Neil Wedeking of Marble Rock, Iowa, was named the second 2012 Mopar® “Top Eliminator” winner for his 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda during the 28th Annual Midwest Mopars in the Park car show in Farmington, Minn., on June 2–3.
Auburn Hills, Mich. – Due to the overwhelming success and popularity of the event-based Mopar® “Top Eliminator” program, Mopar officials have decided to give fans an additional chance to win the title of Mopar “Top Eliminator” through a brand-new online Facebook competition. The online version of the Mopar “Top Eliminator” program provides Mopar enthusiasts who couldn’t attend one of the three live events this year, a platform to show off their Moparized vehicles to the entire world, all within the comfort of their own homes.
- The Mopar® ‘Top Eliminator’ program recognizes the most skilled Mopar enthusiasts and their modified Mopar vehicles
- Top-10 to be selected on Oct. 15, with fans voting online from Oct. 15-21
- Mopar ‘Top Eliminator’ Facebook winner announced Oct. 22
Beginning on Sept. 24, fans can upload photos of their classic or modern-day Mopar vehicles on the “Top Eliminator” tab on the Mopar Facebook page located at www.facebook.com/mopar. In addition, each entrant will provide a brief background story on their vehicle, along with details on the work, such as Mopar parts and accessories within the vehicle. Mopar officials will review all submissions starting Oct. 8 and select a Top-10. Fans will then have from Oct. 15-21 to vote on the vehicles, with the winner being announced on Oct. 22.
“We know that the Mopar Nation has done much to grow our brand. Their stories not only inspire us but inspire one another as well. They build more than amazing cars. They build memories and expertise,” Said Tricia Hecker, Director of Mopar Marketing, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “We wanted to develop a program that allows everyone to share with each other and ultimately help us choose the most inspiring and highest quality car in our Mopar community. We can’t wait to see the submissions! It will help us know what the Mopar Nation needs next!”
The long-running Mopar “Top Eliminator” program shines a light on passionate and dedicated Mopar enthusiasts who display unmatched skill in modifying or preserving a classic or modern-day Mopar vehicle. Three event-based Mopar “Top Eliminator” competitions have already taken place this year with three diverse winners being chosen.
Mopar “Top Eliminator” candidates are judged on a number of criteria, including Mopar content, overall appearance, along with the story behind the build and additional benchmarks. The winner of the Mopar online “Top Eliminator” competition will not have their vehicle on display at SEMA, they will, however, receive the exclusive Mopar “Top Eliminator” trophy.
Tom Ledoux of Pearland, Texas, was chosen as the first 2012 Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner for his modified 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8® during the Seventh Annual Spring Festival of LXs in Irvine, Calif. Neil Wedeking of Marble Rock, Iowa, was named the second Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner of the year for his 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda during the 28th Annual Midwest Mopars in the Park car show in Farmington, Minn. Rich Gengo of Piscataway, N.J., was named the third Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner of 2012 for his 1951 Dodge pickup truck at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa., July 6–8.
Further details of the online competition will be available on the Mopar Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mopar with a dedicated Top Eliminator tab and on Twitter, @OfficialMopar. Twitter users can follow the hashtag #TopElim for program updates.
Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
- Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
- Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
- Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
- Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices
- Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owners a text when the vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
- 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
- Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
- WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes 280,000 parts and accessories. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat SpA, Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 120 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA brands.
Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A.vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.
75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for an antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s — the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support.