This year Mopar will be celebrating 75 years since its name was first trademarked (a combination of ‘Motor’ and ‘Parts’) with the unveiling of four new vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show next month. Mopar has evolved to become synonymous with performance parts for Chrysler and Dodge as well as amp’d-up specialty package vehicles, vehicle service and maintenance.
The first, and only one that will be sold turn-key, is the ’12 Mopar 300 with only 500 being built and sold for $49, 700 each. While offering no more power than a standard 5.7-litre V8-equipped 300, the ’12 Mopar does benefit from a new final-drive ratio of 3.91:1 that drops its 0-60 time in the low five-second range, as well as a significantly stiffer suspension, more grip on the tyres and brake system upgrades.
The exterior is painted black with striping that appears across the ’12 Mopar’s sides and around its rims. The wheels are 20-inch, 8-spoke forged aluminum rollers painted Gloss Black with Mopar center caps. Mopar says that interior is equally dark save for accents of Mopar Blue.
Each vehicle sold will come with a special box of goodies that includes Mopar-branded key fobs and merchandise; proof of the vehicle’s exact manufacture date and number built; and a sketch of the car signed by its designer.
The remaining three anniversary special editions include the 2013 Dodge Dart ‘GTS 210 Tribute’, 2012 Fiat 500 Stinger and 2012 Mopar Jeep Compass ‘True North’.
The Dodge Dart serves to pay homage to the quintessential muscle car while showcasing how Mopar’s extensive range of appearance and performance parts will be for the new Dart when it goes on sale.
The Fiat 500 ‘Stinger’ is welcomed into Fiat’s custom fold. Its 1.4-litre MultiAir engine receives an unspecified bump in power thanks to a cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust. Higher-spec performance brakes clasp down on larger cross-drilled rotors behind a wider set of 17-inch Abarth Hyper Black aluminum wheels with wider 205/40R17 performance tyres.
Lastly, The Jeep Compass ‘True North’ has been given a 2-inch lift kit to better accommodate its 16-inch matte black wheels fitted with BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres. The center stack is also modified with a custom pod housing pitch and roll inclinometer gauges.
Source: Autoblog
