Best Fest Yet

Nearly 900 Dodge Chargers, Dodge Challengers, Dodge Magnums and Chrysler 300s rolled into the 6th Annual Spring Festival of LXs—the largest car count yet at the biggest gathering of LX/LC/LD platform vehicles in the world.

Words: Darren Jacobs

They streamed in one after another. Chrysler 300s. Dodge Challengers. Dodge Chargers. Dodge Magnums. Columns of customized and modified modern Mopars, stretching out toward the horizon, rolled loud and proud into Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. on Saturday, March 26. The occasion: the 6th Annual Spring Festival of LXs, host to nearly 900 Chrysler platform vehicles—and the men and women who love them.

The enthusiast event, the largest gathering of Chrysler LX/LC/LD vehicles on the planet, enjoyed its largest car count to date, with a slate of activities that was enough to tire a double-fisted energy drinker. Miles of amazing vehicles on display, vendor booths (including the Mopar® Direct Connection rig, with a Mopar-modified Chrysler 300C on display), ride-and-drives, an autocross, drift demos courtesy of Dodge Motorsports star Samuel Hübinette, vehicle reveals, another car show back at the DoubleTree host hotel, special roundtable Q&As with Brian Rogos, Senior Manager, Mopar Accessories and Performance; Rick Berecz, Accessory Product Planning Manager, Mopar Brand; and Dale Aldo, Mopar Performance Parts—if you didn’t have fun at the Spring Festival, then you didn’t have a pulse!

As always, the gathering of LX/LC/LD lovers featured an eclectic mix of vehicles and owners. A highly modded Dodge Charger boasting suicide doors, a paint job worthy of an art museum and TV screens plastered over every inch of the interior might sit wheel-to-wheel with a practically stock Dodge Challenger or Chrysler 300. Owners in their teens bond with those eligible for AARP discounts, and showgoers encompass enough nationalities to give the U.N. a run for its money.

The diversity and passion of the LX/LC/LD owners hasn’t failed to catch the attention of Chrysler Group execs, who came out to the event in enough numbers to transform the city of Irvine into Chrysler HQ West for a day. Even Dodge Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles blocked out space in his busy planner to attend the event and reveal new 2011 Chrysler “S” concept vehicles in a large tented area behind the DoubleTree, complete with a DJ and dance floor. The Dodge top dog even found time to bust a few moves with cheering LX/LC/LD owners!

“When you can say that you had more than 850 cars, and the oldest car is only six years old—nobody does it like this,” said John Fortuno, founder and organizer of the Spring Festival of LXs, who debuted his “Fatchance 2.0,” a modified 2011 Chrysler 300C, at the event. “And that’s exciting, the passion and enthusiasm on all levels, both from the owners and the brand side. Chrysler, Dodge and Mopar had a strong presence.

“It was an amazing outpouring of support, and Mopar’s presence out here was critical. Having Mopar here for one-on-ones with the owners is a very positive thing for us and a huge effort.”

Attendees shared Fortuno’s enthusiasm with Mopar, including James Shapp, who displayed his 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8® named after his father, Dutch, who served two tours in Vietnam and passed away recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Knowing this Challenger has Mopar parts in it, I knew I was getting a quality vehicle,” said Shapp. “I know Mopar stands for power. If I was going to get a car it had to be Mopar.”

If Mopar stands for “power,” than the Spring Festival stands for “awesome car show.” Before long it’ll be time to do it all again, as the 7th Annual Spring Festival of LXs is officially on the clock. Passion, people and LX/LC/LD vehicles in sunny Southern California—see you there, same time next year!

To view exclusive Mopar videos from the Spring Festival of LXs, check out Mopar's official YouTube Channel, Mopar Captured.

To view a photo collage of the spring fest download the following pdf.

6th Annual Spring Festival of LXS - PDF