Karl Ginter's 1970 Hemi Challenger R/T was judged Best of Show

Like other Mopar shows, there's a car corral--only bigger. We saw everything from turnkey Super Stocks to rolling hulks. You could have your Mopar judged and be certified to meeting exacting standards. This not only boosts your ego but also the value of your prized trailer queen. Maybe next year, they'll have a judging class for the trailers (hmmn, might be a possibility for a separate Trailer Nats).

Prices for cars and parts just keep escalating. Want a fairly clean 340 Dart or Duster? Expect to shell out almost 20 large. NOS (New Old Stock) stuff is drying up fast so you know that prices on that stuff won't be coming down any time soon. We saw a pair of '67 Coronet R/T taillights sell for $1450. A pair of fender surrounds for same car went for a grand. Those same surrounds sold in the '70s for $22. On the flip side, the demand for these parts has prompted several reputable repop firms, such as Roger Gibson Auto Restoration, to step up to the plate and produce excellent reproductions of sought after items. 'Course, while no one admitted it, and you couldn't find any at the Nats, one of the most sought-after items was the VIN tags and fender tags to make your $20,000 '71 318 'Cuda convertible into a $2 million, Number 10-of-9 Hemi Cuda.

But not everyone has a dishonest streak. Sure, there were plenty of "fake" (the hobby politely calls them "clones") Hemi Cudas to be seen, but their owners didn't hide the fact that they were cobbled. Bill Weimann excepted, not very many Hemi Cuda convertible owners are going to go joy riding in traffic in a $2 mil car. Clones are the hot setup for drivers, and you can upgrade the drivetrain and suspension, and add options that were not factory-installed without worrying about decreasing your ride's value.

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Every year, just to spice things up, the Nats pays "special tribute" to a particular model. This year it was the Dodge Charger. What this means is that a bunch of Chargers get to park all by themselves in a separate area. Still, you could get an appreciation for the evolution of this model through the years and also get to check out some rare and interesting cars, such as the famous K&K Daytona and The King's '74 No. 43 car.

If you wanted to see the mistakes you made on your own restoration, a short walk over to the Survivor tent gave you a peek at mostly original, unrestored Mopars. Next year, we think they're going to install Super Stock champ, Arlen Vanke as part of the survivor display.