Walter P. Chrysler Museum's 'Dodge Legends' Exhibit Celebrates the All-New Charger's Bold Heritage
21 Avril 2005 - 6:08PM
PR Newswire (US)
Walter P. Chrysler Museum's 'Dodge Legends' Exhibit Celebrates the
All-New Charger's Bold Heritage AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 21
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The bold automotive heritage that was
launched with the Dodge Brothers first touring car in 1915, and
lives on in the all-new 2006 Dodge Charger, is showcased in "Dodge
Legends," a special exhibition running May 24 - Aug. 21 at the
Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich. Celebrating more
than eight decades of automotive engineering and design excellence,
"Dodge Legends" features 19 significant vehicles that build on the
brand's early reputation for unprecedented dependability to also
embrace the tough, fast, powerful and street-smart image it revels
in today. These bold characteristics converge in the new 2006 Dodge
Charger. "Dodge Legends" heralds the introduction of the new
Charger, which provides exactly what performance enthusiasts want
in an American muscle sedan: more power, world-class ride and
handling, benchmark braking, functional and aggressive- looking
exterior enhancements and a race-inspired interior. Among the other
exhibition vehicles that spotlight Dodge heritage are: * 1996 Dodge
Viper GTS -- The original Viper roadster was tapped as the
Indianapolis 500 pace car in 1991. The introduction of the GTS
version resulted in a second pace car appearance just five years
later. * 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A -- In 1966 the Sports Car Club
of America created the Trans-American road racing series for
"production small sedans" and GM and Ford eagerly showcased their
"pony cars." With the debut of the Challenger, Dodge's first pony
car, and the third generation Barracuda, Chrysler also entered
Trans-Am racing. * 1968 Dodge Charger -- Completely restyled from
previous models, this Charger became known as the "Coke bottle"
design -- featuring a new roof line and hidden headlights. * 1956
Dodge Royal Lancer D-500 -- The D-500 was a pivotal car for Dodge,
and marked the brand's transition from conservative family vehicles
to absolute race-ready performance cars, making Dodge a serious
contender in NASCAR, forever transforming Dodge's image. * 1939
Dodge Town Coupe -- Dodge celebrated its 25th anniversary with the
introduction of this vehicle with all-new styling, evoking the
glamour of ocean travel by dubbing them "Luxury Liners." * 1929
Dodge Senior Six Roadster -- The first full year of Chrysler
Corporation ownership of Dodge Brothers resulted in the elevation
of the company's Senior models to a level of luxury not seen in any
previous Dodge vehicles. An important engineering feature of 1929
Dodge vehicles was the industry's first downdraft carburetion
system to enter mass production, creating higher horsepower and
easier starting. * 1915 Dodge Brothers Touring Car -- The oldest
car in the exhibition heralds the Dodge Brothers conversion from
the world's largest supplier of automobile parts to manufacturers
of their own car. It was met with such enthusiastic success that
the Dodge Brothers became the third largest manufacturer of cars in
their first full year of business. "Dodge Legends" also offers a
perspective of many aspects of Dodge lore and legend: * The Dodge
Brothers launched their car with an innovative advertising campaign
that became a classic. Legendary adman Theodore McManus simply
rented billboards across the country. On them first appeared the
words "Dodge Brothers." After time had elapsed, sign painters
returned to add "Motor Cars" as the next line. After another
curiosity-building interval they returned to add the final line:
"Dependable." The campaign brilliantly capitalized on the Dodges'
fame as suppliers of Model T mechanical parts, and generated
intense public interest. The cars backed it up. * The Dodge
Brothers never tried to sell cars based on top speed; their first
car "chugged' out of their plant in 1914 with an engine whose basic
design lasted until 1928. But they built a durable car and drive
train, and that made Dodge cars suitable for racing, especially
rough and tumble dirt track racing. By the 1920s Dodge vehicles --
some fitted with special 16-valve overhead cam cylinder heads sold
by makers of racing equipment -- were a familiar and successful
fixture on dirt tracks. * Dodge cars remained "dependable" and, by
extension, practical into the 1950s when American affluence made
"practical" obsolete in the U.S. market. Virgil Exner revamped
Dodge's fusty styling for 1954 and Dodge's version of Chrysler's
HEMI V-8 -- dubbed the "Red Ram" -- also became available. Dodge's
suddenly sporty image led to its first Indianapolis 500 pace car.
Soon Dodge was selling its own version of the Chrysler 300, the
D-500. From there NASCAR, drag racing and, ultimately, Vipers
running at LeMans, were part of the Dodge image. The 55,000 square
foot Walter P. Chrysler Museum is on DaimlerChrysler's Auburn
Hills, Mich. complex. The Museum offers three stories of more than
65 vintage, classic, muscle and concept vehicles interspersed with
interactive displays and historical exhibits. The Museum also
features a 125-seat movie theater highlighting three continuously
running short films and a gift shop brimming with exclusive and
hard-to-find scale models and collectibles. The Walter P. Chrysler
Museum is located at Featherstone and Squirrel Roads and is
accessible from I-75 at exit 78. Museum admission is $6 for adults
and $3 for seniors and children 6 - 12. Admission for children five
and younger is free and group rates are available. There is no
additional charge for "Dodge Legends." The Museum is open 10 a.m. -
6 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday and noon - 6 p.m. Sunday. Visit the
Museum's Web site at http://www.chryslerheritage.com/ or call
888-456-1924 for further information. DATASOURCE: Chrysler Group;
Walter P. Chrysler Museum CONTACT: Pat Adanti-Joy of Walter P.
Chrysler Museum, +1-586-939-3429, Web site:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/ http://www.chryslerheritage.com/
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