Chaz McMahon may be relatively new to the Mopar® world, but at 37, he’s already got what he calls “the longest story” among the club members gathered at today’s meet. Sitting beside his wife, Avis, Chaz recounts his winding journey to Mopar ownership with the kind of enthusiasm that’s instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever fallen in love with American muscle.
“I kind of got into the car scene since I was a kid,” Chaz explains, “My father worked in a junkyard for most of his life. He actually built a car in our living room. The engine was the coffee table for a long time.” He pauses, slightly smiling. “That did not go over very well with my mother.”
Despite growing up around cars, Chaz’s mechanical experience initially focused elsewhere. “I actually had a passion for small engines – ATVs, motors. I used to own a shop in Texas building and restoring everything but cars.” After relocating to North Carolina, Chaz decided to “level up” and dive into automotive projects.
More than a few projects suffered from the dreaded start… stop… Never Start Again syndrome. His first attempt never materialized into the project he imagined. Attempt two “went to a shop and never left.” Then came attempt three, purchased eight hours away from their home in North Carolina. The car came home and “I went ahead and stripped one of the nuts on the intake,” Chaz admits, wincing slightly at the memory. “It happened to be one of the nuts the oil flows through.” After spending “more money than I ever wanted to spend” getting it fixed, the car sat in his yard for three years – running and driving, but far from road-worthy.
Eventually, frustration won. “You know when you hit that point when you’re so frustrated you just want to move on? That’s where we were.” That’s when Chaz and Avis visited Streetside Classics in Charlotte, North Carolina, and first laid eyes on what would become their pride and joy: a 1970 Plymouth GTX. “It was not the car that I was intending to buy,” Chaz confesses. “I was originally going to buy a ’70 Charger. But looking at it and then hearing that car start, it was an instant no-brainer.”
The GTX boasts a 440 engine topped with a Holley 750 carburetor. While Chaz didn’t build the car himself, he learned its remarkable history through “a massive box of receipts” that documented its journey. The previous owner purchased the GTX in the early 2000s for around $7,000. The previous owner invested considerable funds in restoration work.
In 2019, the story takes a dramatic turn. “The car was T-boned, passenger side,” Chaz explains. After the relatively minor accident, the owner’s “hands-on” approach changed completely. “The receipts tell the story of how he went from doing all the work himself to putting the GTX in the hands of professionals. This started a complete restoration process. The chassis was dipped and placed on a rotisserie; everything was either reworked to perfection or replaced. A new driveline was built. Nothing went untouched!
The result? A 600+ horsepower monster now sits in the McMahons’ garage. It’s a car that Chaz still seems in awe of. “I have never driven a car more powerful than this,” he says, eyes widening. “I put my foot to the floor, and it just makes me smile!”
But what’s most striking about the conversation isn’t the horsepower figures or restoration details – it’s when Avis chimes in about what the GTX means beyond its mechanical specifications.
“People who don’t ‘car’ aren’t gonna buy something like that,” she says. “So when other people hear about our car, they automatically know we’re car people, and they want to know who we are, and we want to know who they are. That’s how we’ve made some of our best friends.”
Chaz nods in agreement. “There’s something about Mopar roots. You form a family.”
In fact, the couple started their own club back in North Carolina before moving and joining the Birmingham Mopar Owners Club (BMOC). Despite the distance, Avis says those connections remain strong. “We are still family with them. Even though we’re miles away, they’re still family.”
That sentiment – the unifying power of shared passion – seems to resonate deeply. In a world increasingly divided, there’s something profoundly moving about how a 1970 Plymouth GTX with a thunderous 440 can bring people together across generations and geographies, creating bonds that transcend the machinery itself.
For the McMahons, their GTX represents more than just American muscle. When asked what the car means to them, Chaz’s answer is immediate and heartfelt: “Friendship and family.” Nothing more needs to be said.
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