Mopar® Love In Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a town definitely NOT created for people of the shy and retiring persuasion. But the city is perfect for outgoing souls such as the aptly named “Smilin’” Ed Metcalf, founder of Mopars of Las Vegas, who enjoys the camaraderie and company of others—especially if those “others” happen to be Mopar®-crazed fanboys (and girls) who get their kicks cruising “The Strip” in their Moparized rides.

Metcalf created the Mopars of Las Vegas car club in 2002, and the association of like-minded Mopar maniacs now boasts a membership roster of 225 members and more than 300 Mopar cars. Why the discrepancy in the ratio of members-to-cars? “Almost everyone has got one, two, five cars, or more,” says “Smilin’” Ed, with a chuckle.

Mopars of Las Vegas members are tightly concentrated in and around Sin City and are extremely active, with an extensive slate of activities each year. Two major events shine bright on the club’s schedule: an annual Poker Run through Las Vegas (fitting, considering the locale) and a spring trip out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Mopars at The Strip event.

“In the summertime, because it’s so bloody hot here, we tend to hibernate,” said Metcalf, who owns two Mopars himself, a 440 four-speed 1969 Plymouth GTX and a 1968 Dodge Dart GTS convertible. “Pretty much summer is like our winter here. In the spring and the fall, we hook up at least once a month.”

Metcalf considers the club his hobby, and does not charge his members dues. The 51-year-old Buffalo, N.Y. transplant to Vegas and U.S. Postal worker also passed along his Mopar “gene” to his son, Eddie, who recently bought back a 1967 Plymouth GTX his father sold years ago.

“It’s a blast,” said Metcalf of the club. “We feed upon each other with our enthusiasm. If I see someone wearing a Mopar t-shirt or hat, I’ll flag them down and meet-and-greet them, and lo and behold, I’ve got a new club member. People who own Mopars are unique animals. They are very biased about their vehicles and very dedicated to the Mopar brand, more so than people who own other brands. The hardcore people are just through-and-through Mopar; they live and breathe it.”

Marko Radosavljevic has been a member of the club since it began. The Las Vegas businessman owns a number of Mopars, including one rather famous car—the Mopar Dodge Viper Competition Coupe Samuel Hübinette drove to the inaugural Formula DRIFT championship back in 2004.

“The club is fun; we all share a passion for Mopars,” said Radosavljevic. “It’s a great chance to hang out with Mopar fans, but you also can get information that you can’t find anywhere else. If you want to repair your Mopar, or do something to it, or restore a muscle car to its original look, you can get lots of valuable advice from friends in the club.”

Newbies to the Mopars of Las Vegas fold and to Mopar fandom, such as Marcia Avallone, owner of a 1999 Plymouth Prowler, are soon made to feel as if they have been part of the gang for years.

“The club is my favorite part of owning my car,” said Avallone, who joined the group just three months ago. “I love it because they are so friendly, they’re so welcoming and they don’t care what kind of car you drive. There’s a lot of camaraderie. The club is like an extended family for me.”

Avallone finished first in the club’s Poker Run this year, and in the process may have won over a new Mopar convert. “My son went and had so much fun,” said Avallone. “He’s even talking about getting a Mopar car himself.”

As for the story behind the name of Mopars of Las Vegas president “Smilin’” Ed? Well, of course, Mopar plays a prominent role in the tale—did you really think it would be anything different?

“I had my green GTX restored in 1991, and I was a grinnin’, smilin’ fool when I went to pick up the car,” recalled Metcalf. “The man who painted it was a lifelong friend and he started calling me ‘Smilin’’ Ed, and I’ve went by that ever since.”

That’s Mopar—putting smiles on faces and creating fans for life!