| Mopar has taken eight of the Chrysler Group's favorite sons and turned them into, well, show cars—we'd say Frankensteins, but that only applies to one or two examples. (Good and bad meanings associated with the term Frankenstein here.) Follow the jump to have a look at just how wild the folks at Mopar can get when they let their hair down. Chrysler 300 Luxury The Chrysler 300 is a staple of the SEMA show, so it surprised exactly no one when we found out about the Chrysler 300 Luxury (pictured above). The SEMA-fied 300 is donned in bespoke True Blue Pearl paint and given a platinum mesh grille with a body-color matching grille surround. It rides on 20-inch Mopar wheels with Mopar center caps sitting in front of black-painted brake calipers. A 3:91 rear axle replaces the stock unit and a coil-over suspension gives an aggressive stance fitting of a SEMA car. Open the doors and you'll see seats wrapped in Katzkin leather and the shifter from the 300 Mopar '12. Chrysler 300 logos adorn the floor mats, and the manufacturer's logo is stamped on the illuminated doorsills. A pedal kit completes the—rather tame for SEMA—look. Urban Ram We're not sure how urban living and Rams go together—thinking practically, of course—but we won't judge. This show-truck, based on the Ram 1500, is powered by the standard 395-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, but Mopar added a set of headers, dual exhaust, and a cold-air intake for extra motivation. A suspension kit and SRT brakes finish the performance-related additions. The Urban Ram is given Modern Blue paint with a Mopar Blue stripe offset on the driver's side. A Mopar logo is plastered on the driver's side rear quarter panel, and a body kit and vented hood give this Ram a sinister-ish look. The truck sits on 22-inch "hyperblack" R/T wheels aid in the endeavor for a ferocious look. The bed is covered with a body-color fiberglass tonneau, which protects the Urban Ram's very own bed rug. Dodge Charger Juiced
An orange and black car called the Juiced? If we didn't know any better, we might speculate that this Charger had retired from the San Francisco Giants in the not-too-distant past. Thing is, this SEMA special actually has been juicing—it's packing a 650-hp V-10 Viper crate motor behind its crosshair grille. The ten-pot inhales through a cold-air intake and exhales via a rowdy, cat-back exhaust system; both pieces come from the Mopar catalog, of course. The suspension has been altered via a lowering kit, although specifics aren't discussed. Inside, black leather upholstery is trimmed with body-color details, and orange stitching is applied to the steering wheel, center-console armrest, and pistol-grip shifter. Exterior add-ons include a new front splitter, a prototype hood with intake slot, and accessory 20-inch wheels. The paint is called Copperhead, and matte-black detailing abounds. Aside from the beastly engine, it's all pretty standard custom fare, but we're thinking Mopar missed an opportunity to complete the Juiced theme: a tiny pair of Truck Nutz hanging from the rear bumper. Jeep Wrangler Sand Trooper Jeep's contribution to Mopar's SEMA presence is the bad-ass Wrangler Sand Trooper, pictured here in a rendering. As the Sand portion of the Wrangler concept's name implies, the Sand Trooper wears a matte-finished tan paint job. Jeep refers to the glossless hue as "Dune-in-Matte." The Desert Storm–ready vibe is further boosted by a mean-looking set of beadlock rims that pinch the sidewalls of massive, 42-inch Super Swamper Bogger tires. Forget the apparent functional conflict between the mud-ready tires and the Sand Trooper's, well, sandy dune theme—the Super Swampers are awesome. Even more awesome are this Wrangler's Hemi V-8 conversion, portal axles, and Fox Racing Shox shocks; the first two items recently were made available to Jeep owners in the Mopar parts catalog. In fact, most of the Sand Trooper's mods appear to have been culled straight from the Wrangler Apache concept Jeep showed off at this year's Moab Jeep Safari. Besides the Apache gear, the Sand Trooper also gets Mopar half-doors, black Katzkin-leather seats with contrasting tan stitching, and a prototype full-length underbody skid plate. The Wrangler's other prototype piece is a CB radio (hello, 1978!); it's a piece of tech that although functionally thwarted by a modern cell phone, carries an unparalleled cool factor. The CB also is the Sand Trooper's only tangible link to the era that produced the original Star Wars films, which the Jeep borrows its name from. The films' Storm Trooper intergalactic soldiers were called Sand Troopers when outfitted for sand combat, though they didn't wear matte-tan armor or have V-8 engines. Jeep Grand Cherokee Half & Half Of the eight cars Mopar has prepared to be feared and loathed in Las Vegas, this Grand Cherokee Half & Half is by far the most loathed. That's because Mopar decided to showcase its accessories for the Grand Cherokee by installing them on half of the car—splitting any pieces that normally would extend beyond the SUV's centerline—hence the half & half business. Jeep likens the oh-so-subtle move to a three-dimensional "before and after" comparison. We, on the other hand, liken the Half & Half to a certain example from high school of the effect of drugs on one's brain. Let's say the SUV's right side is a 2013 Grand Cherokee Laredo, and the left side is a 2013 Grand Cherokee Laredo. . . on chrome. Seriously, it looks like a Pep Boys chain vomited its wares on half of a perfectly good Grand Cherokee. We're pretty sure there are Grand Cherokee accessories in Mopar's catalog that aren't chrome, but you'd be hard-pressed to realize this reality based solely on the Half & Half. The half-roof rack and the gag-inducing plastic side window visors appear to be the only exterior mods that aren't chrome. Otherwise, there's half of a chrome grille and front bug deflector, the left-hand fog light nacelle and mirror cap are chrome, and a bolt-on chromerunning board. The two wheels on the driver's side are—you guessed it—chrome rims 20 inches in diameter; the stock passenger side of the rig maintains the Laredo's standard 17-inch wheels. As if the overall theme wasn't goofy enough, Jeep finished it off with a zipper decal that runs down the Grand Cherokee's centerline and an oversized zipper handle that hangs off of the front bumper. But hey, at least there is nary a stick-on pseudo ventiport to be found anywhere on the Half & Half, so that's pretty nifty. Mopar-ized 2013 SRT Viper The 2013 SRT Viper is pretty damn sweet on its own—we got all goose-bumpy after even just a brief drive in one recently—but good can always be made better. And no show more accurately synthesizes that kind of thinking than SEMA, hence why Mopar is using the venue to show off its wares for the new Viper. The yellow example debuting in Vegas is fully outfitted with race-inspired touches, including a carbon-fiber engine-bay X-brace that's a claimed 50-percent lighter than the stock piece; a carbon-fiber engine cover; a carbon-fiber aerodynamics package, and Mopar performance coil springs for the suspension. Finally, a front tow hook and an LED fog light upgrade round out the exterior mods. Inside, the Moparized Viper gets yellow accents that match the car's exterior color, as well as six-point safety harnesses for the Sabelt seats. A billet aluminum pedal set, shift knob, and HVAC controls add a touch of class to the already-class(ier) cabin, while the polished chrome door sills Mopar also added, uh, do not. Mopar also added a carbon-fiber quick-release camera mount to the top of the dashboard to help owners record their snake-y antics behind the wheel. Fiat 500 Beach Cruiser
Although the Fiat Cinquecento seems to have a Jekyll & Hyde–like effect on our staff, it's still a bit of eye candy. And what the folks at Mopar have come up with ahead of this month's SEMA show is, well, even better looking. The Beach Cruiser gets a wider body—Mopar claims it's a foot wider both front and rear—and fender flares hanging over the red-painted wheels with brushed center caps. That brushed finish extends to the door handles, the mirrors, the fascia accents, the chin spoiler, and the roof rack–mounted surfboard carrier. Tinted headlamps, functional decklid-mounted louvers, and teak woodwork on the surfboard carrier finish off the Beach Boys motif. Inside, the brushed and teak woodwork themes continue with brushed bezels and floor slats finished with teak. The vinyl seats get "beach towel" inserts—and we wonder aloud just how clever that really is—and the shifter is extended and gets a cue ball–like shift knob. Oh, and did we mention the hula girl on the dash? Because she's there. Luckily, the Beach Cruiser gets more than a makeover: A Mopar-sourced exhaust and cold-air intake provide a horsepower boost, while a strut tower brace also is added.
 Dodge Dart Carbon Fire
Yes, this Dodge Dart is called Carbon Fire. Perhaps said fire has been extinguished and this charcoal-gray color choice represents the ashes that remain. The charcoal is accented by a satin black chin spoiler and body kid; gloss black 19-inch wheels, fascia insert, and roof and mirror covers; and a carbon-fiber hood—finally, something that has anything to do with this car's name. Windows are tinted, head- and taillamps are smoked, and daytime running lights are cribbed from the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Sadly, what Mopar claims are performance upgrades appear to have more to do with form than they do with function. A three-piece prototype decklid spoiler provides downforce, according to Chrysler's aftermarket arm, and silver-painted brake calipers help the Dart Carbon Fire, uh, stop? It would seem, then, that whatever fire once burned inside this Dart was put out long ago. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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