News 12-10-99 Page 3

News of October 12, 1999

Page 3 of 4
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DaimlerChrysler Makes History with its History - Walter P. Chrysler Museum Opens to Public
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Walter_P__Chrysler_Museum

Photo: DaimerChrysler
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Auburn Hills, Mich., October 5, 1999 - Using its famed muscle cars, interactive exhibits and a head-turning concept car tower, DaimlerChrysler unveils its American heritage to the world today as it opens the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.

For the first time in its history, DaimlerChrysler gives visitors a vast picture of the people and products that make up its rich history. Vehicles from 1902 to 1998, an historical archive and research area and an automotive-themed gift shop are inside the three-story building. A 125-seat theatre completes the museum featuring three brief films: The Early Years: The Life and Times of Walter P. Chrysler; Speed And Power: Chrysler's Cars Burn Up Road And Track, Inside the Tech Center: Tour the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, the only full-fledged, on-site museum maintained by an active North American auto manufacturer, is located on DaimlerChrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, just off I-75. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays). Admission is $6 for adults, and $3 for seniors, children ages 6-12 and Chrysler retirees. DaimlerChrysler employees and children under 5 are free of charge. Annual memberships are available for $45.

Eaton_with_Chrysler's_Toolbox

Robert Eaton with Walter P. Chrysler's Toolbox

Photo:DaimlerChrysler

"The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is far more than the usual auto museum collection of antique and vintage vehicles and related artifacts," said Rita McKay, museum director. "It is an interactive, multi-dimensional tribute to a great company, its people and products, and to the visionary Kansas farm boy and self-made mechanic who founded the Chrysler Corporation in 1925."

The museum provides a colorful and interactive look at the life and times of Chrysler Corporation, its predecessor companies and its products -- from the 1920s through the historic merger that formed today's global DaimlerChrysler. The museum documents the numerous important contributions made by Chrysler to the development of the automobile as a vital part of American culture. With its red granite and black glass façade, the museum's exterior mirrors the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center next door. Even the glass pyramid over the museum's atrium mirrors the skylights that dot the technical center complex. The museum houses approximately 75 of the more than 130 vehicles in the Chrysler Historical Collection. All of the vehicles exhibited in the museum are in running condition.

In addition, the museum contains the first publicly accessible automotive archive in Detroit, allowing automotive enthusiasts to obtain information about classic Chrysler vehicles. The archive is part of the Chrysler Historical Collection, which was begun in 1965 as a way of documenting the history of the company.

Museum Highlights

As visitors enter the two-story atrium, three historically significant Chrysler vehicles slowly revolve at staggered heights on a 75-foot-high, stainless-steel pylon. The vehicles include a classic 1931 Chrysler experimental turbine car and the original Dodge Viper concept vehicle. Exhibited on the granite floor at the base of the tower are two of DaimlerChrysler's first earliest concept vehicles – the 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt and the twin-cockpit Chrysler Newport Phaeton.

Dodge_Viper

Photo: Automotive Intelligence

Dodge Viper presented on the Frankfurt International Motor Show, 1999

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