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WHAT CAN<br />
YOU HEMI?<br />
At the <strong>Chrysler</strong> Group, car shows put passion on parade<br />
Our Fans<br />
Older workers built the<br />
past, but new workers<br />
build the future.” That’s<br />
how one retired <strong>Chrysler</strong><br />
Group employee responded when<br />
asked about the Wild Wheels@Work<br />
car show. Across the country, <strong>com</strong>panyor<br />
<strong>UAW</strong>-sponsored events like Wild<br />
Wheels@Work bring the connection<br />
between the vintage vehicles of the past<br />
and the innovations of the future to life.<br />
Now in its eighth year, the show<br />
attracts thousands to Daimler<strong>Chrysler</strong><br />
headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. At<br />
the show last July, visitors were impressed<br />
by six creations inspired by a <strong>com</strong>panysponsored<br />
<strong>com</strong>petition — What Can<br />
You Hemi? — that asked enthusiasts to<br />
submit plans for imaginative contraptions<br />
powered by the Hemi V-8. Marcus<br />
Braun of Vancouver, B.C., won with his<br />
Hemi-powered tricycle, which was displayed<br />
along with a Hemi Zamboni,<br />
Hemi paper shredder, Hemi snowblower,<br />
“Hemi-go-round” and the Daimler-<br />
<strong>Chrysler</strong> Hemi “Grille” that handled<br />
240 hot dogs at a time.<br />
Show participation is open to <strong>Chrysler</strong><br />
Group workers and retirees, and the<br />
2005 gathering drew more than 350<br />
vehicles — the most ever. An area was<br />
dedicated to the Charger, including vintage<br />
Chargers, the current Daytona R/T,<br />
the Charger SRT8, police-package Chargers<br />
and a brace of Nextel Cup Chargers.<br />
“Because the show is employee<br />
driven, it’s huge,” says Kathy Giles,<br />
Wild Wheels @ Work coordinator. Andy<br />
Slifco, an electrician and <strong>UAW</strong> 412<br />
member, showed off his 1970 Dodge<br />
Challenger RTSE. “It’s obvious there’s<br />
a lot of emotion at the show,” he says.<br />
“A lot of people <strong>com</strong>e to work and<br />
work on cars, then go home and work<br />
on them. It’s in their blood.”<br />
The 20,000 attendees of the 16th<br />
annual Kokomo Cruz-In in Kokomo,<br />
Ind., showed their love of vehicles too.<br />
Hosted by the Kokomo Transmission<br />
Plant, with support from <strong>UAW</strong> Locals<br />
685, 1166 and 1302, the 2005 Cruz-In<br />
was open to <strong>com</strong>pany and non<strong>com</strong>pany<br />
viewers. Some 700 vehicles were<br />
on display, showcasing American automakers<br />
from 1916 to the present. Proceeds<br />
benefited needy children.<br />
Vintage horsepower was the draw at<br />
last year’s <strong>Chrysler</strong> Employee Motorsport<br />
Association (CEMA) Charity Car<br />
Top: Vintage beauties at<br />
the 2005 CEMA show;<br />
Bottom: Hemi trike at the<br />
2005 Wild Wheels@Work.<br />
Show, which benefited the Children’s<br />
Leukemia Foundation and took place<br />
on the grounds of the Walter P. <strong>Chrysler</strong><br />
Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich. (see<br />
story on page 17). Car buffs watched<br />
Hemi engine father Tom Hoover fire up<br />
the vintage Hemi 392 V-8 in the High &<br />
Mighty II, a re-creation of the legendary<br />
1949 Plymouth Business Coupe dragster<br />
that won the 1959 National Hot<br />
Rod Association championship. The<br />
<strong>2006</strong> event, on June 10, celebrates the<br />
40th anniversary of the Charger. CEMA<br />
gatherings are another chance for workers<br />
to share both their passion for cars<br />
and their pride in <strong>Chrysler</strong>’s legacy of<br />
engineering innovation. ■ — Eric Tegler<br />
TOMORROW SPECIAL RACING <strong>2006</strong> 9
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