For Packer fans, it’s a trip to Lambeau. For NASCAR lovers, it’s Daytona. For Mopar nuts, it’s the Walter P Chrysler Museum; the holy grail of all things Mopar. Located on the Auburn Hills campus with Chrysler headquarters, the museum is a one stop shop for those that love the Pentastar to see a lot of the valuable history and making of what is today, Chrysler LLC.
Like any good car museum, this one showcases the history of the people that have made Chrysler what it is, but when it’s all said and done it’s still all about the cars. At ground level are two Chrysler concept cars, the Viper based Firepower and the 1941 Chrysler Newport, famous for being one of the first two concept cars Chrysler ever built.
Nearby are the Chrysler Thunderbolt, the Dodge Razor, the original Plymouth Prowler concept. All vehicles are in perfect condition, of course. You’ll also find a few other cars important in the history of Chrysler including some AMC cars, a Lee Iaccoca’s money maker, the K-car.
Perhaps the best stuff though is downstairs in Walter’s Garage. There you’ll find a Dodge Daytona with the nose and wing, Lindamood’s Color Me Gone drag car, a HEMI ’Cuda, a Challenger T/A, and a Hudson Hornet from NASCAR’s early days that became the basis of “Doc Hudson” in the Pixar movie, Cars. There are also plenty of famous Mopar motors on display including a few 340 Six-Packs, 440 “Wedge” motors, and even an aluminum block Slant-Six!