Swaggerin’ at SEMA

Words: Darren Jacobs

It’s a common refrain: “Change is good!” Politicians run successful campaigns promising change. People are constantly trying to change themselves for the better (at least most do). Change offers fresh surroundings, a passing from one phase into another, a transition from old into new.

The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas is an extravagant ode to change, illustrated in aftermarket parts and accessories—take vehicle, modify vehicle, tweak vehicle, change vehicle, create your own new personalized vehicle. Change defines SEMA—and it also defined the Mopar® display at the 2009 SEMA Show on Nov. 3–6, 2009.

How so? Well, change agent No. 1 sat literally front and center in the Mopar exhibit, shining under the bright lights of the Mopar stage—the new Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger, scheduled to hit the drag strip in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and making its worldwide debut at SEMA. The Mopar HEMI®-powered Dodge Avenger takes the place of the previous Dodge Stratus R/T body, used by NHRA Pro Stock competitors since the midpoint of the 2003 season. Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson is targeted to debut the new Mopar Dodge Avenger in competition at the 50th Annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 11–14, 2010. Johnson, for one, welcomes change.

“I’m very excited to race the new Mopar Dodge Avenger,” said Johnson, who took part in an autograph session with fellow Mopar-powered NHRA drag racers Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, V. Gaines and Vinnie Deceglie in the Mopar display at SEMA. “We’ve been racing the Stratus since mid-2003. Just having a change is an upgrade. We feel we’ve been at a disadvantage with some of our competitors who have been racing in newer bodies for the last few years. I’m glad we’re going ahead full bore.”

The new Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger was developed in-house at Chrysler Group LLC. The project utilized Chrysler Group tools and resources also employed to build the production Dodge Avenger, creating a connection between the street and the quarter-mile. The greatest challenge to the Dodge Motorsports Engineering team tasked with the project was maintaining maximum identity of the Dodge Avenger in the new body without forsaking performance on the drag strip.

“Our team worked within NHRA’s rules to balance aerodynamic performance goals and maximize Dodge Avenger identity,” said Joe Vitous, SRT® & Motorsports Aero-Thermal Manager. “The new Mopar Dodge Avenger meets or exceeds the aero goals we established.”

The switch will no doubt energize drivers who field the new HEMI-powered Mopar Dodge Avengers.

“The introduction of the new NHRA Pro Stock Dodge Avenger will invigorate our Mopar-powered Pro Stock racers,” said Jim Sassorossi, Director—Mopar Global Parts Sales and Marketing, Chrysler Group. “The production Dodge Avenger is a perfect template for the drag strip.”

New “Moparized” vehicles weren’t relegated to the stage in the Mopar exhibit. Attendees couldn’t step a foot without running into a Chrysler Group vehicle 
recast with a bushel of Mopar parts and accessories. Four Mopar Image Vehicles in particular were attention-grabbers on the SEMA Show floor: the Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320, Mopar Dodge Ram Bianco, Mopar Jeep® Wrangler Overland and Mopar Jeep Lower Forty. All four were given amazing makeovers by the Mopar design team, led by Mark Allen, Head of Jeep Design, Chrysler Group.

“Our Mopar vehicles demonstrate this company’s passion and enthusiasm for the automotive aftermarket,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and Chief Executive Office – 
Mopar Service Parts and Customer Care, Chrysler Group. “We will gauge reaction to these vehicles and explore new directions as we develop Mopar performance parts and accessories for our vehicles.”

An oven thermometer was needed to gauge the red-hot reaction to these new “Moparized” rides. The Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320 Image Vehicle presents a street-legal version of the Mopar Drag Pak Dodge Challenger race car, with its moniker referring to the 1,320 feet on a quarter-mile drag strip. The Mopar design team outfitted the Challenger 1320 with Mopar’s 426 cubic-inch, all-aluminum HEMI V-8 crate engine, pumping out 556 horsepower, Mopar police wheels, carbon-fiber bulged hood with HEMI scoop, Dodge Viper seats and a Hurst shifter. And that’s just scratching the surface of the many modifications made to the Challenger 1320.

“White out” is the overall feel of the Mopar Dodge Ram Bianco Image Vehicle. Layered in Arctic Ice pearl paint, the theme continues into the interior, with white and black Katzkin seats with matching door trim. Exterior mods include a Mopar hard Tonneau cover, Mopar body kit, Mopar fender flares and Mopar lowering kit. While the Bianco gets low, the Mopar Jeep Lower Forty Image Vehicle takes the Jeep Wrangler platform higher, with massive 40-inch x 13.5-inch tires mounted on Mopar’s 20-inch forged-aluminum wheels. Custom front and rear fenders are 1-inch wider and located 4 inches higher than a stock Jeep Wrangler, and exterior mods are rounded out with a carbon-fiber hood with a Jeep CJ-like power dome and an all-new drop down tailgate stamped with the “Jeep” logo. Fueling the Jeep Lower Forty is an all-new 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine; the Mopar-supplied Dana 44 front axle and a Dana 60 rear axle, fitted with 5.38 gears and ARB air lockers, were assembled by Dynatrac.

The Mopar Jeep Wrangler Overland Image Vehicle morphs into a mobile campground. Atop the cargo rack is an all-new ARB Simpson II rooftop-mounted tent and awning, with room for two. The rear seats are replaced with a rubberized utility floor. Highlights include the American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) 3-inch suspension lift, heat-reduction hood and snorkel kit, as well as Mopar 17-inch winter/off-road wheels and windshield mounted off-road lights.

After a break for coffee, cookies and popcorn at the Mopar “M” Bar, still more transformed vehicles awaited visitors to the Mopar display: the 2010 Chromed Ram Heavy-Duty Crew Cab, 2010 Ram Heavy-Duty Ultimate Tow Machine, 2010 Ram Heavy-Duty Work Truck, “Moparized” Dodge Challenger, Extreme Off-Road 2010 Jeep Wrangler, Family-Friendly, Off-Road 2010 Jeep Wrangler and “Moparized” Chrysler Town & Country. What common thread connected all seven of these “Moparized” Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Car and Ram Truck vehicles? All came equipped with mountains of Mopar parts and accessories, all available for purchase by consumers at their local dealership.

Mopar also hosts some of the most eye-catching parts displays at SEMA—you can tell by the number of booths at the show that bite the “street” look of the Mopar exhibit! Of course, it’s easy for Mopar to turn heads when its parts and accessories lineup continually adds boatloads of cutting-edge new product each year.

Mopar racing and off-road enthusiasts went ga-ga over Mopar’s enhanced lineup of engines and components, which debuted at SEMA, including the industry’s first aluminum HEMI engine blocks. Mopar will offer three aluminum versions based on the popular 6.1-liter block, all of which are up to 98 pounds lighter than the cast-iron production version found in the company’s SRT8® products: a 6.1-liter HEMI block, a direct replacement for the factory production cast-iron 6.1-liter HEMI engine block; a second option prepped for a 426 cubic-inch (6.9-liter) engine; and the third option, an engine-builder’s special or “X Block,” which has rough-machined bores that allow for up to 440 cubic inches (7.2-liter).

Mopar also introduced a new 572 cubic-inch V-8 HEMI crate engine. With 650 horsepower and a monstrous 660 lb-ft of torque, the 572 cubic-inch HEMI is the centerpiece of Mopar’s crate engine program. Also new at SEMA was the 4.7-liter I-6 Stroker long block, a powerful upgrade for the 4.0-liter I-6 made famous in Jeep vehicles built from 1991–2006.

While you’re enjoying a cruise in your HEMI-powered “Moparized” ride, your passengers can watch many of their favorite TV programs. Mopar debuted FLO TV™ Auto Entertainment at SEMA. Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Car and Ram Truck customers can now purchase a dealer-installed mobile TV option from Mopar. Chrysler Group LLC is the first automaker in the United States to offer live mobile TV with up to 20 channels, with something for everyone: college and professional sports, breaking news, children’s shows, primetime sitcoms, reality TV and daytime dramas.

The Mopar display space also stretched out to connect the North and South halls of the SEMA Show, in the form of the Mopar Alley, an annual destination for show goers. The passage became a sort of Bermuda Triangle: many a person attempted to make a quick trip between halls, only to become lost in a vortex of sweet “Moparized” rides.

The 2009 Mopar “Top Eliminator” award-winning vehicles, chosen at events across the country during the year, took center stage in the Mopar Alley. The “Top Eliminator” program recognized the most skilled Mopar enthusiasts and their restyled or customized Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. Many owners of the 
“Top Eliminator” vehicles made the journey out to Vegas, standing next to their honored gems and eagerly answering questions from curious spectators.

One aspect of Mopar’s SEMA Show presence wasn’t new. The Mopar display, the Mopar Alley—it still wasn’t enough to hold the army of modified Mopars that descended on Vegas. A stroll of the show floor revealed Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Car and Ram Truck vehicles as the canvas of choice for exhibitors displaying new parts and accessories in their SEMA booths. Convertible Dodge Challengers, ultra-modified Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers, Jeep Wranglers and Dodge Rams made off-road ready, all were on view on the SEMA Show floor.

Still, the center of the Mopar world at SEMA revolved around the main Mopar display. What new products and modified rides will Mopar debut in 2010 at Vegas? That remains to be seen. What is certain is that when it comes to Mopar and the SEMA Show, the only thing you can count on is change. And change will do you good!