NEAM Father's Day Car Show
Norwalk, Conn. – New England Auto Museum has announced that the featured marques at its 5rd Annual Father’s Day Car Show will be Mopar Muscle, performance cars from the Chrysler Corporation, and Subaru automobiles, celebrating over 50 years in the U.S. market. The show is presented by the Garavel Auto Group and will be held Sunday June 16th from 10AM to 3PM at Mathews Park in Norwalk, rain or shine.
In its 5rd year, the NEAM Father’s Day Car Show takes advantage of its surroundings on the spacious lawns of the Mathews Park which provide a scenic backdrop for a spectacular collection of classic cars. The show provides a wide variety of attractions for car owners and spectators alike including tours of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum and the neighboring Stepping Stones Children’s Museum as well as great BBQ food, ice cream and games.
Mopar is the parts, service and customer care organization within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The name is a portmanteau of the words “MOtor” and “PARts”, first used by Chrysler in the 1920s and introduced as a brand starting in 1937. The term “Mopar” has passed into broader usage among car enthusiasts as an unambiguous reference to vehicles produced by former parent company Chrysler Corporation, now FCA US.
America’s first mass-produced 300-horsepower car was the legendary 1955 Chrysler C-300 coupe, which many consider America’s first high-performance auto available for the general public. The 1955 300 was virtually unbeatable in competition that year, winning its first NASCAR Grand National race. It took the checkered flag at 37 NASCAR and AAA races of more than 100 miles.
1970 Plymouth Superbird (Photo Mecum Auctions)
The success of the Chrysler 300 in the luxury segment, led to a plethora Mopar high-performance cars in the 60’s and 70’s stimulated by the “horsepower wars” among major manufacturers on race tracks and drag strips across the country in that era. These were celebrated nameplates, including Plymouth Superbird, Road Runner, GTX, ‘Cuda and Dodge Charger, R/T, Super Bee and Challenger, that have become prized collectibles today with ever increasing prices at auctions.
Under FIAT ownership, FCA has continued the tradition of street and racing muscle car dominance with SRT (Street and Racing Technology) versions of its popular vehicles headlined by the 808 horsepower Dodge SRT Challenger Demon and the 717 horsepower Dodge SRT Charger Hellcat.
2018 Dodge SRT Challenger Demon with 808 Horsepower, billed as the “Fastest Production Car in the World” (Photo Dodge Division, FCA)
Subaru’s first vehicles were sold in America 50 years ago, but you could say the brand really just arrived here in the past decade. The first car – the Subaru 360 – was small and plain, a far cry from the automaker’s current models. Their first ads conceded that “Cheap and ugly does it.” True to that first car’s name, the Japanese company sold only 332 cars in 1968.
But that has changed over the last decade: You could say that Subaru now is feeling the love – the theme of the carmaker’s popular, 10-year-long advertising campaign. Sales have climbed every year from 2007, when the company sold about 187,000 vehicles for 1.16 percent market share, through last year, when Subaru sold almost 650,000 for a 3.76 percent share. Subaru is cashing in on the market shift to crossovers and have an all-wheel-drive lineup with their “go-anywhere” attitude. They stay connected to their loyal customers; they are attracting new buyers to the brand at an impressive clip, and bringing out new products that are designed only for the U.S. market.
50th Anniversary edition of the Subaru WRX (Photo Subaru)
Anyone interested in showing a car at the Father’s Day Car Show may pre-register online for only $15/per car or at the gate on the day of the show for $20/per car. All show cars will be welcome with no cut-off year. Spectator admission is free. Prizes will include awards for the Peoples’ Choice, the Mayor’s Choice, Favorite in Show and many more. Dash plaques will be available for the first 100 cars to register.
New England Auto Museum
The New England Auto Museum will be an exciting new attraction for the state of Connecticut and throughout the Northeast. This non-profit organization will build a first class facility dedicated to preserving, interpreting and exhibiting historic automobiles and automobile artifacts. It will serve as both an educational learning center as well as a display center to highlight an ever changing evolution of car history and its impact on society. Find more information at www.neautomuseum.org