Dodge Muscle Old and New at the Reno Tahoe Barrett Jackson Auto Auction

The world famous Barrett Jackson Auto Auction arrives in Nevada late next week for their 2013 Reno Tahoe event and among the field of hundreds of vehicles are Dodge products for all high performance Mopar lovers – whether you are looking for a modern V10 powered supercar or a classic muscle car with a big block V8.  Four particular Mopars in the Barrett Jackson Reno Tahoe vehicle list caught my eye: a 1964 Dodge 440 Custom 2-door hardtop, a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T, a 1996 Dodge Viper RT-10 Roadster and a 2005 Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible.

The 1964 Dodge 440 Custom 2-door hardtop (shown above) is one of the cars that helped to make the Mopar name so prevalent in the world of drag racing.  The 426 cubic inch wedge (not Hemi) packed serious power with the help of the unique cross ram intake manifold and with these cars being little more than street-legal race cars – the 440 Custom was and still is a monster in the stock and super stock racing categories.

The 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T may not have gotten the same amount of attention as the Charger or Challenger but the Coronet R/T was every bit as powerful as the rest of the high performance R/T lineup of the late 1960s.  This particular Coronet R/T (check it out in the gallery below) is powered by the 440 cubic inch big block V8 and it is certified to be just one (#3 – to be exact) of 26 cars of this type build.

When the Dodge Viper RT/10 Roadster was introduced, one of the most striking appearance package options was bright red with bright yellow trim on the wheels and badging while also being one of the hardest to find packages.  This Viper has just over 12,000 miles on the odometer so for a vehicle that is 17 years old – it has hardly been driven.

The 2005 Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible was one of the final Dodge-branded Vipers leading up to the awesome new SRT Viper.  The 500 horsepower, 8.3L V10 that powers this Viper has been upgraded with a Corsa Gen 2 Catback Performance exhaust system and a K&N dual snorkel intake system to improve both the power and sound while a door sill entry kit, an SRT interior trim package and some sporty carbon fiber pieces here and there emphasize the race-readiness of this topless Mopar supercar.

Of course, in addition to these four stunning examples of Dodge high performance are plenty of other Chrysler Corporation vehicles as well as a long list of incredible cars from automakers other than Ma Mopar.  I have had the pleasure of attending a few of these big named auto auctions and they are truly like rolling car shows combined with a narrated history lesson.  Best of all, if you cannot make it to the event in Nevada, you can watch the vast majority of the event live on television.  The broadcast kicks off on Thursday August 8^th at 3pm (PDT – check local listings for times in your area) on the SPEED channel with five full hours of auction coverage.  SPEED will broadcast 5 more hours on Friday starting at 3pm as well as 6 hours on Saturday with the broadcasts running from 11 am to 2pm and then 5pm to 8pm.  Also, Fuel TV will run live coverage of the Reno Tahoe event from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday so with some simple planning – fans can catch pretty much every second of Saturday’s auction action.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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