First up was Tom Filbert and...
First up was Tom Filbert and his '98 Dakota. Tom's Dakota was in the non-power adder class, and made a respectable 281hp with his 360.
It was an inaugural event to remember. Let me take that back; it was a GREAT inaugural event to remember. This year at the 2012 Mopar Nationals, we held the first ever AMSOIL presents the Mopar Muscle Numbers Don't Lie Dyno Showdown. Hatched as an event to allow our loyal readership to showcase the true power of their cars, the two day extravaganza took over an entire corner of the Mopar Nationals' manufacturer's midway. The concept was simple, randomly choose 20 reader vehicles from a pre-registered group, divide them into two divisions (power adder and non-power adder) and strap them to a mobile chassis dyno to determine who had the most powerful street Mopar in America. It was our readers chance to etch their name in history.
Our eclectic mix of Mopars ranged in horsepower numbers from a bone stock restored '69 Road Runner in the mid-200's, all the way up to a wild '71 Cuda. We also had the battle of not one but two couples. Darren Tedder and Terry Brown squared off in the Non-Power Adder class while Jaime and Jason Thompson went head to head in the Power-Adder class. It was a battle of the sexes where bragging rights in one was decided by the razor thin margin of a single horsepower.
For Part 1 of the full story head on over to newsstands and pick up the January 2013 issue of Mopar Muscle which goes on sale October 23. Part 2 will follow up in the February issue. In the meantime, check out all of the pictures and results here as well as the accompanying videos from the AMSOIL presents the Mopar Muscle Numbers Don't Lie Showdown.
| POS | Non-Power Adder | HP | POS | Power Adder | HP |
| 1 | Darren Tedder
'71 Hemi 'Cuda
654‐inch Hemi | 926 | 1 | Rick Trunkett
'72 Duster
Turbocharged small‐block | 781 |
| 2 | Terry Brown
'66 Belvedere
500‐inch Hemi | 578 | 2 | Jaime Thompson
'09 Challenger SRT 8
6.1 Hemi ‐ 2.8L Kenne Bell Supercharger | 541 |
| 3 | Bryan Miller
'66 Belvedere I
477‐inch Hemi | 415 | 3 | Jason Thompson
'02 Dakota R/T
408 stroker ‐ Paxton NOVI 2000 supercharger | 540 |
| 4 | Bill Cherry
'11 Challenger SRT8
392 Hemi | 409 | 4 | Brian Akers
'01 Dakota R/T
408‐inch stroker with 150‐shot of nitrous | 417 |
| 5 | Tom Herrington
'68 Coronet R/T
500‐inch low‐deck stroker | 400 | 5 | Patrick Friel
'04 RAM 3500
5.9L Diesel | 370 |
| 6 | Jon Brooks
'08 Super Bee
AirRaid Cold Air Kit/Predator tune | 381 | 6 | Chas Hoffner
'00 Dakota Stock
360 long block ‐ rear‐mount 68MM turbo | 368 |
| 7 | Lonnie Jefferson
'67 Coronet
440 | 369 | |
| 8 | Eddie Streeter
'07 Chrysler 300
SRT 8 | 364 | |
| 9 | Tim Almasy
'99 Dakota R/T
440 | 360 | |
| 10 | Keith Brunn
'70 Satellite .030‐0ver
440 | 322 | |
| 11 | Dan Austin
'67 Barracuda
340 Stroker | 314 | |
| 12 | Tom Filbert
'99 Dakota
5.9L Magnum Engine | 281 | |
| 13 | Dave Belcarz
'03 Ram 1500
5.7L Hemi | 268 | |
| 14 | Aaron Nolan
'05 Rumble Bee | 266 | |
| 15 | Ben Leonard
'70 Charger R/T | 262 | |
Our second run of the day...
Our second run of the day was from Bryan Miller and his '66 Belvedere. Yep, it's got a Hemi. Even with the engine miss coming in around 4,500 rpm, he still managed 415hp during the challenge.
Our third roller-runner was...
Our third roller-runner was Dave Belcarz with his 2003 Ram. 268hp in stock trim is right about on par with advertised numbers.
Tim Almasy's '99 Dakota is...
Tim Almasy's '99 Dakota is all stock, if you don't count the addition of a 440 and a TorqueFlite. Actually, Andy our dyno operator feels that the torque convertor might be a little too loose for the truck, as the Dak could only muster 360hp.
This Facebook comment about Mike Waite's '69 Road Runner summed up the thoughts of several people: "Sounds low, better sell it.... How much u want 4 it"? -- Brian MacLennan
We're pretty sure it went back home with Mike.
Now, after checking out all of the entries and their results if you feel the need to argue that our winners might not have the most powerful car in America, then we challenge you to come and prove it next year. So if you plan to be the big dog next year, you better bring a St. Bernard because you'll have to pull more than 926hp to take home the trophy.
And it gets better. To make the 2013 Showdown even better we will be adding two more classes. If you want to join in the fun next year, your vehicle will fall into either our Power Adder and Non-Power Adder classes, or the newly added Outlaw and Diesel Classes. Keep an eye looking on the website, our Facebook page and on the printed pages of Mopar Muscle magazine for details coming soon.
Mike Waite's 383-powered '69...
Mike Waite's 383-powered '69 Road Runner made 217 hp. Not bad for a bone-stock resto.
Day two saw Bill Cherry's...
Day two saw Bill Cherry's 392 Challenger hit the dyno without a power adder. He started the day off with 409hp.
Chaz Hoffner's turbo assisted...
Chaz Hoffner's turbo assisted Dakota only runs 7 pounds of boost through the stock 360 engine. With the stock engine and conservatively breathing turbos, Chaz managed 368hp.
In the "holy crap it made...
In the "holy crap it made what" category, was Darren Tedder's non-power adder Hemi-powered '71 Cuda. With only 926hp, it might be able to take you cruising.
Who doesn't love a B-Body,...
Who doesn't love a B-Body, especially one like this stunning '70 Charger R/T belonging to Ben Leonard that put out a respectable 262 horses.
The 500-inch low-deck stroker...
The 500-inch low-deck stroker in this '68 Coronet R/T belonged to Pennsylvanian Tom Herrington. On the surface his non-power added 400 horsepower number was respectable but he found a problem with the carburetor later in the day. We're hoping he brings the '68 back next year for another shot at the title.
The weld work in the engine...
The weld work in the engine bay of Brian Akers''01 Dakota R/T was beyond impressive as was the 408-inch stroker with 150-shot of nitrous. Weak bottle pressure only netted 417 horses in the Power Adder category. Still that was enough to keep the lead well into Day 2.
'08 Super Bee's are cool....
'08 Super Bee's are cool. They're even cooler when you put an AirRaid Cold Air Kit and a Predator tune on them like Jon Brooks from Zanesville, Ohio, did. That was enough to net him 381 pavement pounding ponies.
When Jacksonville, North Carolina's...
When Jacksonville, North Carolina's Jaime Thompson pulled into the Showdown arena in her '09 Challenger SRT 8, all eyes were on the gorgeous red Hemi. Her 6.1 Hemi with a 2.8L Kenne Bell Supercharger thumped down an impressive 541hp to take over the lead in the Power Adder category. But power-adders run in this family and her husband Jason was waiting in the wings to prove his Dakota's superiority.
Active duty Marine, Jason...
Active duty Marine, Jason Thompson, brought his '02 Dakota R/T and its 408 stroker with a Paxton NOVI 2000 supercharger to do battle with his lovely wife on the AMSOIL dyno (as well as the other contestants). Sadly, Jason's Dakota could only muster 540 ponies. That's right, Jaime beat her husband by one little horsepower. Now she gets bragging rights for a full year!
Late model cars were well...
Late model cars were well represented in the Showdown, but there was none better looking than Eddie Streeter's '07 Chrysler 300 SRT 8, which he drove up from Louisville, Kentucky. A super healthy 364 horsepower without a power adder made Eddie smile.
'67 Coronets are awesome looking...
'67 Coronets are awesome looking cars and with a beautiful factory restoration, Lonnie Jeffereson's 440-powered car put out a nice number of 369 in the non-power adder class.
In round 2 of our couple's...
In round 2 of our couple's competition, Terry Brown brought her '66 Belvedere to go up against boyfriend Darren Tedder's '71 Cuda. The 500-inch Hemi, which we understand Darren built, made a ridiculous 578 horsepower without a power adder...still, that wasn't enough to best Darren...wonder if he stacked the deck in his favor?
Dan Austin's '67 Barracuda...
Dan Austin's '67 Barracuda sported a 340 Stroker that put out 314 naturally aspirated ponies. In a light car like that, we bet the Dimondale, Michigan, native has a lot of fun behind the wheel
Aaron Nolan drove down from...
Aaron Nolan drove down from McComb, Michigan, in his largely stock '05 Rumble Bee to notch a 266hp number in the non-power adder class, not bad for the factory.
Our lone-diesel in the competition...
Our lone-diesel in the competition belonged to Zanesville, Ohio's Patrick Friel. Sporting a 5.9L Cummins Diesel in an '04 RAM 3500, Patrick notched a respectable 370 in the Power Adder class (Cummins have turbos), but what was really impressive was his torque number of 826 lbs/ft
Rick Trunkett made the short...
Rick Trunkett made the short journey from just up the road in Cleveland and as the final contestant in the Power Adder class gave the spectators a thrill. His 1972 turbocharged small-block Duster laid down an impressive 781 horsepower to take top honors in the Power Adder class.
Keith Brunn of Cloverdale,...
Keith Brunn of Cloverdale, Virginia, had the dyno guys strap down his '70 Satellite so he could take his turn at the rollers. With a simple .030-inch over-bored 440 in the oh-so-clean B-Body, Keith slapped the dyno with a respectable 332 horsepower in our Non-Power adder class.