A little more than 70 years ago, the brand name "Mopar" was trademarked for use on a line of antifreeze products. People had started using the term after Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928 and formed a parts supply company called Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation, which was shortened to MOPAR (a combination of Motor and Parts). In the 1960s and '70s, the Mopar name became closely associated with groundbreaking musclecars such as the Roadrunner, Chrysler 300, Barracuda, Super Bee, Daytona, Superbird, GTX, Charger, Challenger, and other big-block beasts that can still send a jaded modern teenager into a daydream of using Dad's commuter to lay thick black lines on the asphalt as blue haze pours out of the tailpipes.
With the recent announcement that the EPA is raising fuel economy requirements, it's likely that the current boom of new millennium musclecars will die out before they can truly invade the market (say sayonara to visions of SRT8s in every driveway)...but there is hope. The rules won't really affect the 3/4- and 1-ton diesel trucks that are being transformed into the true hot rods on American streets because manufacturers have already found ways to meet the strict new emissions rules while increasing stock power output to at least 350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.
The Mopar Underground Design Team
In 2002, a special group of automotive enthusiasts was chosen for the Mopar Underground Design Team, and they focused on building vehicles with the principle of "form follows function" so that every accessory that's added becomes a true upgrade. One of the first projects they worked on that made it to dealership lots, the SRT4, transformed the way people looked at the dinky Dodge Neon and immediately gave Chrysler a halo car that could be used to compete with the imports.