We couldn’t believe it when we read it first. The braintrust at Cerebus—the company that used to own Chrysler before giving it away to FIAT—completely abandoned the engineering library at the Chrysler Technical Center. In a July 26 editorial published at TheTruthAboutCars.com by Bob Elton, we read: “The library was shuttered and the librarian laid off. And then the real crime: all the library’s books and materials were offered to anyone who could carry them away.” Elton goes on to say that within a week, a collection spanning decades was scattered to the winds.
The absolute gall of Cerebus is a jagged pill to swallow for gearheads. Since these are engineering archives and not publicity archives, we’ll never again have access to mechanical drawings, engineering papers, tests, or designs than go all the way back to 1925, the year Chrysler was incorporated. No doubt, some lucky looters will capitalize by selling their invaluable swag on eBay and Craigslist—anybody care to bid on priceless engineering drawings of the early Hemi or the Chrysler Airflow? What took decades to amass by passionate engineers and designers has been cavalierly pissed away by a finance company that swooped down like a hawk to make a quick buck, then ride off into the sunset.
You can check out Bob Elton’s complete story at: www.thetruthaboutcars.com