The Fast and Furious movie series phenomenon has been built around a heavily modified line-up of top notch vehicles. As is obvious, throughout the movies most of the cars are damaged or destroyed, so we were excited to learn that this awesome '70 Plymouth Barracuda that makes an appearance in the latest film was not one of the unlucky ones.

Christian's Magnum was already a stout performer in SRT8 trim when he found it at a Tennessee dealer back in 2006. But, as soon as he got it home, he began upgrading it, inside and out.

About four years ago, Jim Ford looked online and found a '72 Challenger for sale. "It was in Arkansas, and it was a rust bucket," recalls Jim. An original 318-powered car, it was somewhat complete, with four decades of rust to its quarters, floors, and trunk floor, subtracting from its original curb weight.

One of the great joys of fatherhood is sharing those special interests we might have with our children. A dad is almost expected to teach his son about cars—even muscle cars. But for many of us, introducing our daughters to this hobby is also an exceptional pleasure. That's exactly the case for Mopar enthusiast/collector Scott Harris and his youngest daughter, 16-year-old Savannah.

It was 2005 when this Daytona finally saw the light of day after resting some 30 odd years in the back of a Quonset hut. It was covered with years of dust and bags of “stuff.” But how did it get there, and why did it finally come out?

There are many ways to find the car of your dreams, but sometimes finding the car is the easy part as many owners of classic Mopars just aren’t willing to let their cars go. Bob Schwartz of Albuquerque, New Mexico, found this ’69 Dodge Dart sitting in a driveway beside the owner’s house some 20 years ago, and watched as it sat inoperable for all of those years. During that time, Bob stopped by and asked about the car and was told by the owner Sue that once she was ready to sell, the car would be his. For years Bob would stop by the house to check on the 340 four-speed equipped Dart, finding it moved once in a while but never operable or roadworthy.

In the automotive world, a sleeper is a car that you really don't give a second look, until all you can see are the tail lights. But, if you're going to call a car a sleeper, it better look unassuming and run like a banshee. The Plymouth Duster might not be what some people call a sleeper; after all, back in the day, it was Plymouth's potent little compact. Now when you see one on the road, you either think A) a nice resto, or B) as is the case with Rick Trunkett's '72 version, you might think it a nice driver or street car—and you'd be correct. At first glance, you wouldn't expect it to have the capability to blow the doors off of a lot of racier looking cars, but it will.

Trucks come in all styles, from sporty to pure utility, but few packages are as impressive off the showroom as the SRT10 Viper-powered models that were built between 2004 and 2006. These were based on the full-size Ram designs, using a 505-inch (8.3 liter) engine whose monster torque could propel the 5,100-pound standard cab model down into the 12-second zone in the standing quarter-mile. During the three years they were offered, less than 10,000 were created. As you might imagine, they are well-valued by their followers, but not all have ended up as cocooned collector's items.

Remember 1967? Muscle car performance and compression ratios were on the rise, and recent high school graduate Peggy Miller had a big decision to make. Though just 18, she had landed a great job working at Merck, a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey, and she wanted some muscular wheels to get her to work and back.

1965 may have been the last year for Ma Mopar's original letter-series 300s, but that doesn't mean that a combination of style and performance couldn't be found elsewhere in the ChryCo lineup.

How to be in Pentastar
Send images of your ride, along with all the information about your ride, and we'll make you a STAR. Remember to include ALL your information, even where you're from. Send your digital images (at least 300 dpi) and information to mopar.muscle@sorc.com; or snail mail your print images and info. to Mopar Muscle Magazine C/O PentaSTARS, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Send us a good quality front 3/4-shot (think feature shot), and an interior and engine bay shot.

The Chrysler Corporation was famous for promoting their vehicles regionally through special packages, some of which were only available in certain parts of the country. One such package that was used to market '70 Dodge Challengers in California was called the "Western Special," and it included a variety of unusual options. Coded A91, Western Special Challengers were equipped with the 383 two-barrel engine, console shifted automatic transmission, standard dash with wood-grain inserts, rim-blow steering wheel, and pedal dress up bezels. On the outside, the Western Special featured a vinyl top, Rally wheels, wheelwell and side moldings, bumper guards, and a driver-side remote mirror. This package was also available on '69 Dodge Darts, but we've seen very few examples of either model.

Dodge was on a roll for 1963, with sales up thanks to an industry-leading 5-year/50,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a freshened "full-size" line of B-Bodies.

This 1969 Road Runner is a veteran of Western Pennsylvania's drag racing scene of yesteryear, which didn't always involve dragstrips. Per Ted Brine, the Bird's first—and current—owner, guys raced where they could. "We'd go out on Interstate 79 south of Pittsburgh," he recalls. "There would be 100-120 cars out there at 12:30 at night on Fridays and Saturdays."

The words Hemi and 'Cuda are easily combined in print, and in the minds of Mopar lovers everywhere. But, what if you want to combine them when the engine's a modern Hemi and the 'Cuda's a well-preserved E-Body? Where do you do it? In Matt Thun's case, you use the closest vehicle-assembly facility—namely, his two-car garage.

It all started about 1998. That's when Todd Grobbel began his career at Chrysler. Todd tells us, "One day I overheard a fellow co-worker state that he wanted to sell his '70 Dart. In all honesty an A-Body was not my first choice for a Mopar. I was a B- and E-Body guy. My first car was a '73 Challenger, and my second car was a '69 Charger". Todd told him that he would like to at least look at the car. So he and a buddy, Lee Knight, went to see what all the fuss was about. Todd was pleasantly surprised that the Dart was in pretty solid shape, and it even had a 340 in it. It was a factory Plum Crazy Purple car with a white vinyl top and white stripe, and it even had the dual-scooped hood. Todd still wasn't sure whether an A-Body was for him, but his buddy Lee said "you either buy it or I will." Sounds convincing to us.

Fast Facts
2004 Dodge Ram SRT10
John Freeman,
Cornelius, North Carolina

It was 2005 when this Daytona finally saw the light of day after resting some 30 odd years in the back of a Quonset hut. It was covered with years of dust and bags of “stuff.”

Fast Facts
1967 Satellite
John and Peggy Bender
Linden, New Jersey

Fast Facts
1965 Plymouth Valiant 200 two-door sedan
Gary Borger, Alpine, California

We’ve heard rumblings about the late-model Charger having too many doors, but what do you guys think about a Charger without a roof? According to a Chrysler press release, this “idea car” that was designed by Elwood Engel was based from a ’68 Charger with the roof removed to the beltline. I guess it’s not really a convertible, so how about a Charger roadster? Check out the cone-style rearview mirror on the fenders.

"I've run across people that don't like that I've put that engine in an older car. To them, it's OK if its period-correct., but they don't like the new stuff."-Matt Thun

"I would think that it's a low 13s or high 12s car."-The 330's current owner

"I can still remember my first 10-second pass, I was hoping to go quicker than 11.50 seconds" -Todd Grobbel

"We'd go out on Interstate 79 south of Pittsburgh, and there would be 100-120 cars out there at 12:30 at night on Fridays and Saturdays."--Ted Brine