Convertible Dodge Challenger: The Truth
We finally hooked up with Larry Moran – owner of DropTop Customs, he spent forever and an afternoon introducing us to the crop top Camaro on their carpet, sharing build stories, and a little history of the company. He was one of these guys that you could sit around a listen to all day and not get bored.
His information on the Camaro build was trumped by the story of the award winning Green Dodge Challenger build from last year’s show. You may have seen the images earlier this year showing the Challenger being hauled on a trailer with the words “SCRAP” spray painted around it. Well, that was indeed the same Convertible that created all the excitement from the 2008 SEMA show.
Convertible Camaro
We brought you the sneak peek images of this Camaro SS build last month, we wanted to confirm the details of the pricing as promised. $18,000 is the cost to take the roof off the Camaro and replace it with a rag top, we originally thought it may include the wheels and Katzkin seats but it didn’t, those extras were for promotional purposes only.
$18,000 is what it costs to convert a supplied Challenger or Camaro.
Chrysler Design Award for DropTop Challenger
Here’s the story on the green Challenger chopped for last year’s show, as best as I can recall, and only the names have been changed to protect the guilty.
DropTop were working on the collaboration with Dodge who supplied the Challenger, the project car was originally to be unveiled by Dodge at the Chicago Auto Show in 2008, but then Larry received a call from his Dodge contact “Nancy” who explained they would not show the car in Chicago as the show was going to be “Green” and Dodge, worrying what the tree huggin’ hippies – who wouldn’t buy their car anyway -would think, decided to wimp out and not show the V8 muscle car.
So, the car continues to SEMA and we remember the images from that show, the show really put DropTop and the convertible Challenger on the map. The car picked up a number of awards at the show, including the Chrysler Design Award.
Onward to Bigger and Better………Nothing
After the show, DropTop are still in possession of the car, and if I remember correctly, it was the Chicago Auto Show coming around again and Larry is contacted by someone who less self-conscious about their “Green” image, they want to display the vehicle at their booth. Dodge had no plans to display it so Larry agrees.
Well, apparently this infuriates “Nancy” from Dodge who by this point has been depicted as a power hungry control freak who wouldn’t know a short throw shifter from her elbow, 100% business – 0% car knowledge. She gives Larry hell over the show, claiming he didn’t have permission to do anything with the car and she was so displeased with Larry that she wanted the car back. Larry obliged and after the car was back in the hands of Dodge “Nancy” informs the guys the Challenger is to be crushed. After some arrangements were made to have the wheels returned, that had been loaned to DropTop for display purposes, Larry never saw the Challenger again. Until these images surfaced earlier this year on various auto sites.
DropTop Customs and The Legend Richard Petty
Though DropTop will most likely not be interested in working with “Nancy” in the future, there are others lining up to partner with the custom coach builders and Larry could not hold back his excitement his as he shared plans that had just been confirmed to work with Richard Petty over the next few months. The two companies plan to come together for a TV show, it will be Petty’s show featuring DTC, to air next year where DropTop Customs will overhaul possibly ten Richard Petty vehicles. Larry promised to keep me up to date with details which of course will pass on to you.
