The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas is the ideal opportunity for Chrysler's Mopar aftermarket division to show off their huge range of performance parts and accessories.
And the best way to do that is build radical show cars using off-the-shelf components, to show punters what can be done with a Mopar catalogue and a little imagination.
Here's a preview of what visitors to the 2012 SEMA show, on from 30 October to 2 November, will see on the Chrysler stand - including, for the first time this year, a Fiat!
DODGE CHARGER JUICED
This custom street rod starts with a Viper V10 crate engine brething in through a special cold air intake and out via a Mopar cat-back exhaust, for a street-legal 480kW, while a lowering kit tightens the ride and improves cornering.
The Mopar front chin spoiler, performance prototype bonnet - with a forward-facing intake that works - and roof carry a darker, matte version of the special metallic copper paint, set off by special matte black bonnet and boot-lid graphics.
There's a Mopar badge on the body-colour split cross hair grille, and the special, lightweight 20” rims are finished in matte black with copper striping.
The interior is trimmed in soft black 'Katzkin' leather with copper stitching on the steering wheel, shifter and armrest, and a copperhead logo embroidered on the seat backs.
The large aluminium instrument panel bezel is matte black with copper accents, and the Mopar shelves also supplied special door-sill guards, premium carpet floor mats and a pistol-grip shifter.
JEEP WRANGLER SAND TROOPER
This sand-coloured four-door Jeep Wrangler serves as a showpiece for Mopar's new portfolio of hard-core Jeep performance parts - starting with a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 conversion kit that's quoted at 277kW and 557Nm.
It drives through front and rear portal axles that provide an extra 125mm of ground clearance, running on matte-black performance bead lock tyres and tractor-style 42” Super Swamper Bogger tyres.
Fox Shox provide competition-class traction and stability and a full-length under-body skid plate helps protect the undercarriage of the Sand Trooper from rogue rocks.
The matte tan finish is accented by matte-black front and rear off-road bumpers, grille, fuel-filler door, tail-light guards and black door-sill guards, while Mopar half-doors add to the open-air feeling.
A vented bonnet helps the Hemi breathe and a Warn winch, LED off-road lights, rock rails and a trailer hitch round out the accessory kit.
The seats are upholstered in black 'Katzkin' leather seats with special tan stitching, while the Mopar pages delivered the rear-view camera, CB radio, all-weather slush mats, bonnet lock, and a locking trailside winch kit.
An Add-a-Trunk kit adds extra, secure storage, as do the lockable under-seat and centre-console compartments and the under-floor storage box.
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE HALF AND HALF
This is an imaginative demonstration of the before and after of a Mopar-style makeover.
There's a zip graphic applied down the centre of the car complete with an actual giant-size slider attached to the front bumper; one half is a brand new, stock standard, metallic cherry Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo; the other side is a 'Moparised' Grand Cherokee that illustrates what you can do with off-the shelf accessories.
Even the wheels exhibit the “split-screen” effect; the stock side carries standard 17” rims while the modified side gets 20” chromed hoops.
There's more chrome on that side, on the mesh-grille insert, tube steps, mirror housings, bonnet air deflector and foglight bezels. A trailer hitch with wiring harness, front tow hooks, bright numb er-plate frame, roof-rack crossbows and luggage carrier complete the exterior.
The dividing line between stock and Moparised continues inside with Grand Cherokee logo door-sill guards, a bright pedal kit, all-weather mats, cargo tray, cargo net, premium leather upholstery and a remote-start transponder.
SRT VIPER
The customised yellow SRT Viper carries a full range of lightweight carbon-fibre components, including a satin-finished cross-brace with a decal-cut Viper 'Stryker' logo in the centre.
The engine cover is mixed carbon fibre and aluminium, emblazoned with the SRT logo, as is the handmade aluminium oil-filler cap. Performance is also improved by a carbon-fibre aero kit, along with shorter, stiffer Mopar coil springs, black 'Track Pack' rims, a front tow hook and an LED foglight kit.
The interior is black with lots of yellow accents, including the backs of the Sabelt hard-shell seats trimmed in black 'Katzkin' leather with yellow accents in the perforations and their six-point safety harnesses.
Further touches include a Mopar billet aluminium shift knob and billet aluminium aircon bezels and controls, chromed door-sill guards with the Viper logo and sand-blasted aluminium pedals etched with the Viper logo. Even the dead pedal carries the Stryker logo.
A quirky extra is a carbon-fibre bulkhead satchel with a universal integrated quick-release camera mount, for owners who like to record their adventures.
CHRYSLER 300 LUXURY
The big sedan is finished in metallic blue with a body-colour grille surround and platinum mesh grille. It rolls on 20” satin carbon rims with Mopar logo centre caps, over black-painted callipers.
A 3.9:1 performance rear axle and sports coil-over give it the go to match the show.
The cabin is trimmed in quilted Katzkin leather, with more leather wrapping the shifter, complemented by premium carpet floor mats embroidered with the Chrysler 300 logo, door-sill guards with illuminated Chrysler logos and polished pedals.
FIAT 500 BEACH CRUISER
A playful take on the West Coast custom-car vibe, the matte-charcoal grey Fiat has been widened 300mm front and rear with old-school fender flares over special aluminium rims with satin-finished red accents and brushed centre caps.
The exterior metal-work has been satin-finished, including the door handles, handles, mirrors, trim elements, chin spoiler and roof-rack.
The headlights are tinted, the bonnet and bootlid are louvered and the roof rack carries a custom surfboard painted to match the body on teak woodwork.
The interior trim bezels are also satin finished and the wooden floor slats - inspired by an old-fashioned boardwalk - are also teak. Even the dark grey, high-gloss vinyl seats have red-and-white “beach towel” inserts, while an extended shifter, capped by a white ball, completes the interior.
Performance upgrades include free-flow intake and exhausts manifolds and a strut tower brace to improve handling - as well as a hula-girl figurine, front and centre on the dashboard.
DODGE URBAN RAM
This suburban muscletruck comes ready to play with a 392 Hemi engine sporting a Mopar cold-air intake, headers and dual, chrome-tipped performance exhausts.
A performance handling kit plus SRT discs and brake callipers help keep it all under control, and the Urban Ram rolls on 22” alloy rims in gloss black with Ram logos on the centre caps.
The body is finished in two shades of metallic blue with a Mopar logo emblazoned on the rear side panel on the driver's side, over a sports performance bonnet and aero kit. The fibreglass tonneau cover matches the body colour, as does the load-bed carpet, set off by load-bed ambient lighting and a Mopar design badge.
DODGE DART CARBON FIRE
Chrysler's all-new compact sedan goes over to the dark side with charcoal grey paint, accented by a Mopar satin black chin spoiler and body kit, topped off with a carbon-fibre bonnet and three-piece boot-lid spoiler.
The front bumper, roof and mirror housings are gloss black, as are the special 19” rims with Mopar logo centre caps, over silver brake callipers, and the one-off mesh grille insert in place of the signature cross-hair grille.
Smoked head and taillight lenses keep it cool, while the Dart's standard foglights have been replaced by daytime running lights borrowed from the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT catalogue, set in special bezels e bezel.
Behind the tinted windows, the interior trim mirrors the body finish in darker shades of grey and black, with Katzkin leather seats and matte finishes on the interior bezels.