On August 9th, 2019, a special edition of the Garden Grove Car Show was held. This event was special because it was Mopar Night. Event promoter Dianne Bain has been hosting a classic car show on Historic Main Street in Garden Grove, CA every Friday evening from 4pm to 8pm. Entrants and spectators are welcome to participate in a 50/50 drawing, as well as enjoy food from the local vendors. On the first Friday of every month, Dianne Bain co-hosts the Garden Grove Car Show with Tony Colombini of Blacktop Magazine. Let’s check out those fabulous Mopars that were in attendance.

Mixed in with mostly Fords and General Motors cars, we encountered our first Mopar. David & Kathy Stechovitz brought out their 1971 Dodge Challenger. This particular model sported the optional Shaker hood and a 340 four-barrel. The Butterscotch paint, which was one of the Mopar High Impact colors, was in fact the same color this car was painted in when it was new. In the trunk of the Challenger was a display board that included the original invoice from Costa Mesa Dodge. Stechovitz was not only showing this rare Challenger, but it was also available for sale.

Next up, we encountered an all-original 1973 Dodge Charger. This car was purchased new by the current owner’s father, and has been in the family since. Currently, this Charger is for sale, and can be yours for the right price. At the back of the show, we came across members of the SoCal Challengers Car Club, and the Mopar Knights Car Club. First up, was a beautiful 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T. This Challenger has a 5.7L Hemi engine, and an Alpine sound system. Next up, was Chuck Dewees’ 2015 Dodge Challenger, which had a 5.7L Hemi that was dyno-tuned.

Mixed in with all the Mopars from SoCal Challengers and Mopar Knights, we found Dan Robertson’s 1964 Plymouth Fury sedan. This classic Mopar may look like the classic 1960’s “grocery getter”, but there is a 440 sitting underneath that hood. First up from the Mopar Knights Car Club was a 1972 Plymouth Duster. The owner retrofitted this classic 1970s Mopar with a 340, and brought it out to represent the attending Mopars. The Sublime Green paint was a classic touch to this 1970s Plymouth. Next, we had a 1971 Dodge Dart, also painted in Sublime Green. This Dart was also fitted with a 340, and was well represented during Mopar Night.

1968 was a good year for Mopars, having introduced the Plymouth Road Runner, and the new B-Body Dodge Charger was introduced, later giving it a small role in the film Bullitt. A gold Plymouth Valiant attended the show, representing the year 1968. This Valiant looked stock from the outside, but was actually set up for drag racing on the inside. A four-point roll bar went over the rear seats. Sitting in The engine bay was a 390hp 410. Chances are, this car is pretty fast.

Sitting next to the 1968 Valiant, was a beautiful 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, brought in by Lee Tracey from the Mopar Knights Car Club. This Road Runner had a number of different features, including a 493, Ferrera springs, a Holley 950 carburetor, and a Hurst shifter. The car was repainted in the original Seafoam Turquoise. Tracey also kept the Voice of Road Runner horn with its signature sound from the famed cartoon character that this car was named for.

Next up was Larry Dewees’ 1948 Plymouth gasser, which we previously featured in March of 2019. Since the article ran, Dewees swapped out the rear slicks for period correct “pie crust” slicks. To read more about the Orange Monster, click here. We also encountered a 1972 Challenger that was painted in Header Orange, and equipped with a 340. A set of Magnum 500 wheels gave this Mopar a classic look, along with the black vinyl top.

Last, but not least, we encountered a 1966 Dodge Coronet 500. Terry Sprague of the Surf City Classics Car Club brought out this classic Mopar. A 440 sat in the engine bay, clean as ever. The 1970 color Panther Pink/Moulin Rouge made this car really stand out. If you’re ever in the Downtown Huntington Beach area on a Wednesday evening around 7:30PM, chances are you may have seen this car cruising down Main Street with over 100 other classic cars. Overall, Mopar Night at the Garden Grove Car Show was well represented by both classic and new Mopars. Dianne Bain, the event’s organizer has another Mopar night scheduled for October 25th. If you have a classic Mopar, and want to be part of a great car show, come on down to Historic Main Street in Garden Grove every Friday night!

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