Part of the fun of owning an enthusiast car like our 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T is taking it to events where you actually participate in the car world. And this weekend I did just that. I took our black R/T to the Fourth Annual Spring Festival of LX's in Irvine, California about 60 miles south of our Santa Monica office.
Fun event. More than 600 Chrysler 300s, Dodge Chargers, Magnums and Challengers were displayed, including more that 100 Challengers, some modified, some stock. There were also vender displays by Mopar and other companies that make up the aftermarket supply for these machines. Even a couple of Chrysler execs showed to unveil the Challenger Rallye Package, both Joe Dehner, the VP of Design and the LX Cheif Engineer Tony Elias flew in from Detroit for the event.
Basically it was an all day gathering of a couple thousand fanatics devoted to Chrysler Corps. latest rear wheel drive rides and I enjoyed being a part of it. But after looking at all those well modified Challengers I'm not so sure our stocker is as exciting as it once was.
More pictures from the show after the jump.
Blue skies and long row of new Dodge Challengers. Nice day. Somehow we parked in a row of orange SRT8s. This photo really shows off the metallic in our black car's paint.
I like the look of this silver SRT. It just has the right vibe. No blig. Looks fast.
The show is supported by www.socallx.com
More than one club came out in support of the event.
Chrysler bought everybody lunch, but the line was a bit long.
Sam Hubinette displayed his Mopar sponsored Challenger drift car which will compete in the Formula D series this year. Check out those inline skate wheels Sam has added to the cars rear corners. Might actually work.
On the left is a 383 4-speed 1970 Challenger R/T that slipped in past security. On the right is the new Challenger V6 with the Rallye Package.
Even the fuzz loves the LX.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 2,927 miles
dougtheeng says:
06:03 AM, 03/31/09
Looks like a cool event. I love car shows, and being a MINI owner, there are lots to choose from. I'm a big fan of how the Charger police cars look - as long as they're not in my rearview mirror!
carguy622 says:
06:58 AM, 03/31/09
I've never understood the appeal of having a stock car of a currently available model year at a car show. Maybe it's just me, but I might as well walk the dealer's lots.
chavis10 says:
07:58 AM, 03/31/09
With all the money IL is wasting souping up that Evo they could atleast invest in making their Challenger look more aggressive. It looks like a rental car in its current form.
audisport says:
09:36 AM, 03/31/09
I really like the metallic black. Looks great, and that black SRT with the black stripes looks nice and clean. PLEASE UPGRADE TO BIGGER RIMS AND SOME SUMMER TIRES.
subytrojan says:
11:41 AM, 03/31/09
^ Summer tires, yes. Bigger wheels - No thanks.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/USCTrojan4JC/do_not_want_doggy.jpg
mopar424 says:
11:51 AM, 03/31/09
Looks like a fun event! I'll third that request for summer tires.. The stock ones hold her back so much!
smilez says:
12:21 PM, 03/31/09
This kind of goes back to yesterdays post: http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2009/03/2009-dodge-challenger-rt-whos-your-daddy.html#more
It really depends on what a company does with their vehicles. I like the new one from yesterday vs. the '71 it was parked behind. However, that 70 R/T in the above picture here is just smokin.
I would most definitely take that '70 over the new one.
The only problem with the above pictures of the moded (word?) Challengers is that they make the stock one look so bland. So I i were to buy one, I'd need to have an extra $5-10k to make it look mean.
desmolicious says:
01:19 PM, 03/31/09
Nice pic Loren! Funny thing is just a few days ago I found out that my dog loves frozen broccoli!
(by mistake dropped a floret on the floor, and she snagged it).
The more I look at the Challenger compared to the Mustang or Camaro, the more I like it from a stylistic POV.
hondacura4 says:
02:05 PM, 03/31/09
"Even a couple of Chrysler execs showed to unveil the Challenger Rallye Package, both Joe Dehner, the VP of Design and the LX Cheif Engineer Tony Elias flew in from Detroit for the event."
Did they use bailout money to fuel the company jet? =)
hondacura4 says:
02:11 PM, 03/31/09
"Chrysler bought everybody lunch, but the line was a bit long."
Did they use bailout money to purchase everyones lunch? =)
randomtwinkie says:
04:37 PM, 03/31/09
hondacura4-
"Did they use bailout money to fuel the company jet?"
I'm so sick of the ripping on company jets-most every family i know here in wichita has some sort of tie to a company that makes these private jets. Our whole economy revives around the industry. I'm thankful that other companies are supporting this industry by purchasing our product, and I know many other people are aswell
cruiserhead1 says:
06:05 PM, 03/31/09
I don't care if the private jet industry is hurting. That is the least of our problems. I'm sure the gold plated toilet industry is hurting really bad too.
They can go back to executive perks when it's not US paying for it. Right now, they are beholden to the American public to right the ships they run roughshot over for so long.
Commercial, drive or hoof it like everyone else.
Monocrom says:
02:32 AM, 04/ 1/09
It looks like a fun event. Also, there's something to be said for the simplistic elegence of a black Challenger. It seems an orange & black combo is quite common. Although I'm drooling over that silver SRT, I must admit that the black paint job fits the Challenger perfectly.
hondacura4 says:
02:30 PM, 04/ 1/09
"I'm so sick of the ripping on company jets-"
Randomtwinkie, I have no issues with company jets that are fueled and maintained by the comapany's OWN MONEY. However, when its taxpayer funds that's possibly paying for it I have the right to ask and/or criticize being that Im a taxpayer.
wrestlingnrj says:
07:22 AM, 04/ 2/09
As an attendee to the Spring Festival (I'm the one in the Luigi costume in the lunch line picture) I had a great time. A lot of the cars were simply amazing and quite a few were ridiculously hidious (DUB cars come to mind). It was my second year attending and will definitely not be the last. It's too bad Samuel Hubinette didn't get to give us a demo like last year, but he and the rest of the Mopar team came out to support the event which was awesome. I think the only dissappointing part of the day was Chrysler unveilling an Automatic V6 Challenger at an enthusiast car show. Most of the people standing around me were hoping it would be a Challenger Drag Package.
chargergirl says:
01:16 AM, 04/ 3/09
I also attended and wanted to add that the lunch was provided by the lowest bidder and yes, the lines were really long (hour and a half), probably the only issue with the entire event. Personally I opted to escape the hot sun and walk a block to the neighboring mall and pay for my own lunch.
I've been to all four of these events and each one improves on the previous. To outsiders it may seem stupid, but for us its more about the community of owners than who has the prettiest car or who can afford the most mods. In fact there are no trophies given out. I'm very proud to be part of this community and will continue to support future events whether Chrysler takes direct part or not.