Standing Room Only

A jam-packed press conference resembling a mosh pit highlighted perhaps the best SEMA Show to date for the Mopar® brand.

Words: Darren Jacobs

Typical companies kickoff meetings old-school style: the banging of a gavel, perhaps, or a “Hey, get in here!” Mopar®, however, does it different. When it came time for Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand, to call a “meeting” to order at the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, he did it in true “Omega M” fashion: with the throaty roar of the new V-10 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak.

The occasion: Mopar’s press conference in its 15,300 square-foot SEMA exhibit, which took on a mosh-pit like atmosphere as Gorlier and Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President – Product Design, broke the seal on trailblazing new Moparized rides brought forth from Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. to show off to the hordes of car customizers and enthusiasts that crowded the SEMA Show on Nov. 2–5.

Elbow room was at a premium as media and showgoers made like sardines to hear Gorlier introduce the 2011 V-10 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, the first and only 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package vehicle. “With 16 new vehicles arriving this year, we have been very busy at Mopar,” said Gorlier. “I think you may agree that only Mopar would have the guts to drop a V-10 engine into a Challenger. It comes complete with a Mopar solid rear axle, a two-speed drag race transmission, competition wheels and tires, and a whole lot more.”

The hits just kept on coming as Gorlier debuted another new Mopar dream machine, one that melded vintage muscle attitude with the modern-day need for “green.” The 1964 Dodge 330, built by Mopar for famed blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, was a project that originated at the 2009 SEMA Show following a long discussion between the Mopar brass and Shepherd, an unabashed Mopar nut. (“My dog is named Dodge,” said Shepherd. “We’re saving the Mopar name for one of our kids.”)

“At the heart of this project is the 426 HEMI® Gen III,” said Pat Muldoon, Senior Manager, Product Development Engineering, Chrysler Group LLC. “It’s got an H pipe, O2 sensors, dual cats, short mufflers. It’s a tip of the hat to our past and our history, but we wanted to look to the future also and be environmentally responsible while building something really wicked. And really wicked can still be green. We’re just really proud. Everyone who worked on this car has been really passionate about the project.”

The Dodge 330 had special meaning for Shepherd; his grandfather used to drive one on a daily basis. The talented musician didn’t view the finished product until SEMA; nonetheless, he sang the praises of the Mopar Underground crew that breathed life into his new ride. “I think Mopar really did a great job,” he raved.

Gorlier introduced Gilles, who proceeded to unveil three new vehicles that offered a sneak peek into Dodge’s 2011 vehicle lineup: the 2011 RedLine Dodge Charger, 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel “Black & Tan” and the Dodge Challenger SRT8® 392. (For more information on these vehicles, see Nov./Dec. 2010 Mopar Magazine). The new Dodge trio boasted similar DNA: all were outfitted with Mopar parts or accessories. “Mopar and HEMI and Dodge go together like peanut butter and jelly,” remarked the observant Gilles.

All told, Mopar prepared 35 vehicles for SEMA, including Mopar Image Vehicles such as the 2010 Fiat 500 (European version), 2011 Wrangler Sahara Mopar Edition, 2011 Jeep® Street Cherokee and 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Off-Road Edition. Combine such an overwhelming fleet of sweet Mopar steel with the striking new giant-sized wall graphics and parts displays that filled the Mopar booth and the Mopar Alley, a tunnel packed with Mopar vehicles and decorated in Mopar graphics that connected the North and South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it’s easy to see why attendees gave two thumbs up to Mopar’s SEMA Show outing.

“This year was the best presence and the most people I have seen in the Mopar booth,” said John Fortuno, a long-time SEMA showgoer and a rabid Mopar fan. “I think the cars, like the Redline Charger, the Mopar Underground team did a great job. I think more than doing a great job, when you look at the elements that the guys put together, they are ‘street-able.’ The rear spoiler, the front spoiler, they’re ‘street-able.’

“It was amazing. It was unreal how many people were in the Mopar booth and Mopar Alley. Mopar Alley was off the hook! It had an amazing collection of vehicles. The presence this year was strong and it really made a statement.”

“The Mopar Alley blows people away,” said Marko Radosavljevic, a Mopar fan and Viper club president of the Nevada region. “I’ve listened to executives in other booths at SEMA talk and say, ‘Why can’t we do something like that?’”

Scott Buck, one of six Mopar “Top Eliminator” winners recognized for their restyled or customized Mopar vehicles, had his 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee on display in the Mopar Alley with his fellow “Top Eliminator” winners. The East Greeneville, Pa. native relished the chance to be a part of Mopar’s SEMA outreach. “It was great having my car on display,” said Buck. “I loved talking to the people, just being a part of the whole thing, the feeling you get.”

Dodge CEO Gilles’ parting remarks served as a short, sweet and accurate encapsulation of the attitude surrounding Mopar and Dodge’s 2010 SEMA stop: “One last thing – Mopar and Dodge forever!” exclaimed Gilles.

And to that, we can only say, “Amen!” 
(For complete information on the Mopar vehicles and parts on display at the 2010 SEMA Show, visit www.mopar.com.)

Darren Jacobs is Mopar’s motorsports communications correspondent and editor of the Mopar Speed e-newsletter.