2002 Chrysler Sebring Lx Convertible 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Mopar celebrates 50 years of the 426 Hemi

Think of Chrysler performance and the names Mopar and Hemi are bound to come to mind. Chrysler and its Mopar performance parts division first introduced the original Hemi (so named for its hemispherical combustion chambers) back in 1951, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011. But it was thirteen years later - 50 years ago - that the Pentastar automaker rolled out the most iconic Hemi of them all: the Gen II 426.
The massive 7.0-liter V8 engine instantly became a muscle car icon and went on to become a favorite of racecar constructors. Two competition versions of the Gen II 426 Hemi were made: one for the track and one for the drag strip, and both went on to illustrious strings of victories. The race engine first debuted at the 1964 Daytona 500 where it powered Richard Petty's Plymouth to the checkered flag and on to the NASCAR championship.
Meanwhile on the drag strip, the Gen II 426 Race Hemi propelled Don Garlits past 200 miles per hour and down the quarter-mile in 7.78 seconds. Changes in NASCAR regulations meant that Chrysler devoted the engine to NHRA drag racing, and to this day the Gen II 426 Race Hemi is still used in Funny Car and Top Fuel dragsters.

Chrysler and Google launch virtual 200 factory tour [w/video]

Google is no stranger to showing off some of the most interesting automotive destinations in the world, like the museums for Lamborghini and Ducati, or even a Tesla showroom. However, it's taking that technology even further with a new, in-depth look of the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant where the Chrysler 200 is made. Unlike these earlier online excursions, the new Chrysler factory tour is a fully guided experience that includes several 360-degree videos explaining many parts of the production process.
"Just as we pioneered a completely new Chrysler 200, we are pioneering a new way for consumers to research a vehicle. The Factory Tour is an opportunity for us to prove to consumers that the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 is not one ever built before," said Olivier Francois, Chrysler's chief marketing officer, in the company's release.
Chrysler was already pretty proud of its nearly $1 billion in recent updates to the Sterling Heights factory having released a look at the 200's assembly process earlier this year. However, the new Google tour goes far deeper by including 12 videos, and between highlighted stops, viewers can swing the camera all over to get a full view of the action. The whole thing is an intriguing way to show the way a modern car gets built.

Chrysler honors Arsenal of Democracy's 75th anniversary

The Allied victory in World War II wouldn't have been possible without the Arsenal of Democracy. This phrase, originally coined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 75 years ago today, described the war-time transformation of US manufacturing, especially the auto industry, to produce tanks and planes instead of cars and trucks. One of the earliest purpose-built facilities was the Albert Kahn-designed Detroit Arsenal, located in suburban Warren, MI, literally across the street from the future site of the General Motors Technical Center. Built by Uncle Sam, the plant churned out M3 Grant and M4 Sherman tanks with frightening speed, but it wouldn't have been possible without Chrysler. The company (which is ironically now allied to a former supplier of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy) operated the plant and applied automotive mass-production techniques to producing the government-designed tanks. The plant was so successful, according to Fiat Chrysler historian Brandt Rosenbusch, that it singlehandedly outpaced the entire Third Reich's tank production by 5,000 units over the course of the war. The Detroit Arsenal was also responsible for a quarter of all American tank production during the war. And like so many wartime factories, women formed a large percentage of the workforce, as men were drafted out of assembly work and into the armed forces. Chrysler has commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Arsenal of Democracy speech with a video on the Detroit Arsenal and its role there. And as for the site today? It built tanks up until 1997, and still serves as the home of the US Army's TACOM (Tank-automotive and Armaments Command) Life Cycle Management Command, a major site for tank research and development. News Source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles via YouTube Chrysler Military Classics Videos FCA warren