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This is part three of a three-part series featuring prominent DaimlerChrysler venues in the Motor City.
Our three-facilities-in-three-days visit to Detroit culminated in what is perhaps DaimlerChrysler’s finest contribution to automotive enthusiasts to date: The Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Following is a summary of our journey through this wonderfully conceptualized, state-of-the-art museum.
After two consecutive days of touring some of DaimlerChrysler’s finest assembly facilities, it is only fitting that we found ourselves at the new 55,000 square-foot Walter P. Chrysler Museum, in the shadow of the monstrous DaimlerChrysler North American Headquarters complex. Besides, having been exposed to modern-day pentastar operations, we were now eager to experience some Mopar history.
A giant roll of steel stands proudly in front of the museum, symbolizing the automobile in its most basic beginnings, and serving as an exclamation that you are in the automotive capital of the world. The facility is currently the only full-fledged museum wholly maintained by an active North American automaker. Upon entering the two-story glass atrium of the shimmering red granite and mirrored glass building, it is obvious to us that the design and layout were meticulously planned, and no expense spared. Just as carefully chosen to represent Chrysler’s heritage are the 70-plus cars on display, as we were about to discover.
At the museum’s entrance is a rotating tower featuring three of Chrysler’s boldest design efforts, a 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt show car, a 1963 Chrysler Turbine car (one of two shown by the museum), and the original 1989 Dodge Viper concept vehicle. The tower rotates at 2.4 revolutions per hour, propelled by a three-gear-down electric motor. Below the tower, visitors are treated to a series of video clips starring satisfied customers, employees, and some celebrities, each sharing experiences with and giving testimonials of Chrysler products.
Inside, the whole Chrysler story is marvelously played out, through a pleasing array of visual aids, from life-sized dioramas to colorful, informative time-line charts outlining the Chrysler chronology, to displays describing the many innovations Chrysler brought to the industry, to, of course, the stars of the museum themselves—the cars. Mr. Chrysler himself is depicted several times in various stages of his car-making career, sufficiently putting you on a more personal level with the legend and his empire.




Each of the three levels of the museum has its own flavor. On the ground floor is an impressive display of mainly pre-WWII Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Imperial, and DeSoto automobiles, giving you a taste of the equally impressive number of companies that has come together over the years to form the Chrysler Corporation.



Upstairs you find a collection of beautifully-preserved post-war vehicles, including dioramas featuring a 1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer decorating a driveway in “Suburbia, U.S.A.,” and a 1943 Willys-Overland Jeep waiting for duty, while soldiers study a map, on a city street in war-ravaged Europe. In fact, several fine examples of the big, luxurious Chryslers of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s are displayed here, as well as a section dedicated to, of all things, the Chrysler K-platform and the minivan. These vehicles, while hardly awe-inspiring, were nonetheless instrumental to Chrysler’s recovery from near-bankruptcy in the late ‘70’s, and the museum did a fine job in creating an interesting and informative tribute to such a unlikely success story.



Also found upstairs are several interactive stations wherein participants can design a new vehicle and obtain feedback on their choice of components, and learn about Chrysler innovations. Nearby, a 125-seat theater runs short features on Mr. Chrysler himself and the Dodge Brothers, the DaimlerChrysler North American Headquarters and new vehicle development, and Chrysler’s contribution to the muscle car era.















Speaking of the muscle car era, the basement, also known as “Boss Chrysler’s Garage”, displays an impressive collection of muscle at its center, with the Roger Lindamood-driven “Color Me Gone” 1964 Super Stock Dodge as it’s centerpiece. The vehicles surrounding it contain enough displacement to rattle the foundation of any building. The list includes:

A 1953 Hudson Hornet featuring “twin-H carbs”
A 1957 Chrysler 300C with a 392 Hemi
A 1957 Plymouth Fury hardtop with a 318 big block
A 1969 Plymouth Road Runner with a 440 six-pack
A 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda
A 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
A 1978 Dodge Lil’ Red Express Truck
A 1992 Chrysler LeBaron Modified Drag Car
Dave Strickler’s fuel-injected, altered-wheelbase 1965 A/FX Dodge

Such a display of Mopar muscle speaks volumes of DaimlerChrysler’s rich racing heritage, and showcasing them in the museum’s basement was ingenious; it makes you feel as if you are viewing a truly special, secret collection.

Plus, while you are downstairs, you can learn the story of Room 13. In one corner of the basement is a 426 Hemi displayed on an engine stand, hooked up to a dynamometer, next to a kiosk playing a film about “Room 13”, a place where virtually all of the high performance Mopar engines were born. Room 13 was a famous test cell in Chrysler’s engine laboratory, which was located at the old headquarters complex in Highland Park, Michigan. Room 13 contained a dynamometer that could handle 600 horsepower and 10,000 RPM. The short film begins by describing Chrysler cars of the ‘50’s as being big and luxurious, but underpowered for the most part, as Chrysler’s focus was on family appeal, not performance. By 1961, then-President Lynn Townsend vowed to change that image. Rumor was that his son was kidded at school that Chrysler products were “stodgy”, and he challenged his dad. The rest, as they say, is history.

On the other side of the basement is a mixture of marques that wound up under the Pentastar, including Nash, AMC, and Willys, and a brief history of Dodge trucks featuring several well-restored examples from the ‘20’s to the ‘60’s.


The museum also houses part of the DaimlerChrysler Corporate Historical Collection. These archives of automotive marketing documents and specification material are available to automotive enthusiasts looking for some history on their favorite Mopar. A large gift shop is a great place for shoppers of automobilia and souvenirs to stop before they leave.
The DaimlerChrysler North American Headquarters is located in Auburn Hills, a suburb about 30 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. From Detroit, take I-75 to exit 78, then follow the signs around the complex to the museum, near the intersection of Squirrel and Featherstone Roads. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For further information, call 888-456-1924 from the U.S., or 248-944-0001 internationally, or visit the museum website at www.chryslerheritage.com (need a hot link from the resto review page).
The Year One crew would like to extend our special thanks to Mr. Barry Dressel, museum manager, and all the museum staff, who helped make this memorable tour possible. Should your travels find you in Motown in the foreseeable future, be sure to reserve a few hours for the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Even if you’re not a Mopar fan, it’s an automotive enthusiast’s paradise!