It has been 50 years since Norman Kraus opened Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, reports Hemmings Auto Blog, and from those humble beginnings rose one of the best-known Mopar modifiers in American history.
For Ford fans, Carroll Shelby was the King of performance Mustangs and Blue Oval motorsport. In Chevy circles, Don Yenko’s name is spoken with reverence and respect for his work on Camaros and Chevelles of the 1960s. And for the men who follow the car cult known as Mopar, Mr. Norm’s garage means as the names Shelby or Yenko.
From the onset, Mr. Norm focused on selling performance cars to young people, rather than push average sedans on middle-aged men. This helped Mr. Norm garner a cool reputation, and when Dodge told him something couldn’t be done, he did it himself. For example, Mr. Norm stuffed a 383 V8 into a 1967 Dodge Dart, which Dodge engineers told him was impossible. The resulting ‘69 Dodge Dart GSS is highly collectible today.
Mr. Norm also participated in many motorsports events to promote the business, and even installed a dyno at his shop so customers could tune and tweak their rides. In recent years Mr. Norm has lent his name today’s Mopar muscle cars, and a special 50th anniversary GSS package will be available for the 2013 Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger.
This package improves the suspension and handling of these modern Mopars, and also adds a Katzkin leather interior, Mr. Norm, and GSS badges to the ride. It’s a unique way to celebrate 50 years of Mr. Norm’s modified Mopars.
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