Tom Ledoux Named First Mopar® ‘Top Eliminator’ of 2012 at Spring Festival of LXs

April 2, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  Tom Ledoux of Pearland, Texas was named the first 2012 Mopar® “Top Eliminator” for his modified 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8^® at the Seventh Annual Spring Festival of LXs in Irvine, Calif., held on Saturday, March 24.

In recognition of being named a Mopar “Top Eliminator,” Ledoux will have his car showcased in the Mopar display at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Oct. 30–Nov. 2, 2012.

“Congratulations to Tom Ledoux on being honored as the first 2012 Mopar ‘Top Eliminator’ winner,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “We are proud to add another member to the elite roster of Mopar ‘Top Eliminator’ winners. In its seventh year, the program helps to spotlight the most highly skilled and dedicated Mopar enthusiasts.”

The Mopar “Top Eliminator” program shines a light on passionate Mopar enthusiasts who display unmatched skill in modifying or customizing a classic or modern-day Mopar vehicle. Mopar “Top Eliminator” candidates are judged on a number of criteria, including Mopar content, overall appearance and additional benchmarks.

“It’s amazing to be named a Mopar ‘Top Eliminator,’” remarked Ledoux, a member of the Space City LX Modern Mopar Club. “It makes all the hard work I put into the car worth it. Having the chance to attend SEMA is the dream of every car person; it’s the pinnacle. I love my Dodge Challenger, and I’m very excited to have earned this honor.”

Ledoux purchased his Dodge Challenger SRT8 in May 2009 and originally planned to leave the vehicle in its original state. After attending several club events and car shows in the Houston area with fellow Mopar enthusiasts and viewing their customized rides, Ledoux decided he needed to “Moparize” his Dodge Challenger.

Beginning at the front of Ledoux’s car, Mopar blue catches the eye. Accents and halos on the front lamps and fog lights shine Mopar blue. The color is carried throughout the vehicle, as Ledoux hand-painted the underside of the hood in a blue hue. The wheels are also outlined in blue, distinctly separating the rims from the tires. The Mopar logo is stitched on the front seat headrests. Mopar parts used by Ledoux during the modification include a Mopar cold-air intake and a Mopar front strut bar.

“Being recognized by Mopar is very special,” added Ledoux. “People don’t build cars to win awards, but the fact that Mopar is out there looking at what enthusiasts are doing demonstrates that the brand is supporting the community.”

The second 2012 Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner will be chosen at the 28th Annual Mopars in The Park car show in Farmington, Minn., June 2–3, with the third selected at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa., July 6–8. The fourth and final Mopar “Top Eliminator” will be picked via an online competition.

Further details of the online competition will be revealed later in the year on Mopar’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mopar, and on Mopar’s Twitter handle, @OfficialMopar. Twitter users can follow the hashtag #TopElim12 for program updates. To view an interview with Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner Tom Ledoux, visit the Chrysler Group blog at http://blog.chryslerllc.com/blog.do?id=1738&p=entry.


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
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when 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 S.p.A., Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories which are distributed in more than 120 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. 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 http://www.mopar.com.

75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for 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 assistance and customer support.

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ON THE INTERNET
Visit Chrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://www.media.chrysler.com for additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to http://www.mopar.com or http://www.moparspeed.com.