Mopar

Mopar
Industry Automotive parts
Predecessor Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation
Founded 1937
Owner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Parent Chrysler
Website www.mopar.com

Mopar[1] is the parts, service and customer care organization within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The name is a portmanteau of the words "MOtor" and "PARts".[1][2]

Mopar also designs and builds a small number of customized vehicles.[3]

History

A Mopar oil filter from the 1950s

The term was first used by Chrysler in the 1920s and was introduced as a brand starting in 1937. The name Mopar was created by a committee to use on cans of "Chrysler Motor Parts" antifreeze.[1]

Mopar parts are original equipment manufactured parts for FCA US LLC vehicles. The term "Mopar" has passed into broader usage among car enthusiasts as an unambiguous reference to vehicles produced by former parent company Chrysler Group LLC, now FCA US.[4][5]

The term has thus become an inclusive word for any Chrysler-built vehicle—most any Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Imperial, DeSoto or Dodge Trucks/Ram By extension, it is also used for Jeep and AMC vehicles built after Chrysler's 1987 buyout of American Motors Corporation including the short-lived Eagle brand.[6][7] The merger of these brands continues with custom-built cars such as the 2017 Mopar 1,036 hp (773 kW; 1,050 PS) Hemi Hellcat powered 1972 AMC Javelin AMX.[8] Since 2011, Mopar includes Fiat and Alfa Romeo following the Chrysler-Fiat merger.

In Canada, Chrysler parts were sold under the Chryco and AutoPar brands until the Mopar brand was phased into that nation's market, starting in the late 1970s.

Sponsorship

Mopar was involved in sprint car racing
Mopar sponsored drag racing car

Over its 80 years, Mopar has sponsored a number of racers in a variety of motorsports series.

In 1996, Mopar sponsored the #30 car of Jimmy Hensley in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. From 2004 to 2007 Mopar sponsored the #9 car driven by Kasey Kahne in the Sprint Cup Series for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They also sponsored his sprint car.

In the United States and Canada, Mopar participates in Formula D. Formula Drift drivers are Samuel Hübinette, and in Canadian Drift Championship Vanessa Ozawa, Kevin Huynh, and John Yakomoto. Mopar had sponsored NHRA drag racer Allen Johnson in that series' Pro Stock division for 20 years, but for 2016 season they sponsored Jegs Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders-Stevens.[9]

Mopar remains active in drag racing events. It sponsors Don Schumacher Racing drivers, such as Tony Schumacher, in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.[10] Drivers of the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak are eligible for a variety of Mopar contingency awards and benefits.[11]

Mopar sponsors the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals held each July in Denver.[12] It is the longest-running sponsorship in all of drag racing.[13]

Custom cars

Mopar does not have dedicated assembly lines. There are 13 Mopar Custom Shops that install customer chosen accessories on their vehicles before delivery.

There are also limited-edition Mopar versions of FCA vehicles. These are marketed featuring custom paint and equipped with numerous Mopar performance and cosmetic modifications.[14]

An example was the 2013 Dodge Dart finished in black with an offset Mopar Blue racing stripe and featuring sport-tuned steering, exhaust, premium brakes with slotted rotors, lowered sport suspension, gloss black 18-inch aluminum wheels with 225/40R18 performance tires with production plans for 500 units.[15]

A special edition Mopar 2017 Dodge Challenger was introduced at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show as part of 80th anniversary of the Mopar brand.[16] A total of 160 were built: half were finished in contusion blue with pitch black effects and the second half in billet silver with pitch black accents.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Evolution of a Trademark". 13 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "History of Mopar - The Famous Automotive Trademark". BuyAutoInsurance.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Rousseau, Steve (12 October 2012). "5 New Chrysler Custom Hot Rods". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Glatch, Tom; Loeser, Tom (2017). The Art of Mopar: Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth Muscle Cars. Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760359716. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Genat, Robert (2004). Mopar Muscle: fifty years: Dodge, Plymouth, & Chrysler performance. Motorbooks International. ISBN 9780760320167.
  6. ↑ "Mopar books". Car Tech Books. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Bolig, Randy (9 January 2008). "2007 Mopar/AMC In The Park Car Show - Mopar Muscle Magazine". Hot Rod Network. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Siler, Steve (24 February 2018). "Defiant Drive: Taking a Spin, Almost Literally, in Prestone's 1036-HP, Hellcat-Powered '72 AMC Javelin AMX". Car and Driver. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  9. ↑ Cawthon, Bill (8 December 2015). "Mopar: Enders and Coughlin in NHRA". Allpar News. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "On the Throttle with … Tony Schumacher". Mopar Magazine. 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  11. ↑ McEachern, Sam (21 December 2016). "Challenger Drag Pak Teams Get Factory Support For 2017". Fiat Chrysler Authority. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals". NHRA. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  13. ↑ Connolly, Eoin (21 July 2014). "Mopar extends longest-running deal in NHRA". sportspromedia.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  14. ↑ McCausland, Evan (25 October 2010). "Much More Mopar: Chrysler Bringing 35 Custom Cars to 2010 SEMA Show". Motor Trend. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  15. ↑ Youngs, Jeff (4 February 2013). "Mopar '13 Dodge Dart Brings Dart Model Count to Seven". J.D. Power Cars. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Dodge to Honor 80 Years of Muscle Car Heritage with Mopar '17 Dodge Challenger". J.D. Power Cars. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
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