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
|
|
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network