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Mopar celebrates 75 years with bunch of Chicago-bound special editions

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This year Mopar is celebrating 75 years since its name – a combination of MOtor and PARts – was first trademarked. During that time, Mopar has evolved to become synonymous with performance parts for Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, as well as amp'd-up specialty package vehicles, vehicle service and maintenance, and add Fiat to the long list of Chrysler Group brands it supports since the Italian automaker took part ownership in the smallest of Detroit's Big 3.

Anniversaries usually come with presents, and Mopar is bring four to show and share at the Chicago Auto Show next month. The first, and only one that will be sold turn-key, is the '12 Mopar 300, which becomes the brand's third factory-built model for modern times following the '10 Mopar Challenger and '11 Mopar Charger. While offering no more power than a standard 5.7-liter 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, grippier tires and brake system upgrades.

Then there's the exterior. If the plague's preferred method of transmission were by car, this would be its ride. It is the Black Death on wheels, which themselves are 20-inch, 8-spoke forged aluminum rollers painted Gloss Black with Mopar center caps. We especially like the tasteful blue striping that appears across the '12 Mopar's sides and around its rims. While we've yet to see it, Mopar says the interior is equally void of light save for accents of Mopar Blue.

Only 500 of these '12 Mopar 300 models will be built and sold this summer for the price of $49,700, which includes destination charges. Each one will also come with a special box of goodies that includes Mopar-branded key fobs and merch; proof of the vehicle's exact manufacture date and number built; and a sketch of the car signed by its designer.

Follow the jump for three more anniversary models from Mopar.
2013 Dodge Dart 'GTS 210 Tribute'



While as far as possible from the original Dart GTS in execution, this Mopar model is meant to pay homage to that quintessential muscle car while showcasing just how extensive the Mopar catalog of appearance and performance parts will be for the new Dart when it goes on sale. While it won't be available turn-key from dealers like the limited edition '12 Mopar 300, buyers should be able to recreate the Dart 'GTS 210 Tribute' Ă  la carte.

The number in its name refers to the 210 horsepower produced by the Dart's engine after being treated to a cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust. Mopar doesn't mention which of the Dart's three engines is under the hood, but our guess is the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder that normally would produce 184 horses. Mopar has also treated the 'GTS 210 Tribute' to a larger anti-roll bar and bigger rotors and pads in the brake department.

Naturally, the Dart's looks weren't left alone either. Mopar fitted this model with a number of matte black accent pieces as well as a fetching (and real) carbon fiber hood sporting a large NACA-like scoop and 18-inch, ten-spoke wheels with a titanium-colored finish. Like its outsides, this tribute Dart's interior gets a new color scheme of Ruby Red with black accents, though images have yet to be provided.


2012 Fiat 500 'Stinger'



Mopar is welcoming Fiat into its custom fold with the 500 'Stinger'. Its 1.4-liter MultiAir engine receives an unspecified bump in power thanks to a cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust, while higher-spec performance brakes clasp down on larger cross-drilled rotors behind a wider set of 17-inch Abarth Hyper Black aluminum wheels shod with wider 205/40R17 performance tires. The Stinger's looks go even further with an eye-catching Giallo ('yellow' in Italian) exterior color with black trim accents that we're told is mirrored on the inside.


2012 Mopar Jeep Compass 'True North'



While the Compass has been the butt of many Jeep jokes in the past, this 'True North' edition by Mopar has us smiling for entirely different reasons. True, the changes are mostly cosmetic, though some functional upgrades are present. Mopar has added a 2-inch lift kit to better accommodate its 16-inch matte black wheels wearing BF Goodrich All Terrain tires. The center stack is also modified with a custom pod housing pitch and roll inclinometer gauges. We especially like the deep red color that's cleverly accented with matte black trim, especially the grill surround with body-color inserts.
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Mopar® Marks 75th Anniversary: Unveils Four Custom Vehicles Mopar Mods Headed for 2012 Chicago Auto Show

- Mopar® '12 300, a custom Chrysler 300 that goes from 0 to 60 mph in the low 5- second range, is third factory-built Mopar-badged vehicle from Chrysler Group LLC
- All-new 2013 Dodge Dart 'GTS 210 Tribute' and 2012 Fiat 500 'Stinger' get two Mopar stage kits, highlighting appearance and performance
- 2012 Mopar Jeep Compass 'True North' gets a 2-inch lift, aggressive look and extreme personalization
- Mopar hints at future with new dealership experience, retail program, tuning station, owner centers and technology to enhance connecting with customers

January 31, 2012, Center Line, Mich. – For its 75th anniversary, Mopar® continues to work its magic.

Today at its engineering lab in Center Line, Mich., Mopar revealed four custom vehicles, including the Mopar '12 300, Fiat 500 "Stinger," Mopar Jeep® Compass "True North" and Dodge Dart "GTS 210 Tribute." Mopar '12 will be available this summer straight from the factory, while components of the Fiat 500, Jeep Compass and Dodge Dart custom configurations will be available in the fall as stage kits or Ă¡ la carte from the Mopar catalog.

"Customization is king," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand. "These head-turning 'Moparized' vehicles show how we can go to the next level of personalization. With our best-in-class offerings of parts and accessories, we give our customers every opportunity to further enhance the appearance and performance of their vehicles."

Earlier this month, at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, the brand kicked off its year-long 75th anniversary celebration with the introduction of the Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar and the Dodge Charger Redline. Mopar, a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts, was trademarked in 1937.

The following "Moparized" vehicles were revealed today and will be on display at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show from Feb. 10-19.

Mopar '12 300
Building on the success of Mopar versions of the 2010 Dodge Challenger and 2011 Dodge Charger, the new Mopar '12 300 transforms the Chrysler 300 flagship sedan into a performance tribute to celebrate Mopar's 75th anniversary with unique appointments, select high- performance parts and appearance items straight from the Mopar parts catalog.

Power and performance
Mopar earned its factory-designed performance reputation with enthusiasts and the most discerning racing drivers for the past 75 years – and the new Mopar '12 is designed to showcase the brand's prowess.

When looking under the hood of the Mopar '12 300, an exclusive Mopar engine cover hints at the 363 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with innovative four-cylinder mode Fuel Saver Technology beneath. Backed with a proven five-speed W5A580 automatic transmission, Mopar aficionados will appreciate the unique Mopar shifter combined with Auto Stick. With Auto Stick, drivers may select a higher or lower gear while the transmission controller helps prevent the possibility of an over-rev condition.

At the rear, the differential has been boosted from 3.06:1 to a 3.91:1 final-drive ratio for enhanced acceleration – unique to the Mopar '12 – enabling 0-to-60 mph blasts in the low 5- second range.

Track-tuned suspension delivers precision handling
The new Mopar '12 300 features the second-generation E-segment architecture's performance- tuned suspension with 42 percent stiffer front and 23 percent stiffer rear spring rates compared to the Chrysler 300 models with touring-tuned suspension. For improved grip and braking, stickier P245/45R20 Goodyear Eagle F1 three-season tires replace all-season radials, and high- performance brake linings mounted to dual-piston front and single-piston rear calipers deliver fade-resistant stopping performance.

Unique Mopar 300 'Street Machine'
Similar to the new Chrysler 300S models, Mopar '12 300 adds even more street credibility with its blacked-out appearance and unique Mopar appointments. A Mopar Black Chrome seven-bar grille and grille-surround matches the black-accented headlamp bezels and fascia accents for a low-key presence.

Highlighting the Gloss Black exterior contours of the Mopar '12 300 are a Mopar Blue A-line body-side stripes. Large 20-inch by 8-inch Mopar forged-aluminum wheels are painted in Gloss Black and include Mopar center caps. Commemorating the brand's 75th year, "Mopar 75" fender badges feature the Mopar Blue "omega" logo. On the deck lid, a "Mopar Design" badge hints at the select Mopar parts and accessories that have been infused to enhance performance and distinguish the Mopar '12 300 from any other Chrysler 300.

Inside, Mopar '12 300 features a monotone black interior environment with Mopar Blue accents throughout. Mopar's Katzkin perforated leather wraps the large-bolstered 12-way power driver and passenger heated-front sport seats, and includes Mopar Blue accent stitching on the seating surface, along with French-seamed stitching at the perimeter and a black/blue two-tone leather combination. Rear heated seats feature the same perforated leather and corresponding Mopar Blue stitching treatment.

A thick-rimmed steering wheel with die-cast paddle shifters (for Auto Stick) and a unique Mopar shifter handle are wrapped in black leather and stitched with matching Mopar Blue thread. Mopar sill plates and a serialized "Mopar '12 Limited Edition" badge complete the list of unique appointments.

The enthusiast-designed interior of the Mopar '12 300 is enhanced further with matte carbon hydrographic accents on the instrument panel and center console areas, while Piano Black is used on the interior center stack, instrument panel, steering wheel, gauge cluster and door panel elements to provide a unique lacquered appearance.

World-class connectivity with segment's largest touchscreen display
State-of-the-art Uconnect® Touch 8.4 provides Mopar '12 300 passengers with the segment's largest touchscreen display (8.4-inches) and next-generation mobile infotainment, connectivity and multimedia features. In addition, the Mopar '12 300 features a unique "Mopar" start-up screen.

Uconnect Touch also controls Mopar '12's 506-watt Alpine nine-speaker premium audio system with subwoofer 12-channel amplifier with 506 watts of power and digital signal processing (DSP) for 7.1-adapted surround sound.

SafetyTec Group: Advanced Active-safety features for 360-degree perspective
The new Mopar '12 300 provides customers the latest in accident-avoidance features with its standard SafetyTec Group, combining advanced active- and passive-safety technologies for enhanced driver confidence.

The SafetyTec Group includes adaptive-forward lighting (AFL), high-intensity discharge (HID) projector high and low-beams with automatic headlamp leveling, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with adaptive-cruise control (ACC), Blind-spot monitoring (BSM) with Rear Cross Path (RCP) detection, ParkSense® front and rear park assist system, LED-illuminated rear fog lamps, exterior mirrors with supplemental turn signals and approach lamp. Additional safety features include a HomeLink universal transceiver, rain-sensing wipers and SmartBeam® headlamps.

Available this summer
The Mopar '12 300 will be built in Brampton, Ontario. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the limited-edition Mopar '12 300 is $49,700, which includes $825 for destination.
Customers who purchase one of these 500 limited-edition Chrysler 300 models will receive a personalized owner kit in a customized Mopar '12 300 box, Mopar-branded key fobs and Mopar '12 300 merchandise. The kit will include a certificate with the vehicle identification number (VIN), exact date of manufacture and the number of the vehicle. The kit also will include an original sketch of the car signed by the designer and a brochure highlighting the unique features of the vehicle.

2013 Dodge Dart 'GTS 210 Tribute'
For the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, Mopar will offer more than 150 accessories, the most in the compact-car segment.

Hot off the heels of its worldwide production debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Mopar wasted no time giving the 2013 Dodge Dart even more sporting pretensions both inside and out. The all-new Dodge Dart embodies class-leading and class-exclusive features in many areas including aerodynamics, technology and safety, and the stage kits by Mopar enhance these attributes. The Alfa Romeo-based Dodge Dart already has sporty driving dynamics baked into its DNA, and Team Mopar added even more distinction to reinforce the car's fun-to-drive nature.

Stage 1 appearance package
The exterior picks up several matte-black trim pieces, including a lower chin spoiler, side sills, rear spoiler and rear-diffuser panel. A lightweight carbon-fiber hood with large air scoop and 18-inch, 10-spoke forged alloy titanium-colored wheels finish off exterior modifications.

Red and black is carried over into the interior, which has been refined beyond the 14 interior color and trim options available in the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart. Ruby Red is the dominant color used on Katzkin leather seat fronts, door panels, center armrest and map-pocket inserts. Black accent stitching is used in the seats and armrest, as well. Piano Black trim is used on the shifter bezel, cup holder bezel and the dash-vent bezels. Final interior touches include a black suede instrument cluster brow with red accent stitching, a Piano Black accented floating island bezel and a Ruby Red and black leather-wrapped steering wheel with red accent stitching.
Stage 2 performance package

The Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute performance calibration has been employed maximizing fuel/air mix and spark advance, with an improved air-flow intake and low back-pressure exhaust to achieve 210 horsepower from a base engine of 184 horsepower.

2012 Fiat 500 'Stinger'
Building on the Fiat 500's "Hottest Sports Compact Car" award by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) this past November, the new Fiat 500 "Stinger" integrates two Mopar stage kits that deliver bold styling appointments and select high-performance parts from the Mopar catalog.

Adding even more style to the new 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, the Fiat 500 Stinger features Giallo (yellow) exterior paint combined with unique blackened exterior and interior appointments – all designed to amplify the hatchback's athletic Italian styling.

Stage 1: athletic and purposeful styling enhancements
For a more aggressive appearance, the Fiat 500 Stinger's signature "whiskers and logo" face and circular projector headlamps are finished in Black Chrome. Accenting the Giallo bodyside are exterior door handles and mirror caps finished in Black Chrome, while larger 17-inch by 7- inch Abarth Hyper Black aluminum wheels with wider 205/40 R 17 performance tires provide the hatchback with a menacing stance below. Tinted head and taillamps and license-plate brow, and Mopar's vinyl bodyside and roof graphics in black checker add to the Fiat 500 Stinger's serious look.

The interior of the Fiat 500 Stinger continues the duality of Giallo and black with Mopar's Katzkin leather seats. Based on the Fiat 500 Sport's athletic-styled seats, the 500 Stinger's seats feature Alcantara seat centers sandwiched by smooth and Giallo black leather bolsters and Giallo accent stitching. Below, a Mopar carbon-fiber instrument panel decal provides this Cinquecento's interior with a technical appearance. A Mopar shifter ball is finished in Gloss Black completes the appearance.

Stage 2: track-tested performance upgrades
Delivering factory-designed performance, Mopar's new Stage 2 kit ensures that the Fiat 500 Stinger delivers improved power and braking capabilities to match its aggressive styling upgrades.

Mopar's cold-air intake and free-flowing cat-back exhaust enable the Fiat 500 Stinger's fuel- efficient 1.4-liter 16-valve MultiAirTM engine to deliver even more power and torque.
And to make sure this Cinquecento delivers track-ready brake performance, the Fiat 500 Stinger features performance brakes with cross-drilled rotors for additional surface-heat dissipation.

2012 Mopar Jeep Compass 'True North'
Like all Trail Rated® Jeep models, the Jeep Compass is a capable off-road machine. With the Mopar Jeep Compass "True North" model, Mopar further improves its off-road form and function.

The exterior features a matte black finish on the roof, wheel flares, lower fascia, door cladding and black grille with body color inserts. Other exterior touches include black-headlamp and fog- lamp surrounds, rear fog lights, custom front and rear brush bars and custom rock rails. Matte black 16-inch alloy wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain tires and a 2-inch lift kit from Rocky Road Suspensions add some additional off-road go.

The interior received lots of attention from Mopar and renowned audio component manufacturer Kicker. The entire audio system, including front and rear speakers, amplifier, sub- woofer and lift gate speakers are provided by Kicker, and transform Jeep Compass into a rolling high-end sound studio. A custom center stack gauge pod that houses pitch and roll inclinometer gauges, add to the vehicle's off-road credentials. A Mopar bright pedal kit, door-sill guards, rear-cargo tray, shift knob and neoprene seats complement each other while enhancing the quality feel of the cabin.

Mopar-first features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

- Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
- Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
- Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
- Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and
brief user-guide format
- 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
- Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
- WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf
personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes 280,000 parts and accessories. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A., Mopar's global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories which are distributed in more than 120 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. brands.

Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory- authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A.vehicles - a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at http://www.mopar.com.

75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s - the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high- performance parts. Mopar carried a line of "special parts" for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

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