This past weekend, I attended the 2015 LX Spring Festival in Irvine, California. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the event, it started 10 years ago as a local car show for vehicles built on the LX platform such as the Dodge Charger, the Dodge Magnum and the Chrysler 300 (and later the Dodge Challenger) and it has grown to be a massive car show that draws vehicles and fans from around the country. Best of all, the proceeds go to charity, so as the event has grown to be one of the biggest Mopar shows of the year, the crowd has donated more and more money to the local charity groups.
The 2015 LX Spring Festival was the biggest to date, with over 1,000 cars and SUVs (Jeep Grand Cherokees are part of the crowd as well now) and over $12,000 going to charity. This was my first LX Spring Festival and I went into it thinking that I was going to see a pretty impressive collection of Challengers, Chargers, 300s, Magnums, Jeeps and even a few other various Mopar products. In no way was I prepared for the sheer scope of the event or the incredible diversity of the vehicles and the people. From low riders filled with stereo equipment to fully gutted out race cars, the LX Spring Festival has something for every Mopar fan.
For those who couldn’t make it to Irvine, California this past weekend, I took hundreds and hundreds of pictures of every model in attendance. Today, I bring you a few hundred pictures of the Dodge Challenger so grab a drink and enjoy the massive gallery of Mopar muscle cars below.
Also, check back to the DF Front Page over the next few days as we bring you galleries of the Charger, Magnum, 300 and Jeep.
"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.
