Chasing down an incidental Craigslist lead, I drove northbound on the highway for 2.5 hours in hopes of rescuing a pair of Plymouth ‘Cudas. Upon discovering the eroded E-bodies were beyond my means, I wasted no time asking the owner if he knew of any other old Mopars in the area. Coincidentally, he informed us we were just a few miles away from a nearby junkyard known as Mostly MoPower. Now that sounded like our speed.
As we pulled up to the building, a scattering of old iron out front indicated we were at the right place. Reading the business hours etched into the door we knew they weren’t technically open, but with a Dodge Ram parked near the shop and rock ‘n roll music blasting out of the mechanic’s bay it was clear someone was in there. Knocking on the bay door, I was greeted by an apprehensive individual who didn’t seem psyched with the interruption. Suspicious of our presence, I tried to explain we were Mopar collectors and were in the area to check out some ‘Cudas. Showing him photos of our latest yardfinds (and pictures of some of our own projects and restorations as well) seemed to settle his worries. The Chrysler
camaraderie took over and he gladly invited us to peruse the yard!
As we approached the rows of derelict Mopar muscle we were greeted with this beautiful ’72 Charger. Despite a badly dented hood the car was still very complete and certainly seemed salvageable.
Next up was rows of ’73/’74 Roadrunners and Satellites.
Despite a recent rise in popularity, it wasn’t long ago these big birds were misfits in a world of second gen Chargers and premium E-bodies. As old Mopars become fewer and farther between, we’ve seen this final generation of the fuselage B-body gain approval in the mainstream car culture.
This miserable convertible Satellite/Belvedere reminded me of my dad’s drop-top ’68 GTX clone. As I consider all the good times my dad’s car has brought, I felt a sorrowful condolence thinking this rag-top Mopar will likely never again live to do burnouts, receive speeding tickets or irritate the local ricers like my dad’s car does on a daily basis
’67 Chrysler New Yorker 
Pig nose Wagoneer 
Who could forget the Dodge Omni? 
Making our way through the scattering of lonesome Mopars I finally stumbled across the fabled ‘Cuda.
Engulfed in thorn bushes and small trees, it was quite a challenge to get up close and personal to the ‘Cuda. Notice how large some of the surrounding brush is, it appears this ‘Cuda has been languishing outside in the elements for a long time.
With a car so original, so valuable and so deserving, it puzzled me as to how it had ever ended up in this yard (even more confusing was that it had not yet been rescued decades later). Mostly MoPower’s owner Steve must’ve quickly recognized my ‘Cuda infatuation, because upon returning to his building he had already written his asking price for the car down on a business card. Unfortunately for me, the number was far beyond my budget and much more than I expected. Hopefully someone reading this will have the passion, perseverance, and deep pockets to save this more than deserving Mopar.
After a 5 hour drive, a stomach full of cheap fast food, and once again driving away empty handed, some people would end this kind of day feeling a little bit discouraged. On the contrary, Luke, my dad and I all raved the whole way home about what an awesome experience it was uncovering these rotting classics. While we were disappointed were unable to save any of the cars, we basked in the adventure and the opportunity to lay our hands on such incredible machines. Just goes to show you they are still out there waiting to be rescued. Until next time, MoPower to ya!
