{"id":82381,"date":"2024-10-28T02:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=82381"},"modified":"2024-10-23T11:54:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T15:54:57","slug":"mr-mopar-mrs-mattel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/owners-clubs\/2024\/10\/mr-mopar-mrs-mattel.html","title":{"rendered":"Mr. Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> & Mrs. Mattel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Collecting stuff can be a way to live together. Just ask Benny and Kicki \u00c4lvenstrand, a couple married for 35 years who share a passion for American toys, big and small. Their hobby, whether it’s muscle cars, memorabilia related to cars or Barbie dolls, has strengthened their relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collecting is a universal human phenomenon, confirmed by scientific studies showing that 30 percent of all adults have a collection of some kind. From an evolutionary biology perspective, it\u2019s possible that this behavior provided humans with a significant advantage. Storing necessities like food and tools maximized survival chances, especially during periods of scarcity. While the practice of collecting is ancient, the items collected have changed over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humankind’s inclination to collect has also gained considerable media attention, exemplified by TV programs like Antiques Roadshow<\/em>, which can be found in many countries including the USA, Canada, the UK and Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n

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So how has collecting items of different sizes strengthened Benny and Kicki’s relationship? For example, through their many trips to the US, where each could pursue their individual passions \u2014 Benny with his car parts and Kicki with her Barbie dolls. A sense of belonging naturally strengthens relationships where both partners are passionate, no matter what their interests are. It creates space for understanding each other’s personality and finding similarities, even if the objects of their collection differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s break down the collecting in detail, starting with Benny’s Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> collection. Today, he owns three cars: a 1970 Plymouth \u2019Cuda, a 2018 Dodge Durango R\/T and a 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Hellcat (the focus of this article). But Benny also has a long history of owning Mopar cars, including a 1966 Dodge Dart with a 273 cui engine, a 1974 Dodge Challenger with a 360 cubic-inch V8, a 1969 Dodge Charger R\/T 440 with a four-speed manual gear box, and a 1971 Plymouth \u2019Cuda with a 340, also with a manual transmission. All in all, he\u2019s owned 16 Mopar cars from 1966 to 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benny remembers the journey to owning his 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat quite well.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“It all started when Dodge introduced the new Challenger around 2005. The following year, in 2006, Kicki and I were at Chryslers at Carlisle where they showcased the promotional version of this Challenger live. That same weekend at Carlisle, Dodge held a press release announcing that they would take the new Challenger into production, and it would be on the market in 2008,” Benny recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several years passed and he couldn\u2019t shake the thought of owning a new Challenger one day. Then, four years later, an opportunity arose.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“In 2012, a Pitch Black Dodge Challenger SRT came up for sale, and I just had to have it. The then-owner Peter M\u00f6llerstr\u00f6m gave me an incredible deal, so I jumped at the chance. I owned it from August 2012 until July 2021,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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After nine years of owning the Challenger SRT, Benny\u2019s craving for a Hellcat version grew quickly. He found an ad for a used 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat in Indigo Blue, negotiated a trade-in price and closed the deal at a car dealership in southern Sweden. The drive home was very satisfying, according to a pleased Benny.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“In late 2021, rumors started circulating in the media that 2022 would be the last year for the Challenger and Charger. That idea stuck in my head. What if I could get my hands on a Challenger, the last model year, that no one else had owned before? In March 2022, I found an ad for a brand-new 2022 Dodge Challenger Hellcat in that awesome Indigo Blue color. Yes, the same color as my current Dodge. Negotiations began, and a good trade-in price sealed the deal. Now I was the owner of a brand-new Dodge Challenger Hellcat,” Benny says with a big smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the model year and the fact that the first SRT Hellcat was used when purchased, there was only one difference between the two cars \u2014 the older one had a sunroof. The powerful 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine with 717 horsepower is a feature shared by both SRT Hellcats, along with the intense blue paint.<\/p>\n\n\n

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To date, Benny and Kicki have driven around 350 kilometers with their Dodge. One of the reasons is the Swedish phenomenon of a higher tax on cars with high power output and thus higher CO2<\/sub> emissions. In the case of Benny and Kicki\u2019s Dodge, the car tax for the first three years is \u20ac3,200 per year, totaling about \u20ac9,600 if the car is registered. In Sweden, however, owners can “de-register” the car, reducing the tax to zero, but then the car cannot be driven on public roads. Even though it\u2019s relatively easy to de-register and re-register the car digitally, the tax affects how much they use it for leisure during the first three years. By next summer, 2025, the tax will drop to \u20ac530 per year, which is more manageable financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what can you customize on a newer car like this 2022 SRT Hellcat? Does Benny have any plans?<\/p>\n\n\n

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“I\u2019ve installed a ‘hoodpin kit,’ an original part. It was a bit nerve-wracking when I drilled into the hood because there\u2019s no room for error. But I followed the instructions to the letter and didn\u2019t encounter any problems,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He goes on to explain that there are many different accessories available from Dodge, as well as from other aftermarket manufacturers. Everything from interior details and chassis components to tuning kits \u2014 though whether that’s necessary is up for debate\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I\u2019ve been thinking about getting a Borla Atak exhaust system and replacing the original tires \u2014 Pirelli All-Season \u2014 with ones that have better grip. We\u2019ll see if there will be any other modifications in the future,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that Benny has previously owned 16 different cars from the Chrysler group, are there any left for him to drive before it\u2019s time to hang up the keys for good? Absolutely!<\/p>\n\n\n

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“A 1970 or 1971 genuine HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> \u2019Cuda is a dream car. For me, it\u2019s one of the coolest cars you can own. The feeling of having a 426 HEMI V8 under the hood of a \u2019Cuda is unbeatable. Maybe in a flashy color like FJ6 Sassy Grass Green,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another car he yearns for is the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Last Call. With 1,025 horsepower and 1,281 newton-meters of torque, it\u2019s one of the ultimate muscle cars. It has everything you could wish for, according to Benny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, of course, is no slouch either.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“When the Demon was launched, it was, for me, the ultimate muscle car. The hype around Dodge\u2019s release was nothing short of amazing. Each promotional video made interest skyrocket by about 1,000 percent. I mean, the car was delivered without a passenger seat or rear seat, but these seats could be purchased for 1 dollar. Then, when it set records on the drag strip and was subsequently banned from the same strip, it just made me want it even more. In 2018, the Demon was probably the fastest production car,” Benny muses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the couple shares their joint passion for cool vehicles in general. After 35 years of marriage and 39 years as a couple, I ask them to expand on this part of their shared history.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“We\u2019re both into motors, even though I might have a bit more interest. This passion was there from the start when we met. We both got our driver\u2019s licenses for both cars and motorcycles at an early age, and when we met, Kicki was riding a bike,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they started a family and had two small children to take care of, along with a budget to manage, other priorities took precedence for a while. At the time, there wasn\u2019t enough money to buy a fun hobby car. The family bought a house with a garage. The dream of owning a Mopar car came back one day in 1997 when Benny heard about a 1974 Challenger that fit the family\u2019s budget. Benny jumped at the chance, and since then, cars have come and gone. There have been Challengers, Chargers, Road Runners, and \u2019Cudas \u2014 all within the Chrysler group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We\u2019ve pretty much always attended car meets together over the years, with or without the kids. The kids have joined us at car meets here in Sweden and even in the US. We love feeling the power of a top fuel dragster taking off and watching the cars in NASCAR battle for first place. The next part of our journey together is with two little guys, our grandsons, who love that their grandparents have two cool cars they can ride in. There\u2019s hope for the future,” Benny says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collecting stuff can be a way to live together. Just ask Benny and Kicki \u00c4lvenstrand, a couple married for 35 years who share a passion for American toys, big and small. Their hobby, whether it’s muscle cars, memorabilia related to cars or Barbie dolls, has strengthened their relationship. Collecting is a universal human phenomenon, confirmed by scientific studies showing that 30 percent of all adults have a collection of some kind. From an evolutionary biology perspective, it\u2019s possible that this behavior provided humans with a significant advantage. Storing necessities like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":82398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2624],"tags":[526,3012,605],"class_list":["post-82381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owners-clubs","tag-challenger","tag-dodge-europe","tag-srt"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2022DodgeChallenger_Feature.jpg","social_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2022DodgeChallenger_Social.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82381"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82381"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82445,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82381\/revisions\/82445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}