The last Dodge Viper supercar rolled off the line at the car's Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan last August.
At the time, Dodge parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said workers would be moved to the automaker's other plants, leaving the fate of the 51-year-old Conner Avenue Assembly in doubt.
Well, FCA on Wednesday confirmed that the plant will be retained, though it will be transformed into a new heritage center to house over 400 historic cars and concepts owned by FCA, most of them from the automaker's American brands. As part of the transformation, the name of the site will be changed to Conner Center.
Final Dodge Viper ever built at Conner Avenue Assembly Plant
Approximately 77,000 of the plant’s nearly 400,000 square-feet of floor space will be dedicated to displaying vehicles like the 1902 Rambler, the oldest in the collection, to one of the most significant, the 1924 Chrysler Touring.
Only around 85 cars will be on display at any one time. The rest will be kept in storage. And initially at least, the site will be open to FCA employees only. The automaker expects to eventually allow access to the public, however.
“With a storied history of its own, the Conner Avenue facility is an ideal location to showcase the vehicles that have sustained the company for more than 92 years,” FCA historical services manager Brandt Rosenbusch said in a statement. “This move will allow us to house all of our collection under one roof and have the space to share that history.”
