Mopar Customized and Performance Vehicle Program Selects Second Winner At ‘Carlisle Chrysler Nationals’

Auburn Hills, MI –Mopar’s 2013 “Top Eliminator” program, the long-running customized and performance vehicle program that highlights passionate and dedicated Mopar enthusiasts who display unmatched skill in modifying or preserving a classic or modern-day Mopar vehicle, has chosen New Jersey native Bill Mann’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T as a winner from the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals held in Carlisle, Penn., last month.

Candidates were judged by a panel of Mopar representatives on a number of criteria, including Mopar content, restoration and customization efforts, overall appearance and additional benchmarks.

In recognition for being named a Mopar “Top Eliminator”, Mann’s winning entry, a ‘70 Charger R/T with a Plum Crazy exterior and white interior, will be showcased in the Mopar display area at the world’s largest one-day classic car event; the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 17, 2013.

While he was inspired by watching the “General Lee” Dodge Charger fly through the air each week on television as a nine year old, it was a father-son restoration project with a ’68 as a teenager in the mid-1980s that cemented Mann’s bug for Chargers. In late 1989, he found the car he was looking for in Spokane, Wash.

The initial restoration took five years to complete and then following an accident that damaged the vehicle, a second restoration was finished in late 1998. Committed to keeping the car as original as possible, Mann rebuilt as many parts as he could. He swapped notes with friends and fellow Mopar club members and spent time going to swap meets to find parts such as new old stock fenders and quarter panels to finish the car. Since then the Plum Crazy ’70 Charger R/T was Original Equipment (OE) Certified at the Chrysler Nationals in 2000, and served as his wedding car in 2002.

Over the years Mann has taken the Charger to car shows and brought it to this year’s Carlisle show so he could meet other members of the 1970 Dodge Charger Registry Club.

“Totally shocked,” is how Mann says winning this year’s Top Eliminator honors left him. “When Mopar tells you that your car is among the best, there’s not much else to say.”

Equipment on his car includes the 440 Magnum V-8, automatic transmission, performance axle package, power front disc brakes, air conditioning, power steering and an 8-track tape player.

The ’70 Charger R/T belonging to Mann, from Piscataway, N.J., will join the first Mopar Top Eliminator winner chosen in 2013, a 1964 Plymouth Savoy owned by Miles Watsko of Winnipeg, Manitoba, as featured cars in the Mopar display at the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit, traditionally held every year on the third Saturday in August.

Features on the two Mopar “Top Eliminator” winners can be found here:

Bill Mann and his 1970 Charger R/T:  http://blog.mopar.com/news/2013/08/plum-crazy-for-dodge-chargers/

Miles Watsko and his 1964 Plymouth Savoy : http://blog.mopar.com/spotlight/2013/07/2013-mopar-top-eliminator-miles-watsko-and-his-1964-plymouth-savoy/

As a new addition to the program, the third Mopar “Top Eliminator” vehicle selection will focus on the top rides that will race down the track at the upcoming National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind., on Labor Day weekend in September. Mopar will recognize a Sportsman racer who competes in a Chrysler Group vehicle with the “Top Eliminator” trophy, and the chance to lead the HEMI Challenge parade during the event. Similar to the current “Top Eliminator” criteria, this program expansion honors an entrant’s performance and personal statement brought to life in the vehicle they compete in during race weekends.

Candidates for a fourth “Top Eliminator” winning vehicle will be selected online allowing aficionados to upload images of their Moparized ride, with a fan vote selecting the best among those posted.