The All Mopar Show of Lansdale Auto Group revives the glory days. This year there were 500 attendees and $ 3,500 was raised.
Mopar magic
The annual Mopar auto show of a dealership in Pennsylvania builds brand recognition and helps to promote the sale of vehicles and service traffic.
Muscle cars & winter jackets may seem like an unlikely link for a dealership promotion event, but during the annual All Mopar Show held by Lansdale Auto Group in Montgomeryville, Pa., They fit together just as nicely as a 426 Hemi V- 8 nestled in a Plymouth Road Runner.
The event, held annually on a Sunday in June in the past three years, stirs up the heyday of the legendary Mopar road cars from the 60s and 70s while raising money for children's winter coats.
The one-day event also raises something different: the profile of Lansdale's two dealers, who sell Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles under one roof and Fiats in an adjacent store.
"It is difficult to give a figure about the financial impact," said Geoff Haenn, partner in the dealer group. "But it's more about people who come all year round for service and bodywork, which would not come any different.We also open the doors all day to the showroom and there are constantly people around. Boots on the floor are a lot worth us. "
Push up
The event helps vehicle sales, although Lansdale has no estimate of how much. The stores, some 30 miles north of Philadelphia, sold 892 new and 539 used vehicles in 2017.
"It absolutely affects our results," said Michaela Brass, a sales employee who also manages social media for both stores and directs the production of the Mopar show. "I recently sold a Jeep to someone who was referred to us by someone who attended all three car shows." "It transfers people to our dealers between shows, not just during them."
This year the show raised $ 3,500, which was donated to Driving Away the Cold, an organization that offers winter coats for children in need. The program is run by the Auto Dealers' CARING for Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization of the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, which includes more than 180 dealers.
The money is collected by registration fees from Mopar car owners, sales of lots for donated items, T-shirt sales and donations from participants, which are collected on a food stall with Mopar-themed offers such as Road Runner sandwiches with roast pork.
Lansdale organized the first show in 2016 at the request of a local Mopar club looking for a new location to keep its annual car connection. That year 80 owners showed up to show off classics from Plymouth, Dodge and Chrysler. This year, 202 owners participated, and more than 500 people were present, according to Brass Automotive News.
"We've had people from New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia – even Australia," she said. Showstoppers were a rare Chrysler Valiant from 1970 from Australia, a Plymouth AAR & # 39; Cuda from 1970 bought new at Lansdale and a Plymouth GTX from 1969 that won the best show price.
Brass, locally known as Miss Mopar, has restored a Dodge Charger from 1972 and owns a 1964 Dodge Power Wagon panel wagon and a Road Runner from 1971. She is a fourth-generation employee in Lansdale and Miss's Facebook page Mopar has more than 22,500 followers. Her father, machine builder by profession, is still working at the dealer, she said.
"I grew up with engines," said Brass. "Mopar is a way of life for me and my family."
"The event really brings more attention to the surrounding areas … It brings people between the shows in our dealers, not just during them." Michaela Brass Lansdale Auto Group
& # 39; Great return & # 39;
Lansdale spends approximately $ 4,000 on the event, with the bulk of it going to food costs, followed by the cost of renting tables, chairs and tents, a DJ and signage. But it is money well spent, said Haenn.
"I could chew on an advertisement in the newspaper," he noted. "Attracting so many people to an event for the lowest possible price yields a great return on the investment."
Putting it on the show means that the night before the event, you moved more than 400 vehicles from the dealer's lottery tickets to the shopkeeper's property across the street. Volunteers and a handful of Lansdale staff provide the most people needed to organize the event. Brass mainly promotes the show via Facebook and the location of the dealer along the busy national route 309 also attracts passers-by, she said.
The rise of events – and the service visits and car sales associated with show goers in the months that follow – make it worthwhile.
"There's something magical about having a bunch of Mopar cars running idle and waiting to be registered," said Brass. "Nothing else brings such a smile to my face."
Mopar magic
The annual Mopar auto show of a dealership in Pennsylvania builds brand recognition and helps to promote the sale of vehicles and service traffic.