When the Mopar Nats were going well, it was THE premier Mopar event. The first time I went, it was at National Trails, that was in about 1988 and I only missed about 3 years total with the last time in 2005. I used it as a "Get out of town" and "Recharge my Mopar battery" event. I would go up on Wednesday and ensure the accomodations for the rest of our Mopar club for Thursday and leaving on Sunday. Most of us flew in and rented the allegedly requisite Chrysler products.
That first year, I was totally amazed at what was there. I saw cars and colors that I'd only seen in sales brochures. It was "heaven". One of the best things was that although we were at a race track, I didn't hear ONE Chevy owner blip the throttle to clear things out. LOL.
As the event grew, it quickly outgrew the National Trails location, so it moved to the NHRA track just west of Indy. New venue, different cars. But things in Indy didn't go too well for the first couple of years, with the law enforcement operatives, but that's another story I had a ring-side seat for.
By the third year, things got really good, though. Then word came out that National Trails had expanded their property and that was where things were going back to.
In addition to the Concours Judging by acknowledged Mopar experts, I was totally amazed at the then-new "Young Guns" class and what it had in it. One auto shop class suicide-doored a Plymouth Accliam, with complete custom paint and interior. I was completely amazed at what they'd done and how well it was done.
During the later times of when I was going, the Carlisle Events group started their Mopar meet. A different demographic and different cars, as a result. They had some good reviews, but I could not afford to do both of them. Tended to be more C-bodies at the Carlisle show, it seemed, fwiw.
Since 2005, several of the "top restoration vendors" that were at Mopar Nats have retired and/or passed on, as I recall. Or they sold the business and things never got back to where they were before, it seems. But, too, those earlier times were growing times for Chrysler and the event. Now that things have stabilized a bit, in the parts markets and such, far too easy to just call somebody rather than go to the show for a special deal on what you might need.
One of the most interesting times was just after the LH cars went into production. About 15 Chrysler dealers and their families/guests drove onto the show area with their (what I called Kacki Pearl Mica) New Yorkers, initially believing THEY would be the only ones there in a new LH New Yorker. Were they ever wrong! I wondered if the intial batch of NYers were that color?
But when a group of New Yorkers and LHS drove in and parked together, they youngish males in those cars were immediately celebrities at a news conference (of sorts) and THEY were the center of attention. The "Chrysler Engineering" polo shirts they had on probably had something to do with that, I suspect. They were not expecting to be swamped with questions about the new LH cars. It was definitely a "friendly mob"!
It was an observation that these events would usually draw from the surrounding 5 states, although there was a strong E-body group from NJ at that first year at Indy.
Of course, there was the Chrysler Presence there, too. We got to see a Viper up close and personal one year. Later, the Magnum and next-edition Viper. There was an annual Mopar Performance Seminar led by Larry Sheppard. Attendees asked questions and he answered. One year Hughes Engines was there with their then-new quench dome pistons, which made a 906 head into an effective closed chamber head. Their presence there that year put Hughes on the Mopar Map.
But the ONE thing that really impressed me about Mopar Nats was the very evident cross-generational appeal of the event. One day, one year, I went to the convenience store at the end of the drag strip. A high school guy was using a beam torque wrench to put slicks on the front of his fwd car. As his father watched to make sure he did the torque sequence correctly, with grand-father smiling as he also watched.
Then, a few years later, after the Viper Tent was expanded, a grand-mother held her grand-baby as his parents were off on the field looking at cars. Never did see that at any other car event! Made me smile just as the grand-mother was smiling.
One neat thing was watching the turbo fwd cars (in various stages of tune) knock of 13 second ETs in the 1/4 mile and NOT sound like "a p'd off weedwhacker" doing it. Or the Plymouth minivan with slicks on the front, on a trailer going to the track one day.
Those were the great times! Several of our group would buy a swap meet space where we'd park our rent car on, so it was accessible as a base of operations. Later, I started parking in spectator parking across the road, which was a car show in itself.
ONE thing about it, you needed to be in good physical and cardiovascular shape to walk the whole thing each day. Searching for parts in the swap meet area, looking at cars each day, or being amazed at what rusty shells were going for. And, of course, taking about 8 rolls of film! One year, I took several rolls of film on Little Red Express Trucks (including the Canadian "Unleaded Fuel Only" decals).
IF you've never been to any similar event (like about 10 times larger than any Super Chevy Sunday I'd been to in TX) even if the current Nats is not quite as large as it used to be, I'd suggest you start there and see what you like or don't like. But plan for next year as I highly suspect that lodging accomodations are already very tight, if not already "full" at this point in time. Back then, it seemed that that ONE event's attendance tended to strain the hotels in a 70 mile radius of the track, back then. Once we found a good place, we'd make reservations as soon as we could, or at least get on a waiting list for the next year for when we could make reservations for the next year.
That last year, 2005, my rent car was a Black Charger R/T from Thrifty. Back in the days of "That thing got a Hemi in it?" It DID! I'd reserved a normal rent car, but when the agent at the desk asked if I would like to upgrade to the Charger R/T. It was EASY to say "Do it". We both smiled!
Enjoy!
CBODY67
