of Dodges, Chryslers, and Plymouths. We could eloquently attempt to describe the cars for paragraphs and paragraphs but we’ve chosen to tell the story visually. Check it out….
GALLERY
We parked the Scat Pack beside its ancestor, a 1973 Plymouth 'Cuda.
We parked on the edge but soon would be surrounded by automotive gold.
The imposing image of a full bodied Mopar cop car. Sinister.
We loved this police package Dodge Polara. Check out the shotgun clamp on the dashboard.
Pod lights used to be pretty cool looking. With a 440 V8, the Polaras could run down most speeders
Love the simple hubcaps.
Speaking of running from the Police, the Blues Brothers took a break from their relentless tour to visit the show and take pictures with enthusiasts.
The duo have changed over time though, when asked what they were doing they replied, “We are on a mission to get laid, we’ve helped God now we are helping ourselves”. Any takers?
They really have the look down. Even the dashboard was covered in the appropriate items.
While we don’t agree with the rims on this ‘66 Charger, the original grill with the roll out headlights is one of our all time favorite front ends.
There were many Chargers on display, both new and old. Here is a pristine all original 1968 426 Hemi powered R/T Charger. The 1968 models are most easily identified from the front by a pillar free front grill without a chrome trim on the body panels surrounding the grill like on the 1970. The Rear end of the 1968 was the only second gen Charger with circular tail lights.
The punched in front grills looked fantastic but were extremely inefficient when it came time to race. Dodge designers would eventually create a flush face on the Dodge 500 for Nascar.
The 426 Hemi is one of the all time most wanted engines to ever be produced in the United States.
These engines came from the factory in 1968 with dual four barrel carburetors and were stated to produce 425 horsepower. This number is highly controversial and many believe the cars produced much more.
This Charger confuses me. The car has Charger 500 badging but does not have the flush front grill or flush rear window. I’m not sure what’s going on here.
The Dodge Charger Daytona is a fascinating vehicle. The car was heavily modified to perform at Nascar. A massive rear wing and flush rear window were made to improve airflow and downforce at speeds hovering above and below 200 miles per hour.
The Dodge Charger Daytona is an extremely rare car. Only 500 were built per year to meet racing homologation standards.
The Charger emblem is a beautiful piece of metal.
The rear wing’s pitch was adjustable to allow optimum results on different tracks.
The Dodge Charger Daytona was equipped with an equally massive front nose cone that pushed a foot and a half forward. The extensive modification resulted in a car with a drag coefficient that still beats many modern super cars.
The Dodge Charger Daytona is a piece of technological history. The car was revolutionary and lead to many advancements in the design of drag friendly performance cars.
Lying is one of the unspoken truths of Nascar. Rules aren’t guidelines, but obstacles. The Dodge guys stated that these reverse scoops over the front tires were for “tire clearance” to keep from getting disqualified. The truth was, the scoops provided a 3 percent improvement in drag reduction because they weren’t for clearance. The scoops provided an outlet for the “dirty” air flowing under the car, sucking the air up and out of the fenders.
Overall, the cars are absolutely iconic and the rear tail stripe with negative lettering are a key design motif.
A sparkling customized 1966 Plymouth Satellite with a very pretty paint job and engine.
The Satellite’s big block ticks all the boxes on the sexy chart.
The Plymouth Satellite was the top of the line version of the Plymouth Belvedere.
The Satellite’s interior is both roomy and stylish.
The American mid sixties automobile was known for its box on a bigger box design.
While the pristine show cars asked for the most attention. Humble inline 6 cars were mixed in with the torque monsters.
Take notice of the Six Pack lettering on the hood scoop. A six pack refers to a triple set of 2 barrel carburetors resulting in an iconic design and name.
While this behemoth wagon may look like a slow land yacht, the Chrysler Town and Country Station Wagon could be ordered with a 440 Big block that propelled the Dodge Charger Daytona to over 200 MPH. With a few simple changes, this wagon could blow the doors off many unsuspecting drag cars.
The 440 cubic inch big block produced 350 horsepower and 480 foot pounds of torque at 2,800 Rpm
A mid sixties Plymouth Fury in a wagon body style.
Another Chrysler on gleaming white wall tires. This late 50’s example was breathtaking.
Unlike today, nobody thought that wagons were ugly or uncool and their designs were stunning.
The owner of this wagon has a miniature electric 50’s car in the back and… yeah, it’s got a Hemi.
There is something special about a wagon with fins.
The cars of the late 1950’s embodied the American dream. Everything was in excess. This Dodge Custom Royal was an absolute gem. Two tone paint jobs, tons of chrome, and huge tail fins are some of the most iconic motifs of the late 50s’s styling.
Take a look at the styled backing plate for the headlights.
The interior of a 1950’s luxury car is a sensation we will never have again. Look at the detailed pattern on the side panels, the multi colored scheme, and the unique stitching used for the comfortable bench seat.
Can you feel the wind on your left elbow while you steer with one finger cruising down the highway?
The Custom Royal took people’s breath away.
Tiny turn signals above well detailed rear tail lights. Pay attention the the mini fins on the twilight glass.
Chrome and gold were used heavily to stylize the Custom Royal
The Chrysler 300 was one of most luxurious cars of it’s time. The car shares a lot of components with the wagon shown earlier.
The creme trim, black enamel paint, and chrome create an absolutely beautiful interior for the 300.
When is the last time you saw a modern car and thought, “wow, that’s a really cool mirror”?
Trucks were in attendance as well, albeit in small numbers.
Just like with Chevy, the step side Dodges have become more valuable as time goes on.
This sleek black sleeper produced tons of horsepower.
One of my favorite vehicles from the show was this Dodge D100 Adventurer owned by a gentleman named Randy.
The green and blue color combination made for an interesting interior. Very cheerful.
The D100 is powered by an all original 5.2 liter 318 cubic inch small block. The engine comes equipped with a gas conserving single barrel carburetor.
The Adventurer was the top of the line luxury trim package for the Dodge trucks of the time.
The Dodge trucks slowly became more similar to their competitors but previous models had extremely unique headlight setups.
Randy drove the D100 from Ventura county to sell some parts at the swap meet.
One of the last cars to arrive was this bright and vibrant 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda.
By the end of the muscle car era, striking visuals were used to wow customers while smog restrictions and gas prices began to strangle performance numbers. These graphic packages would get wilder and wilder during the `70s and `80s. Think of Smoky and the Bandit, Knight Rider or Starsky and Hutch.