Back in 2004, Dodge announced they were building a new station wagon that was about to take the wagon market by storm. The Magnum welcomed us back to the core of a true American station wagon. The trim levels included the base model SE and SXT (with the 2.7L and 3.5L V6 engines), the 5.7L Hemi V8 R/T and the big daddy of the lineup – the SRT8 with its 425 horsepower 6.1L Hemi V8. Combining styling, power and versatility, the Dodge Magnum was intended to prove that a station wagon could be cool again and that it did; very well.

For Bobbi Jo Parsons of British Columbia, she fell in love with the Magnum the first time she saw one in a Dodge commercial on TV. She says, “It was that commercial where a red Magnum R/T blows past an exotic car. When the other guy pulls up next to the Magnum, he says “Dude, what do you got in that thing?” in which the Magnum owner says, “I have an amp, guitar, surfboard, ladder and twelve 2x4s”. It ended with “The all new Hemi powered Dodge Magnum; open it up from both ends”. I was instantly sold. I absolutely had to have one from that moment on.”

She continues to say, “I was running a mobile business doing leather repair so I was working out of a Dodge Caravan and it honestly sucked. I hated driving that van but I’m a diehard Mopar enthusiast and they didn’t really make anything else that I could carry my work gear around it. Everyone refers to me as Ms. Mopar. I truly live by the “Mopar or No Car” motto. When I saw the Magnum in the TV commercial, I thought wow, that’s the ultimate work vehicle! It had Hemi power, could carry all of my stuff and looked good!”

Bobbi started shopping for Magnums and eventually came across a gently used Midnight Blue 2005 R/T for sale that she fell in love with. She was now a proud Magnum owner! Loaded up with her work gear, Bobbi would use the Magnum for work for the next little while however she found that she had the strong desire to customize it.

“I always had late 1967-1969 Dodge Darts. I’ve had five over the years and I really miss them sometimes. I had Blue ‘68 Dart for 15 years. I also had a 1974 Dart Sport. It was a beautiful car but it sadly got T-boned and written off. Most of my Darts were modified as I have a problem leaving things stock,” she shares. This was no different with the Magnum. As she started customizing the Magnum, it slowly stopped becoming a work vehicle and started turning in a show vehicle. She says, “For a while, I did both. I would load it up with my work gear and go to work during the week and then empty it out for car shows on the weekend.”

“When I first modified it, it looked exactly like the “DUB Magnum”. I remember I pulled into a car show one time years ago and a young kid, probably about 9 years old flipped out. He was so excited; he was like “It’s the DUB Magnum! It made my day.”

Over the years, Bobbi’s Magnum would change its look five times. She explains, “It was stock when I bought it with the exception of aftermarket wheels and being lowered. I had two different sets of custom hand-painted pinstripes on it. One featured the Ram head with B5 Blue and Plum Crazy Purple accents. Next, I had silver and Sublime stripes on the top of it and the last is the look you see now. I have multiple sets of wheels and like five sets of tail lights for it with different styles.”

On the outside, the Magnum still features its stunning Midnight Blue paint. It has been accented with a sleek satin black upper body black-out. It features a Danko front chin spoiler, T-Rex billet upper and lower grilles and Hotchkis quick release hood pins. Out back, the rear lift gate has been shaved for a clean look. The silver R/T headlights have been changed out for a pair of black SRT headlights.

Under the hood, the 5.7L Hemi has been upgraded performance wise with an AirRaid throttle body spacer, AirRaid cold air intake and Diablosport Predator tuner. The Hemi has a deep rumble thanks to an upgraded exhaust system with Flowmaster 40 mufflers, resonators deleted and oval chrome exhaust tips. Visually, the engine bay features a Billet Technology underhood dress-up kit and custom painted engine cover and various pieces by Axe Graphics. It rides on SRT8 springs with Bilstein stocks and SRT8 300 wheels that have been custom colour matched by Panther Precision.

Open the doors and you’ll find the interior is anything but stock. “I hated the stock gray interior. Since my partner Wayne and I have a company called Spot-On and specialize in interior work, it’s no surprise that the Magnum’s interior is heavily modified,” explains Bobbi. The seat skins have been replaced with custom black and blue leather Katzkin upholstery from Canadian Seat Skins.

All of the plastic interior panels have been changed from gray to graphite and the original headliner has been redone in graphite ultra-suede. Since Bobbi and Wayne are total music lovers, the Magnum’s sound system has been upgraded as well featuring a Kenwood Excelon HD deck with navigation, Kenwood speakers, Kenwood amplified, Kenwood 12” subwoofer and a Bassforms subwoofer box.

Completing the interior is a 24” Samsung smart TV installed by Derek Turnbull on the inside of the rear lift gate. Bobbi says, “I have two movies that I watch on it at car shows; Vanishing Point and a compilation video of Mopars. After all, I’m Ms. Mopar!”

<

►

>