DFWLX Modern Mopar Club
We have been seeing more and more club action around the country built around the late-model LX (300/Charger/Magnum) and LC (Challenger) platforms. In the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area (DFW), one of the biggest organizations is the DFWLX Modern Mopar® Club, which came to our attention via the recent HEMI® Highway Tour and the reports of tour leaders and Dodge representatives Heather Heughens and Scott Vandekerckhove.
“Lead by Mr. Pedro Murillo, DFWLX knows how to get it done,” according to Scott. “Pedro is one cool customer. At just 24-years-old, you’d swear he’s a much older guy. He speaks with such care and pride about his members that one can’t help but be impressed. And he is among the most polite people I know.”
Back in May of 2007, DFWLX consisted of nothing more than three cars. It needed an injection of not just more members, but also some solid energy and a sense of “togetherness.” Pedro says, “In just over two short years the club has grown to over 500 members; 300 of which are active and have logged on to the Web site (www.dfwlx.com) within the last 180 days.” Member cars at last count included 238 Chargers, 102 Magnums, 53 300s and 108 Challengers.
“Our club is known for its participation in some great events especially around DFW,“ Pedro says. “When our members hear it is for charity, they make it a point to free up their schedules.” DFWLX has been a part of events like: Toys 4 Tots, Laps for Charity, Disability Awareness, Christian Classic Cruisers, Mopars @ the Motorplex, Ricekiller.com, Cars & Coffee and the Mopar Mini Nationals.
“We have even created events for members in time of need,” Pedro said. “When one of our members was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, many members sent care packages and letters on a regular basis, and even contributed to his car being modded while he was gone. When one of our members fell on hard times due to medical reasons, DFWLX came to his aid by designating one of the monthly events as a car show with the proceeds benefitting him and his family.”
“We have weekly and monthly events that we organize for our members to meet and see the cars but we also attend random events around DFW. Our club is known for arriving in style to car shows around the area with a couple dozen cars at any given time. With over 50 Best Club Participation awards already collected we have started to make a name for ourselves and show everyone that the Mustangs or Corvettes aren’t the only ones that can dominate the shows. We owe it all to our members because without their love and dedication to this club we wouldn’t be able to pull off the events we are known for.”
DFWLX works hand in hand with four other clubs; Space City LX, Alamo City LX, East Texas Modern Mopar, and Capital City Modern Mopar to put on the annual All-Texas LX Meet (www.texaslx.com), which has served as a way for LX clubs to combine forces. Pedro explained that the event grows every year. “This past year in Waco, Texas, we had more than 150 cars. And it’s great because we get to see new mods from all the other owners. This only serves to expand the knowledge we all have and continues to push us toward the next best things,” he added. “This is what we live for.”
“Another major event that we attend/travel for is the Spring Fest event which is usually held in Irvine, Calif.,” said Pedro. “These guys know how to party! This event brings in hundreds and hundreds of modern Mopars across the world. This annual event has grown so much it has caught the attention of some pretty important people in the Chrysler/Dodge world.” The HEMI Highway Tour met Pedro’s black Charger SRT8® and 35 other LX cars at the Lincoln College of Technology to showcase the 2011 Dodge Charger and the new 392 SRT8 Challenger.
“The stop at Lincoln Tech was great because it gave us an opportunity to interact directly with the DFWLX members,” said Scott. “In addition, the college is home to literally hundreds of gearheads learning to become professional automotive technicians and mechanics. I think Dodge was preaching to the choir here, so to speak.”
The Dallas/Ft. Worth LX includes Pedro’s co-pilot, Fred Butler (DFWLX Forum name: OneFast1). “These two individuals form a unique leadership team that cares more about their members than themselves,” says a club statement. “Through Pedro and Fred’s guidance, DFWLX has grown not only in size, but also in notoriety. Backing up the “Prez” and “VP” are the member relations managers, the event coordinator, the area coordinators, the Web site moderators, and we even have our own PR rep. It is this team that ensures our members are taken care of, our events are planned, organized and executed cleanly for our members, that the Web site is maintained and operates smoothly, and that our name gets out there in the right light.”
Mopar Magazine is pleased to help with that last-stated objective of the club.
Roger Meiners is a veteran automotive historian, writer and photographer with 35-years experience in the automotive industry.
