Mailbag

Our Readers Sound Off

Here’s to the Next 100 Years

I just had to write when I received the November/December issue. It did my heart good to see the Pentastar on top of Chrysler’s corporate name again. After nine years of what started as a merger of equals, Chrysler is back in the hands of Americans building cars for American tastes. Can’t wait to see what’s coming down the pike. Anybody can build a car that can get you places—the Japanese proved that. But to build cars that spark the imagination, get your heart pumping and provoke the American passion to drive, that’s what Chrysler was and is becoming again. Mopar has been in my blood since I was eight years old. I couldn’t bear to think of life without Mother Mopar. Here’s hoping the next 100 years are better than ever.
Paul Lorey, Jr.
Gibbsboro, N.J.

You speak for a lot of people, Paul, following the sale of Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management last summer. For the record, Daimler AG maintains a 19.9% interest in Chrysler LLC, but the company largely returns to its American roots. While the nine-year relationship between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler was not without its challenges, some important synergies came out of the deal, and that can only help moving forward.—Ed.

Challenging Ideas

A friend of mine has several ideas for commercials or possibly even a television series surrounding the upcoming release of the Dodge Challenger. How do we get these ideas through to the right people? My friend is a long-time Mopar enthusiast, having owned many Mopar muscle cars over the years. He’s owned three 1970 Challengers with the 440/six-pack, a 1970 HEMI Challenger, 1970 Dodge Chargers, plus Road Runners, a Cordoba and more. His father was also a big Mopar fan throughout the years (Chrysler 300s in the 1950s and 1960s). Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Fred Taylor
Via E-mail

We thought this was a fitting letter, Fred, since this is our special Dodge Challenger issue. You never know where the next great idea will come from, so have your friend send his ideas on to use here at Mopar Magazine (P.O. Box 2117, Farmington Hills, MI., 48333-2117 or send e-mail to editor@moparmagazine.com). If anything looks promising, we’ll make sure it gets into the hands of the right people.—Ed.

HEMIs for a New Generation

I don’t know if you’d be interested, but this is getting very popular: Putting a modern HEMI® in older cars, that is. My friend and I have completed two installs of 5.7-liter HEMIs into a 1969 Dodge Dart and 1972 Dodge Demon. It was a lot of work but very rewarding. A very good learning experience as well. I’ve attached a couple of photos of the completed work. The silver engine compartment is the Dart and the yellow is the Demon.
Duane Bohmier
Via E-mail

You bet it is getting popular, Duane. If you want to know just how hot, take a look at our coverage of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)show beginning on page 6 of the January/February issue. Mopar made quite a splash at SEMA last fall with its HEMI Evolution announcement. Mopar is developing a full line of go-fast products for second- and third-generation HEMI engines, including the 5.7L and 6.1L. This new HEMI Evolution program is bringing HEMI power and history alive for an entirely new generation of enthusiast. Look for more announcements in the future.—Ed.

Positraction Inspection

I probably shouldn’t tell you where or who we are, but this sure was fun! If you see this car behind you with the rollers on, you might want to pull over—unless you’re driving a Viper!
Anthony
Via E-mail

Your secret is safe with us. Well, it was safe until we printed these photos for all the world to see. But you’ll notice we didn’t use your last name so you can breathe easy. More and more Dodge Chargers are popping up in police dress all the time and they make for a very foreboding appearance when they fill up your rearview mirror. In part, you can thank the bow-tie boys for the advent of the Charger police package since Chevy largely got out of the high volume police vehicle market a few years ago.—Ed.