How An Antifreeze Brand Accidentally Became A Muscle Car Identity

Mopar aliases nary car? A batch of muscle-car fans consciousness that measurement today, since nan Mopar sanction is intimately associated pinch Dodge's old-school marque of capacity — and not conscionable because of a immense catalog of aftermarket upgrades. Full-on Mopar-themed machines included nan 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak, a competition-only dragster tin of delivering quarter-mile times of 7.5 seconds, and nan 2023 Charger and Challenger Mopar constricted editions. They were portion of nan Last Call program originally meant to thief both Charger and Challenger spell retired pinch a bang.

However, agelong earlier Mopar became synonymous pinch muscle, it was nan marque for Chrysler's antifreeze. "MoPar" was first utilized unofficially successful nan 1920s to mention to nan Chrysler Motor Parts Corp., and nan automaker trademarked nan connection successful 1937, erstwhile it introduced its caller statement of ethylene glycol antifreeze. More parts followed, and successful 1953, Mopar opened its first parts depot serving Chrysler brands.

The marque dropped nan uppercase "P" successful 1964 and is now nan charismatic parts supplier of not only Dodge, but besides Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and — acknowledgment to nan FCA merger — Fiat. But it owes its muscle-car cred to its pioneering parts programs of nan 1960s and '70s. They helped Mopar proviso nan go-fast parts needed for that muscle, which pushed nan marque into nan capacity spotlight — wherever it still shines today. So let's spot precisely really nan marque went from protection against acold upwind to a bold sanction for basking rods.

NASCAR and National Hot Rod Association racing picked up successful fame on pinch nan emergence of nan musculus cars, aliases possibly vice versa, and Mopar quickly made a sanction for itself supporting racing teams successful nan series. In fact, Mopar opened a typical depot for shipping race-ready parts successful 1964 and had launched a dedicated Performance Parts Service by 1968. Yet these were meant for nan motorsports large leagues; astir Mopar aftermarket parts weren't disposable straight to mundane motorists. There weren't moreover publically disposable catalogs.

If you wanted to compression much musculus retired of your thrust during those years you had to spell into a dealership, and we cognize how greedy dealers make everything worse. There, you had to talk pinch a parts pro astir what was disposable and spot your order. This yet changed successful 1974 pinch nan Mopar Direct Connection program. Backed by a colour catalog, complete pinch method drawings and 3D "exploded" views, Direct Connection gave conscionable astir everyone, well, nonstop entree to Mopar's racing goodies. And plentifulness of group took advantage of nan opportunity to adhd a small high-powered thief to their regular rides, including nan automaker itself.

Of course, Chrysler had begun stuffing a large motors and capacity parts into basal driving machines earlier that. One early illustration was nan 1957 Chrysler 300C, which sported a mighty Hemi V8 — successful this case, a 392-cubic-inch mill that could leverage dual four-barrel carburetors to boast 390 horsepower.

The first Mopar cars from nan classical muscle-car years are usually considered to beryllium nan 1967 Plymouth GTX and Dodge Coronet R/T. The first was based connected nan Plymouth Belvedere midsizer that was offered successful sedan, coupe, and position wagon assemblage styles.

When nan 1967 exemplary twelvemonth came around, Plymouth put 2 monolithic V8s connected nan paper for nan Belvedere's caller GTX trim: a 440-cubic-inch Super Commando V8 that could deploy 375 ponies and a 426-cubic-inch Hemi that upped nan ante to 425 horsepower. Dodge's Coronet R/T borrowed nan aforesaid level and motor choices, though its 440-cubic-inch V8 was called nan Magnum alternatively of Super Commando, and it was further notable for being nan first of that brand's cars to show disconnected nan "R/T" badge — for "Road and Track." 

Today, different sanction from nan past is being resurrected and will nary uncertainty thief driver Mopar's future: Stellantis' caller leader is bringing backmost not conscionable SRT (Street and Racing Technology), but besides Hemi engines and mill backing for NASCAR motortruck racing.