OVERVIEW:
Mopar Muscle was published by Dobbs Publishing in Lakeland, Florida. Dobbs was a smaller independent publisher
that started with
Mustang Monthly in 1978 and built a strong portfolio of other muscle car and performance titles. This and
other titles were sold to Petersen Publishing in 1998 as part of a larger transaction.
Mopar Muscle had a slow start with publishing in 1988 and 1989. It was then a quarterly magazine in 1990 and went to a six times per year schedule in 1991. About a dozen or so other muscle car-focused magazines launched in the 1983 to 1988 timeframe, and Mopar Muscle followed a similar strategy with a focus on muscle car history, performance tuning, reproduction parts and restoration tips.
The table of contents, if available, can be seen by clicking on the 
icon.
OWNERSHIP:
Dobbs Publishing sold the company to Petersen Publishing in April 1998. In December of the same year, the title was sold, along with numerous other titles,
to EMAP-PLC to become EMAP-Petersen. The editors and staff went through multiple changes as the title moved through
various new owners:
- 2001 -- EMAP PLC sells its American magazine titles to Primedia for $515 million;
- 2007 -- Primedia sells its Enthusiast Media division, which included this title, to Source Interlink Media for $1.2 billion;
- 2014 -- Source Interlink rebrands to TEN: The Enthusiast Network;
- 2018 -- The Enthusiast Network is restructured into the Motor Trend Group, and the following year numerous titles are ended including Mopar Muscle.
PUBLICATION DATA:
The publisher provided net paid circulation data to The Standard Periodical Directory in 1988 through 2005 (the last
year for which we have data). Annual print production grew from 90,400 to 140,300.
CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
A total of 322 issues was printed from April, 1988 until March, 2020. All cover images are complete.
INTERNET:
An internet presence was created and the URL referenced on the front covers starting in June, 2001. The site is now defunct:
www.moparmusclemagazine.com.