Chrysler Group LLC will accessorize four vehicles for display at this year's annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.
The automaker is using parts from its Mopar aftermarket brand to trick out a Dodge Challenger muscle car, Dodge Ram pickup and a pair of Jeep Wranglers for the SEMA show that runs from Nov. 3-6.
The customizers at Mopar, under the direction of head Jeep designer Mark Allen, worked on the performance show cars.
They include the Challenger 1320, which takes a stripped-down, race-only, special-order version of the Challenger known as the Drag Pak that is designed for competitive drag racing. The street-legal design has a 556-horsepower Hemi V-8 engine, six-speed manual transmission and a customized exhaust system that makes a louder rumble by bypassing the muffler and pushing the exhaust out custom side pipes.
The car has Mopar police wheels with street-legal drag radial tires for a faster launch. The 1320, named for the 1,320 feet on a quarter-mile drag strip, dropped some weight with carbon fiber parts, including the hood and front spoiler and a bare bones interior consisting of Dodge Viper seats and a sport steering wheel. The rear seat, center console and radio have been removed.
The show car has nonmetallic yellow paint with matte black graphics.
The Ram Bianco is a more sophisticated pickup that has been lowered and has a carpet in the truck bed. It also is designed with white pearl paint, painted 22-inch wheels, a dual-exhaust system for the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and contrasting white and black seats with matching trim on the doors.
There will also be two Wranglers on display. The first is the Overland that transforms into use for a campsite. The rear seats are replaced with a rubber floor, and mounted to the cargo rack is a two-person tent and awning. There are waterproof covers on the front seats and a power panel for all the accessories needed to camp out. To get to the perfect camping site, the Jeep has a 3-inch suspension lift to fit massive 35-inch tires.
The second Jeep is the Lower Forty, a two-door Wrangler Rubicon with 40-inch tires on 20-inch wheels, a feat that required the removal of a lot of body metal underneath the vehicle. The extreme off-roader has a new roll cage, and the spare tire has been moved to the cargo floor.
"We will gauge reaction to these vehicles and explore new directions as we develop Mopar performance parts and accessories for our vehicles," said Pietro Gorlier, head of Mopar service parts and customer care in a statement.
Under the new management of chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne, the automaker is putting greater emphasis on the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, which has been divided into car and truck divisions, as well as Mopar. Further details of how the brands will evolve and be marketed will be revealed Nov. 4 when Chrysler outlines a five-year business and product plan.
With only one all-new product for the 2010 model year, the heavy-duty Ram pickup, the automaker is stressing accessories as a way to freshen existing products.
No comments:
Post a Comment