Community | June 02 2014

WPC Museum again opens for annual charity car show

 

Cars. Community. Chrysler museum.

It’s a combination that drew more than 400 cars and about 2,500 people last year to the annual Chrysler Employee Motorsport Association Charity Car Show.

This year, the 25th annual CEMA Charity Car Show is slated for Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and could be even better.

Of course, there will be plenty of cars from throughout Chrysler Group’s present and past, plus other non-Chrysler cars. It’s a great opportunity to talk to the owners and ask about the story that you just know exists behind each car, truck and SUV on display.

And, like last year, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum will open its doors to the public. There will be no charge to walk through history, but the museum will accept donations for the show’s two benefiting charities.

New for this year will be a special emphasis on two very special milestones:

The show’s theme is the 100th Anniversary of Dodge, and it is also highlighting the 50th Anniversary of the 426 HEMI engine.

Two presentations will occur inside the museum. Starting at 9:30 a.m., members of the Chrysler Design Office will present “Birth of a Car.” They will highlight the early sketches and inspirations leading to the new 2015 Jeep Renegade and 2015 Chrysler 200.

The feature presentation of the show relates to the 50th Anniversary of the 426 HEMI. At 11:30 a.m., John Wehrly will talk about the “426 HEMI, the Early Years.” Wehrly is the retired engineering manager for the 426 HEMI and Dodge Motorsports.

Both talks will take place in the museum, with plenty of time for Q&A after each presentation.

The charities benefiting from this year’s CEMA car show are Leader Dogs for the Blind and Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers.

For our part, we’ll be at the CEMA car show, with live tweets, Instagram images and Facebook updates. So, if you can’t make it to the Chrysler Museum in person, join us online.

Images: Scenes from the 2013 CEMA Charity Car Show.