Mopar Addicts - How'd You Get Hooked?
Not to change the subject but how cool would it be to be Richard Petty and have people say they got into "Mopar" because of you!?! :glasses7:
I believe he was pretty brand-loyal until Chrysler wouldn't give him what he wanted. He changed makes a few times but I think most people remember his Chryslers better than his other rides. They were iconic I guess.
It definitely was not genetics for me though, my parents were not really interested in cars or mechanical things. My dad was a GM/Pontiac guy, had a few Firebirds up until the mid '70s. My mom grew up in Chevrolets but started buying imports in the early '80s. My grandmother always used to say I could name all the cars on the road by the time I was two or three.
I was a child of the '70s. Watching NASCAR on TV back then was a huge deal, at least for me and The King's cars always stood out. It was partially the color scheme but I think that I was really into the fuselage body and recessed grille. It was an epiphany early in my life, like 'oh, I see, this is what I am about'. Seriously, it's pretty deep for me!
ABC also had the Wide World of Sports with Keith Jackson who used to do a lot of the car stuff. Every once in a while they had a drag racing segment which was always a little scary to me for some reason, probably because of the sound and violence of it. I remember having a sweatshirt with an iron on image of Garlits doing a fire burn out though so I guess I was attracted to it regardless of my fear. I am a drag racing guy now too, could care less about NASCAR.
Later in the '70s the Dukes of Hazard left a pretty big mark on me as well, like everyone else who is my age and into cars. I remember one episode where they were being chased right at the opening shot. John Schneider was driving and extolling the virtues of the new sway bar they put in. How cool is that?
My favorite car toys also ended up being representations of Chrysler products. I had A/FX slot cars and my favorite was a blue '71-'72 Satellite body. Again, I think it was the grille and fuselage body. And let's not forget my favorite Hot Wheels car of all time, a '69 Charger in 'F4' green without a hood. I LOVED that car, I remember staring at it and admiring it.
It sounds corny to say that you are born a Mopar guy but I think there is some truth to it. It's beyond just a preference for me.
