Steve,
Excellent fan coverage of the new destination! Got the
impression you enjoyed the time there! :}
I have already forwarded your report to a friend who had
asked me about the museum earlier tonite.
Brian
"Steven M. Charette" wrote:
>
> Hi All,
> Just a quick note... after reading Wayne's reminder on Monday night that
> the Walter P. Chrysler Museum was opening today, I could think of nothing
> else but how to get there on opening day!
> By about 1 o'clock, I had most of the "fires" put out, fired up the Ram
> and pointed it towards Detroit. Arriving a little after 2, I was amazed to
> find the parking lot 3/4 empty... surely I had mis-read or mis-understood the
> date... nobody's here! No news media, not the crush of employees and
> devotees I had been certain I'd have jostled elbows with to see the displays.
> I felt bad for all the folks that worked so hard to put the Museum together,
> that the opening day was not better attended. My sadness quickly faded once
> I entered the building.
> The museum is absolutely beautiful. A large, slowly rotating display
> with a turbine car, a '41 Thunderbolt, and a Viper concept car is the
> centerpiece of the display. It is surrounded on both the first and second
> floors by an incredible collection of the most beautiful cars ever produced.
> After paying my admission, and chit-chatting with the employees and
> volunteers, I began walking the displays. Our friends at Chrysler really
> pulled out all the stops creating multi-media displays and kiosks detailing
> the early days of Walter P. (hey, he worked at Buick too! Maybe there is
> hope for me yet!), and how quickly the company grew. There is a marvelous
> display - kind of a sideways family tree / chronological sequence of events
> showing how all the companies came together to form the Corporation that we
> know today. More kiosks and interactive displays showing the technological
> innovations that Chrysler is known (well, by us, anyway) for. And more
> gorgeous cars.
> A quick trip up the stairs, and more cars. A '57 Imperial, a '61 (or was
> it a '62?) Valiant, a '70 340 Six-Pack Challenger... hey, what's this... a
> '57 Chrysler dash? Push the lighted drive button and you're treated to a
> short film showing the innovations of the '50's cars!!! Pushbuttons, Hemis,
> LaFemme, the works. I turn around and what to my wonderous eyes should
> appear? A shiny new '56 Dodge! Just to the left, a cool drum shaped gizmo
> that allows you to overly a picture of a basic '57 Plymouth with the trim
> revisions up through 1960. Wide eyed, I slowly drifted by the C-300 (oh,
> sorry kid..). More video kiosks... I'm in heaven ("sir, please don't drool
> on the cars"). Computerized video shows that allow you to pick specific
> years, then slide back and forth in time.... I gather myself and head for
> "The Garage".
> I'm told by a staffer that the basement of the building was originally
> intended to hold the restoration shop. After preliminary layouts of the
> building were complete, it was thought that there were not enough cars on
> display. The decision was made to show more in the basement. As the
> elevator descended, I had no idea that the best was to come....
> I exited the elevator and was greeted by the smiling face of... a shiny
> red 300G!
> Just to the right, a white 300C! The "Color Me Gone" '64 Dodge of Roger
> Lindamood (I'll elaborate on the history of this particular car for those
> interested... let me know). a '57 Fury that I'm told once belonged to the
> Frahms of Frankenmuth, Michigan... I'm told that they live just a few miles
> from my home but I've never met the man! A Hemi Cuda, a "Who's-Who" of Dodge
> pickups, an AMX, a Nash Metropolitan... I could spend the rest of the night
> remembering the amazing cars....
> A video back by the elevator detailing the development of the Hemi engine
> held me captivated... an engineer was describing the feeling you get when you
> start an engine you've built for the first time... he said "it's as close to
> childbirth as a man can get" and "you can't help but feel a swelling of pride
> the first time the engine roars to life". Amen, brother.
> I realized I'd been wandering for 2 hours, and that I still had a 2-3
> hour trip home in rush hour traffic. I said my good-byes to the friendly
> staff, made a few purchases in the giftshop (bring your checkbook or plenty
> of plastic..) and headed back north. I was glad to see the parking lot
> filling....
>
> In closing, I must first apologize for ranting on, but even at this late
> hour I still have the same feeling I had on Christmas morning when I was
> little. If you are ever within a few hours of Detroit, make plans to get to
> Auburn Hills and see this Museum. If you're a Chrysler fan, and this place
> doesn't turn you on, you don't have any switches!!!
>
> Yee Hah - What a Day!!!
> Steve Charette
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