*Okay, this probably isn’t a final, final visit to the musuem. At least we hope not. But it is one last visit in the museum’s current state. Here’s a brief explanation and a large photo gallery.  

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan is not closing; it’s only closing to the public. That is, after this weekend the museum will no longer conduct regular viewing hours with paid admission. The museum will continue to operate in its current location, and there may well be opportunities for the general public to visit the facility and view the car collection—though that has yet to be determined or announced.

The story is complicated and this is not at all the official word, but in a nutshell: After some years of operation as an independent, not-for-profit entity, where it proved to be less than self-sustaining, the museum is now back in the Chrysler corporate fold.  The building and grounds, which have always been owned by Chrysler and were rented to the museum organization for a dollar a year, will revert to the company, while the collection of historic vehicles are now returned to the automaker as well.

Sources tell MCG on background that Chrysler will continue to use the museum to host corporate events such as conferences and seminars, as it has in the past. Also, a renovation program will be launched this spring to make the building more suitable for that purpose, incorporating a larger kitchen and guest facilities.

MCG will continue to keep you posted as things develop. In the meantime, here’s a big photo slide show gallery of the collection as the final public viewing hours wound down this weekend. Have a look at the great cars and stay tuned.