Walter P. Chrysler Museum to Sponsor Pre-Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Excursion

Revel in summer’s splendor with the Pre-Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Excursion, 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday, June 3, sponsored by the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.

The morning into evening event features a scenic four-stop daytime tour followed by a nighttime reception. The excursion is open to auto enthusiasts with vehicles of all makes and models.

The Pre-Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Excursion travels to:

8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum – Start the day with continental breakfast at the world’s last Hudson dealership. Step back in time with dozens of vehicles and original Hudson memorabilia dating back to 1927.
• Rivertech, Ypsilanti – Stroll through this former manufacturing plant that discretely houses more than 75 domestic and foreign sports and collector cars ranging from the Brass Era to current models. Talk with the vehicles’ owners about ongoing repair and restoration projects.
• The Weaver Collection, Lodi Township – Explore the private vintage collections Howard and Norma Weaver maintain on their 15-acre, beautifully landscaped homestead. Stroll with the couple among 30+ vehicles – ranging from their first acquisition, a 1931 DeSoto, to their most recent, a 1957 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer – as well as their collection of signs and other memorabilia. Enjoy a picnic lunch and take in the manmade pond that graces the grounds.
• Yesterday’s Collection, Ann Arbor – Cool down with an ice cream treat from the quaint Dairy Bar while exploring 9,000 square feet of classic cars, original gas pumps, die cast models and automotive books and antique signs, as well as Betty Boop and Coke® collectibles.
6 – 8 p.m.
• Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum – Following a late afternoon break, return to the museum for a hearty hors d’oeuvre and cash bar reception and an entertaining presentation by Car and Driver Executive Editor Tony Swan.
Convenient parking is available at all stops and a suggested route of paved roads between destinations will be provided. Tour participants will travel in a scenic caravan.

Cost for the Pre-Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Excursion, payable at registration by May 26, is $40 per person for the full day event, $25 per person for the daytime tour only and $25 for the evening reception only.

To register via phone (734-482-5200) or e-mail (hudsondealer@ypsiautoheritage.org ), provide:
• Driver’s name, street and e-mail addresses, telephone number and make and model of vehicle.
• MasterCard or VISA number, account owner's name and expiration date.
Registration by check, made payable to the Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show, is accepted at Pre-Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Excursion, 100 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti, MI 48198.

The Saturday driving excursion precedes the 10th annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show Sunday, June 4, in the city’s downtown Riverside Park. The show is sponsored by the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. To register a vehicle and for additional show details visit www.ypsiautoheritage.org or call 734-482-5200.

For more on the three-story, 55,000 square foot Walter P. Chrysler Museum, located on the Chrysler complex in Auburn Hills, Mich., visit www.chryslerheritage.com or call 888-456-1924.

The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is located at 100 E. Cross St (at River St.) in Ypsilanti. From I-94, take exit 183 (Huron St.) north to Cross St.

Walter P. Chrysler Museum to Host Caravan to Annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show, June 4

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is hosting a caravan for auto enthusiasts from the Auburn Hills Museum to the Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show in downtown Riverside Park Sunday, June 4.

The journey begins at 8 a.m. with a complimentary continental breakfast and self-guided tours of the Museum’s three stories featuring vehicles bearing the Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep®, DeSoto, Nash, Hudson, Rambler and Willys marques.

Participants will embark on a leisurely, scenic drive to Ypsilanti’s picturesque Riverside Park to view more than 400 remarkable vehicles on display at the Orphan Car Show. A suggested route of paved roads will be provided and reserved parking will be available at the show.

The Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show features factory stock, un-modified cars, trucks and motorcycles that have been out of production at least seven years. The 10th annual event spotlights foreign built vehicles. For additional show details, visit www.ypsiautoheritage.org.

Admission is $5 per person to view the show with proceeds benefiting the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is the show sponsor.

For information, or to RSVP for the complimentary Walter P. Chrysler Museum breakfast and Orphan Car Show caravan, call 248-944-0450 or e-mail cdb7@daimlerchrysler.com.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is located at the corner of Featherstone and Squirrel Roads on the Chrysler complex in Auburn Hills. From I-75, take exit 78 (Chrysler Dr.) and follow the Museum signs.

Hot Rods and Cool Mods

October 8, 2005 – August 20, 2006

Hot Rods and Cool Mods spotlights more than two dozen exquisitely crafted, exotic vehicles – spanning 70 years – that showcase the past, present and future of the customization hobby.  This collection of hot rods, rat rods, resto-rods, tuners and blinged vehicles salutes the Chrysler designs that have inspired enthusiast personalization, as well as the creativity of MOPAR® enthusiasts and the many ways they’ve enhanced their vehicles over the years.
 
Hot Rods and Cool Mods is the Museum’s most ambitious special exhibition to date, including several vehicle changes mid-year.  Bold, colorful graphics and large, dramatic photographs of enthusiasts working on their vehicles create an energetically artistic backdrop befitting the collection.

Hot Rods and Cool Mods
Past, Present and Future

From the automobile’s earliest hours, buyers sought ways to personalize their cars -- first through simple accessorizing, eventually through full-scale customization involving parts swapping and sheet metal, paint and interior modifications. The hot rod phenomenon of the post-World War Two era created a culture of its own, symbolizing the American thirst for speed, self-expression and the desire to be going somewhere else, preferably in a hurry.

As this exhibition of Chrysler-based rods and mods reflects, the artform has progressed from fundamental conversions of ancient iron (“rat rods”) to sophisticated, electronically-upgraded interpretations of today’s cars (“tuners”), each marking an era in the evolution of technology, trends, values and lifestyles. Hot Rods and Cool Mods salutes the Chrysler designs that have inspired enthusiast personalization, as well as the creativity of MOPAR® enthusiasts and the many ways they’ve enhanced their vehicles over the years. Whether rodded, customized, tuned, or blinged, these are cars with street credibility, loved for what they were — and what they’ve become.

"Cruise Nights" at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum

Take one part exuberant enthusiasts, add the lovely landscape of an automotive gem and blend in summer's balmy breezes and it's Cruise Nights at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills.

The Museum is welcoming cruisers with all makes and models 6 – 9 p.m. Thursdays June 8 and 29, July 13 and 27 and Aug. 10 and 24.

Located on the Chrysler complex, Cruise Nights at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum will offer:

• Spacious parking for hundreds of vehicles with space for proud owners to kick back and relax
• A disc jockey adding a musical flair to the festivities
• Food and beverages for purchase

Cruisers will also receive free admission to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum and its special exhibition, Hot Rods and Cool Mods, a collection of more than two dozen exquisitely crafted, exotic vehicles that showcase the past, present and future of the customization hobby.

Cruisers can visit the Gift Shop for hard-to-find collectibles including scale vehicle models, clothing, books, posters, toys, DVDs and more. The Gift Shop also showcases the Chrysler Design Gallery, an exclusive line of detailed models replicating vehicles in the Museum collection and art prints and vehicle sculptures by the Chrysler Group Design Office.

On Thursday, July 13, the WCSX Classic Rock Cruisers Car Club will join Cruise Nights at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Highlights of the evening include an appearance by a WCSX air personality and WCSX Show and Shine awards as well as other station prizes. The JJ & Lynne Stone Soup Roadrunner will be on display.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is located approximately 30 miles north of downtown Detroit. From I-75, take exit 78 (Chrysler Drive) and follow the Museum signs to the intersection of Featherstone and Squirrel roads, at the southeast corner of the complex.

For information call (248) 944-0450.