What got you in to Mopars?

DaveBishop · Post by **DaveBishop** » Wed Oct 01, 14 8:36 am

getting into my granddads 1946 Buick in the late 1950's Black with red wings gutted when he sold it. Then buying my first yank in 1969 it was a 1934 Hudson Terraplane. at the same time two brothers in Walthamstow had two 1968 Dodge Chargers just a year old always remember them moaning that they cost £1800 each

Post by **MattH** » Wed Oct 01, 14 8:53 am

Seeing a 68 Camaro racing at Lydden Hill in about 1989.

Loved the sound and the style, so bought a book at the NEC, "The Great Book of Muscle Cars" and then fell in love with the Challenger as soon as I saw one in the book.

I then learnt about muscle cars and the Mopar range from that wonderful book, and had to have a Challenger one day.

Dave999 · Post by **Dave999** » Wed Oct 01, 14 9:03 am

went to australia with the aim of buying a VW split screen camper

purchased few mags NZ classic car we celebrating 30 years of the E49 charger R/T

came back with a charger R/T

the place was far too big to travel at 55 mph everywhere needed something that was classic and did 90

Dave

Post by **MattH** » Wed Oct 01, 14 9:23 am

Dave999 wrote:went to australia with the aim of buying a VW split screen camper

purchased few mags NZ classic car we celebrating 30 years of the E49 charger R/T

came back with a charger R/T

the place was far too big to travel at 55 mph everywhere needed something that was classic and did 90

Dave

Ive got that mag! The Aussie Charger was something I didn't know about until going to Oz, but discovered them and got one too, only as a runabout whilst biulding the Challenger, but I won't sell it now, had it too long.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Wed Oct 01, 14 9:49 am

The Monkeemobile was the first car I fell in love with in the '60s. My older sisters were big fans of the show.
In their annual one sister got for xmas was a description of Drag Racing. Slingshot dragsters with blown hemi engines using parachutes to stop.

Then a American penpal sent me a plastic model kit of an early funny car and at a car show in Newcastle there was a slingshot dragster on display. It had been doing exhibition runs at the airport.
I got to sit in it. That Hemi engine just looked amazing right in front of me.

Then a few years later I saw Vanishing Point at the pictures and there were two Camaros (a 68 SS and a 70.5 Z28), a 455 HO Firebird, and a big block '69 Mach 1 Mustang parking in my area that I used to go out of my way to walk past on my way home from school.

I was still a general American car fan until I was about 21 or 22 years old. A 55 chevy was my dream car after seeing Two Lane Blacktop. Then I got Vanishing Point on VHS tape and started going to Santa Pod and once I got into the history of Super Stock cars and Mopars I became a Mopar only fan.

So when the chance came to own a "Charger" for my very first car I took it. Only it was an Australian one. I didn't know at the time they were different. Obviously I needed to learn more. So that's what I did.

Had the Charger 770 for 7 years before buying my 440 Challenger R/T which I then owned for over 20 years.

Carl · Post by **Carl** » Wed Oct 01, 14 11:52 am

It didn't really begin as a Mopar thing for me, I had a love for custom and all American Muscle cars as my first car was a 71 Mach1 with a 390c.i in it. But it was probably while I was doing my Mechanics apprenticeship at the same time as the DoH was being shown on TV that brought my attention to Mopar with the Charger, also the Barracuda in the film Phantasm and the Chally in VP, but blame the love of the Mustang on the original gone in 60 seconds. Also 3 other guys doing their apprenticeship were also into Mopar, Dave Moxon later bought a Charger and still has it, Paul Harris later bought a challenger, but the first guy who I forget his name now came to collage in an orange Auzzie Charger, the first I had ever seen.

I went a few years in the wilderness after selling the Mustang until a 69 Barracuda came up for sale at a price I could afford, and that was my introduction into Mopar ownership, I swapped the Barracuda for a 71 Charger and now have the RR, so mopar ownership has snow balled but I still wouldn't rule out owning another make.

I used to buy car craft and other American magazines to cut out the pictures of Chargers, Daytona's and Superbirds.

Dave81 · Post by **Dave81** » Wed Oct 01, 14 1:03 pm

Growing up in the 80's I used to watch Smokey and the bandit, A team, Knightrider, Fall guy etc.....so always loved American cars.

I'll be honest, it was the noise (no doubt dubbed), more than the car itself that had me hankering for an American!

Got into my 20's wanted a Mustang but could only afford the English one (2.8 Capri). That was it.
Owned 2 cars from 21 on and always preferred the sound and theatre of classics over modern.

Went through a few cars but always chickened out of touching a left hooker......

Found this place and asked a few Q's then the real watershed moment...........Went to the Nats in 2010 and that was it. The look and noise had me hooked!!!

Remember a Sublime 73 Dart with ceterlines which was for sale (around 6-7k from memory). Knew that this would probably be my first foray only problem is I had £3k.......

Saved like crazy for another twelve months, got wifey pregnant while waiting (another 'if I don't do it now' moment for my dream!!). Left her at 8 months pregnant to do a 500 miles round trip to see Miles and the Dart.

Got there and the rest is history!!!

Love Mopars, but not a one make man!
Love some of the Fords, Merc's, Olds, Buicks, Pontiacs and Chubbies too..........

My only real 'Mopar only' thing, is that a BB Mopar with a decent exhaust is probably one of the best sounds to come from a car!!!!

mad machs · Post by **mad machs** » Wed Oct 01, 14 1:39 pm

Our American Neighbours on the married quarters 'patch' in the late 60's having a Plymouth Barracuda which totally humiliated my dads Vauxhall Viva HA

& much later on, me building The Monogram 1/24th scale funny car 'Cop Out' based on a Plymouth Duster mid 70's.

drewcrane · Post by **drewcrane** » Wed Oct 01, 14 2:01 pm

My Dad

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Wed Oct 01, 14 5:42 pm

It happened gradually!
My uncle bought me a kit of the Ramchargers '64 Polara when I was 6, my dad built it for me and I still have it, I thought it was fab. When I was a little older I bought a kit of a '62 Dart because it was the strangest looking car I'd ever seen, couldn't make up my mind if I liked it or not, but it had something.
There was a guy that used to drive past the house often in a brand new '67 Barracuda in B5 blue, that caught my eye. Later, on my paper round I used to cycle past a new '72 Roadrunner in orange, that appealled to me too. Dave Rose lived up the road and alway's had his hemi 'cuda race car and hemi 'cuda convertible parked outside the house. When I started going to the pod in the '70's I noticed that all the stuff I liked was usually Mopar. Then when I could finally afford to run and insure something American, 2 car dealer mates had Barracuda's, a very clean RHD '68 auto, and a ratty '67 Formula S 4 speed. It was a no brainer, I swapped my Corsair for the Formula S, my first Mopar.
I was working on it one day outside my parents house when an old boy stopped and said "I've got one of those, do you want to buy another one?" so we went round the corner and in his garage was the Blue '67 from all those years ago, he'd had it stashed away and it was still mint. He wanted £1500 when an average one was £500 or less, I passed. I still wonder what happened to that car, I've never seen it since. Now I've owned Mopars for most of my life I guess I'm in it for the long haul...

LuckyTom · Post by **LuckyTom** » Wed Oct 01, 14 6:15 pm

Driving to my first ever cruise after getting my mustang (first classic) from Mr Madders when I was about 20.

I loved that mustang dearly, but as I drove into the cruise (proud as punch) I was passed by 2 B-bodies coming out the other way... rolling lazily along with their BB burble drowning everything out and their jacked up rear suspension, arses in the air. One I'm sure had a big Billadeau Speed sticker in the rear glass.

I didn't even know what they were at the time. But I suddenly felt very small, like I was dipping my toe into the muscle car world rather than doing it properly. Never been one for half measures me...

cadboy · Post by **cadboy** » Thu Oct 02, 14 6:50 am

Grown up with American cars in the family, and my dad had a Dodge and later a Plymouth when I was a teen so started driving the Plymouth and loved it.

Many years later, different country and happened to go to Billing and never seen so many American cars in one place, as you don't see them on the road as much, so the fire was ignited and had to have one, that was back in 2001.

Started with Cadillac as luxury always appeals to me (still does), but the sound of a Mopar at every show I went to was killing me so I had to have one when I could afford one.

So I did.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 03, 14 1:14 pm

Great thread!!!

I was about 5 when I got a hotwheels set and a catalogue full of crazy coloured cars with magnum 500s and redline tyres. Hooked on anything classic American since then. Not fussy now but do love Mopars above all else. Shows like Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, The Streets of San Fransisco etc fueled it. Then I saw a knackered green 60s Riviera at an auction in Scotland. Was about 10 and went with my uncle. He bought a green Cortina GXL there and a young kid bought the Buick. Thats the first American car I had ever seen in the flesh.

I stumbled over an old standard catalogue of American Cars in my school library in about 1978 and booked it out every week for as long as I can remember. I just drooled over it all the time. The Mopars stood out as my favourites.

Anyone remember the black Roadrunner Patrick Swayze drove in Tiger Warsaw....got me hook, line and sinker!

autofetish · Post by **autofetish** » Fri Oct 03, 14 2:11 pm

morgan · Post by **morgan** » Fri Oct 03, 14 3:27 pm

If that blower works like you think Wil you wont be needing these at any rate...