An Early Spring Comes on a Cold November Weekend in Chicago

The calendar read ‘November,’ and the thermometer danced around the 30-degree Fahrenheit mark. Chicago’s chilling winds were whipping up from Lake Michigan. Winter was getting ready to jump on the Loop and encircle the city. However, inside the massive Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, home of the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN), it was Spring Fever. We’re not talking traditional bulb flowers like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and others that pop up in springtime with fragrant purple clusters, cheerful yellows and vibrant pink splashes. It was the Spring Fever of the Mopar_® kind, and it was in high gear with Challengers, Chargers, ’Cudas, Road Runners and other examples of Mopar muscle splattered in wild colors.  

To understand Spring Fever in the Chrysler context, we need to go back to 1970. Chrysler needed to maintain the sales momentum after introducing the new models the previous fall. Their marketing folks created ‘Spring Specials’ for many of their car lines. Often called ‘What’s New’ in the dealer marketing bulletins, these Spring Specials were primarily introduced mid-year to spur sales and keep consumers coming back to the dealers. Loaded with new options and special packages, Chrysler’s Spring Specials also offered dealers and consumers exciting new high-impact colors, including Panther Pink/Moulin Rouge (FM3 Paint Code) and Sassy Grass Green/Green-Go (FJ6 Paint Code). Yes, Dodge and Plymouth would refer to the same color paint options with two different names. Remember, it was an era when inter-brand rivalry was encouraged. Regardless of what you call them, these wild colors could be ordered and virtually any Dodge or Plymouth passenger car for the 1970 model year.

At this year’s MCACN show, diehard Mopar owners of these exclusive colors created the ‘Spring Fever Invitational’ presented by The Wellborn Muscle Car Museum, with support from enthusiasts Dan Pausch, who contacted the owners and rounded up the cars. The display put the spotlight on these rare 1970 mid-year colors that only increase the rarity of these muscle cars and add a premium to their value. “It was a brilliant idea of Dan Pausch and Bob Ashton that created the Spring Fever Invitational at MCACN this year. To bring together rare Mopar muscle cars painted in Panther Pink, Moulin Rouge, Sassy Grass Green and Green-Go was awesome, and when I heard about it, I instantly sponsored the invitational,” said Tim Wellborn of the Wellborn Muscle Car Museum. The Spring Fever Invitational display also brought together a pair of rare cars in matching colors. “We talked about doing it for years, and it finally came together at this year’s MCACN show. We brought together Pam’s (Wellborn) and Astor and Wade Ogle’s matching Panther Pink 1970 440 Six Pack Chargers. All the owners had a great time, and Dan (Pausch) did these ‘Watermelon Shirts’ for all the owners that had their vehicles in the MCACN Spring Fever Display.”

The Spring Fever Invitational also dished up more horsepower as not only one, but two original 1970 FM3 Plymouth HEMI^® ’Cudas were in the display. Talk about burnt retinas, these cars made a huge splash visually when the show doors flung open, and thousands of attendees came flocking in. These cars were like a pack of exotic birds with magnificent plumage, on display, and they simply dazzled the crowds.

Along with the Plymouth HEMI ’Cudas, the Spring Fever Invitational also had some special members of the Dodge Scat Pack. First, there were some 1970 Challengers in different flavors. These included a Panther Pink 440 Magnum-powered model with the cool optional Magenta longitudinal R/T stripe, a pair of Challenger T/A models in both Panther Pink and Green-Go, and a 1970 Super Bee with a 383 Magnum and an optional Ramcharger Hood.

One of the most bizarre Mopar Spring Specials was Mike Ross’ 1970 Plymouth Fury III. Ordered new by a lady named Mrs. Schultz who lived in Cleveland and was a Mary Kay salesperson. The pink Plymouth was powered by a 383 two-barrel engine and came equipped with many options such as a white painted top, A/C, power steering, power brakes, automatic transmissions, rear defrost and other features. Ross acquired the Fury III from the Schultz family around ten years ago. Mike had purchased a 1970 ’Cuda 440 Six Pack from the son of Mrs. Schultz and knew of the Fury from his mother, but at the time it was not for sale. Mike finally did acquire the rare full-size Plymouth, and based on his research, it’s one-of-one due to its unique color. While Plymouth’s ‘Moulin Rouge’ name never caught on versus Dodge’s ‘Panther Pink,’ when Mike takes the Plymouth out to shows or cruise nights, many fans refer to the wild color as ‘Panther Pink,’ but he doesn’t mind.

While these crazy mid-year high-impact colors lasted for one year, they made a return on the new Dodge Challenger. The first special-edition that paid homage to the Spring Special Colors was the ‘Furious Fuchsia’ on the 2010 Challenger R/T and Challenger SRT8. The color was a way for Dodge to commemorate four decades of Challenger performance, with a modernized version of one of the brand’s most memorable hues from 1970, ‘Panther Pink.’ This was followed up with another limited-production color offering that was a throwback and named ‘Green with Envy.’ It was available on the 2011 Challenger R/T and Challenger SR8 models and paid tribute to some of the coolest paint colors from Dodge’s past, such as ‘Sublime’ and ‘Green-Go.’  

Here are some other great examples of wild and bright colors that helped to make an otherwise overcast and chilly Chicago weekend seem like springtime!