Our city just hosted the first GRAND PRIX OF ARLINGTON a few weeks ago.
A resounding success by any measure and another identifier of Arlington as a “motor city” building on a reputation that dates to the early 1900s with the Bankhead Highway, the original Vandergriff dealerships, and the 1954 opening of the GM assembly plant.
There is a new tradition building in Arlington that will return for the fifth year on Saturday, June 6th: the DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW.
A lot of people are connected to cars for nostalgia and excitement reasons.
Meet Loren White, who is also connected to the “old car” hobby for a slightly different reason.
He is a born mechanical wizard with natural skills and confidence to restore cars like his “traffic-stopping” 1972 Dodge Charger, winner of the Mayor’s Choice Trophy at last year’s Downtown Car Show.
In 1975, this high school junior got his first freedom machine, a $150, 1967 Pontiac that was supposed to satisfy his youthful enthusiasm for cars. Five years later, he found his dream car, a 1972 Dodge Charger SE that was only $800 and in desperate need of a new home. His natural ability … “I think I was born with a golden wrench in my hand” … combined with the energy and optimism of youth, ignited his ambitious plan to do a complete restoration. That was the beginning of a 43-year, on-again, off-again project to turn a very “tired” car into a consistent award winner that also gets driven regularly.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Loren moved to Detroit after high school and went to work assembling Fords for five years. He became an ASE Certified Technician working on cars of all descriptions for 10 years. Then he returned to school at ATI Aircraft Institute to enhance his skills and pursue greater opportunities in the complex aviation industry. He moved to Texas, living in Houston, then Vernon, and arriving in Arlington in 1989. Loren found rewarding positions at Lockheed and Collins Aerospace … supervising the quality of others’ work, and anxious to get back to bending wrenches on the Charger project that had to wait on family and career. The car was under a cover between 1994 and 2010!
Anxious and finally focused on the Charger project, Loren disassembled everything and shipped the hollow body shell to a specialist to make it new again. He used his individual skills to rebuild all the “mechanicals,” including the 340 CI, 425 HP V8 engine, the Torqueflite automatic transmission, installed 4-wheel disc brakes, all new suspension, plus a wide array of performance parts to make this beast as fast as it looks! The body rebuild was completed in 2021, Loren mounted it to the chassis, and had it painted brilliant Rally Red in 2023. Keep in mind that all the interior, instrument panel … that Loren modified to include a stunning gauge cluster … air conditioning … everything … was either restored or rebuilt.
Loren can add Dodge Charger Expert to his credentials list. Learning almost every detail about how special this car is … one of only 137 built with the “SE” designation, one year only with the unique “vents” on the leading-edge of the doors. His modifications have made it one-of-a-kind, plus as reliable and drivable as a modern car. Hard to believe that this car is over half a century old! A recognized antique by the Antique Automobile Club of America, it looks like a rocket!
And she is not a trailer queen. Loren makes the time to drive and share the car with others. He is a lucky guy. His wife, Denise, loves any opportunity to get out in their Rally Red Charger that sounds almost as good as it looks. Denise: “ We meet the most wonderful people. The car is a magnet, and we truly enjoy sharing it with others.”
The car was finally completed in June 2023, and Loren retired in 2025. A 50-year journey since that first $150 car in 1975. Forty-six of those years were spent building a wonderful life of family, faith, and working on a car project.
But like most guys with special cars, their projects are never complete. Making it better is Loren’s hobby. Constantly upgrading and fine-tuning. The hard and greasy work is over.
And, like that gold wrench he was born with … Loren has built a collection of 24K gold-plated tools … perfect for working on an award-winning car. Come see it at the Downtown Show in June!
