MOPAR Maniac discovered on the streets of Kansas City

You know how sometimes you’re driving along, and something catches your eye that you have to check out? Well that happened to me the other day when dad and I were cruising by a used car lot in Kansas City, and saw about 25 mid-to-late ‘60s intermediate Chrysler products parked nose-to-tail and bumper-to-bumper.

Granted, this wasn’t a stash of Hemi ‘Cudas or something of that caliber, but it was still obvious that we had a MOPAR nut on our hands. I had to know more.

Turns out, the cars are owned by Terry Eakins, a long-time Chrysler aficionado and used car man. Terry got his Pentistar education working as the sales manager of the Dodge/Chrysler dealership in Raytown in the 1970s. By 1988, he was operating his own used car lot at the very location where these cars are now located.

Now, as interesting as these cars are to see from the road, once you get up close you realize that none of them are exactly going to win any car shows. That’s for good reason, because as Terry explains, these are generally parts cars. “I’ve got some other cars slated for restoration,” he says, “so I’ve been buying these over the years.”

Terry has six other MOPARs at home. He says “a couple” of them are restored, so by my math, that means he has 25 parts cars to restore four cars. Actually, as a certified pack rat myself, I can totally understand that logic.

Terry retired from his car dealer duties in 2008, and someone else is renting part of the lot to sell used cars now. But as far as the vintage Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth portion of the display, Terry is quick to note that he’s “not trying to sell.” That seems like the opposite of what a career car salesman would say, but after talking to Terry, it begins to make sense.

So the retired MOPAR man enjoys the sedentary life with his Darts, Polaras, and slant-sixes, while his home projects receive the full attention of a passionate owner. Or when he’s not tinkering with his projects, he enjoys cruising in his prized ’63 Belvedere. If only we could all be so lucky when our professional lives come to an end.

Photos … below.