What you see here is the first ever 2013 Dodge Dart Police Car built at the Belvidere Assembly Plant for the local police who patrol the town around the production facility for the new Dart and a variety of Jeep products.

The town of Belvidere Illinois currently uses the Dodge Charger Pursuit for their police vehicles but Police Chief Jan Noble wanted a cop car built by the local plant.  Chrysler accepted the challenge and designed a 2013 Dodge Dart in full police livery for non-patrol uses around town.

"The Belvidere Police Department wanted to drive what's built in their town by their own citizens," said Peter Grady, Vice President of Network Development & Fleet, Chrysler Group LLC. "This was a terrific opportunity to support the Belvidere police and continue to foster our longtime partnership with this city and region."

Yesterday's Ford EcoBoost 400 may have marked the final time that we will ever see a Dodge product competing in the NASCAR ranks but there is arguably no better way to leave than with the championship title and thanks to Brad Keselowski and his #2 Miller Lite crew;  that is exactly what Dodge did.  After just 10 seasons competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Dodge announced earlier this year that they would be pulling all factory support (read: Money) from the major stock car series but unlike some brands that died quietly like Oldsmobile and Buick, Dodge went out with a bang - claiming NASCAR's biggest title for the first time since Richard Petty drove his Dodge Charger to a championship back in 1975.

Brad Keselowski came into yesterday's race in Homestead Florida with a 20 point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Lowe's Chevy.  Thanks to this big lead, BK only had to finish in the 15^th spot to clinch the title while Johnson would have to win the race - or finish at least 16 spots ahead of Keselowski.  In the long run, all that the #2 Miller Lite team had to do was finish ahead of Jimmie Johnson and they would claim the NASCAR Sprint Cup title for 2012.

For truck fans who spend a ton of time towing toys all over this great United States, there isn't a better vehicle than the Ram Long Hauler. This baby holds a whopping--get this--170 gallons of diesel, it will tow nine tons, the guys over a Motor Trend did almost 1300 miles on one tank and the uber-luxurious interior made eating up all that highway a breeze. Technically, this is a concept, but optioning out a Laramie Longhorn and dropping in a pair of auxiliary tanks should get you close enough. Hit the jump to see more great gift ideas!

My favorite of the three Moparized Dodge Dart sedans at the recent 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas was the Dart Slingshot - the raced-up looking sedan shown in the images above and below.  This customized 2013 Dart has been modified for the purpose of racing in the SCCA showroom stock racing ranks (similar to the B Spec Series recently won by Jonathon Smart's Fiat 500) with a combination of stock features and higher performance mods; including some items currently available from Mopar along with others that are currently prototype pieces that could arrive in the near future.

First off, like all good showroom stock race cars, the 2013 Dodge Dart Slingshot by Mopar features an interior that has been stripped of all items that arent needed for driving and racing purposes - most notably the rear seat portions and a bunch of carpeting/insulation.  The standard front bucket seats have also been removed to make room for a set of lightweight Sparco race seats complete with approved 6 point racing harnesses for the driver and passenger.  Finally, a competition approved roll cage has been added to comply with the rules of various racing leagues around the country (while also making the interior look that much cooler).