~April 2023~

From the Desk of Darrel Burnett

Executive Director

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare seems the perfect choice to greet the month of April with effusive optimism but, for me, the beginning of April is playing out more like a Shakespearean tragedy. I cringed March 22^nd when General Motors officially announced that Chevrolet is ceasing production of the Camaro….AGAIN!! 

For the record, Camaro devotees have never forgiven Chevrolet for pulling the plug on the Camaro the first time in 2002 and campaigned heavily to bring it back. Chevrolet ultimately did in 2010, and we thought the Camaro was here to stay. We were wrong.

GM is on record saying the last of the 6th generation Camaros will roll off the assembly line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant January 2024. The cruel irony of this recent announcement is that it just happens to come days before the 59^th anniversary of the Ford Mustang’s debut at the New York World’s Fair April 5^th, 1964. The Mustang is the very reason the Camaro exists in the first place. 

The immediate and meteoric rise of the Mustang sent shockwaves through the corridors of GM headquarters in Detroit in April 1964. Knowing that Chevy’s beleaguered Corvair was no match for the Mustang, GM went into battle ready mode to produce a Pony Car equivalent. “Panther” not Camaro was the original name for the car until GM brass thought the name was too aggressive. Can a muscle car name be too aggressive? Chevrolet Merchandising Manager Bob Lund and GM V.P. Ed Rollett stumbled across the name Camaro while they were skimming through a French and English Dictionary. Chevrolet General Manager Pete Estes approved, and a new Chevrolet Pony Car was born. Having spotted the Mustang a lead the size of the Grand Canyon, the Camaro latched on to the coattails of its muscle-bound big brother the Corvette.

The strategy worked. Chevrolet sold 220,906 Camaros its first year in 1967. The Mustang sold more than double the Camaro, but a battle began that raged for decades. Eventually, the Camaro took over the lead in 1977 after the Mustang careened off the course of common sense by introducing the Mustang II (appropriately named for ranking #2), but the modern Mustang has rebounded to overtake the Camaro in recent years. What neither was prepared for was dominance of the resurgent Dodge Challenger which has dominated both since 2021 by employing a strategy of stacking horsepower on top of horsepower. 

Not even being #1 is good enough any more it seems. Chrysler Corporation is killing the Challenger in December this year, a month ahead of the demise of the Camaro. By early 2024, the Mustang will be right where it started in 1964…the only V-8 Muscle Car on the market. Since every company seems to be “pulling the plug” on these proud Ponies, where does that leave us? Apparently, putting the plug back in the socket. Dodge’s parent company, Stellantis, is investing $99 million in manufacturing plants for electric engines and batteries while Chevrolet is sending strong hints that the Camaro may be coming back…..this time as an electric vehicle. Muscle Cars may never be the same again. Let’s just hope we can still get a “charge” out of driving them!

Don’t miss Darrel Burnett’s Steering Column coming to an inbox near you on the 17th…



From Fiber Glass to Fiber Optics –

Celebrating 70 Years of the Corvette!

If you aren't signed up for it, click HERE (then scroll to the bottom of the page)

 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism

The Automobile Gallery & Event Center was pleased to partner with Discover Green Bay to display our DeLorean at the Wisconsin Governors Conference on Tourism (WIGCOT) March 12-14^th at the KI Center in Green Bay. More than 650 tourism personnel from across the State of Wisconsin attended the conference and many made it a point to have their photo taken with our DeLorean making their journey memorable. 

New Arrivals

Back to the Future!

Speaking of DeLoreans, we hope you were able to visit an authentic Back to the Future DeLorean courtesy of our friend Matt Hissem while it stopped in for a visit for a few days. If you missed it, don’t fret. It will be coming back to the Gallery in the near future after attending a few conventions over the next few weeks. Marty and Doc wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Incredible vehicles continue to arrive at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center on a routine basis. The only hope you have of catching this 207 MPH 2013 McLaren MP4-12C is at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center. Car collector extraordinaire Dale Besson is graciously displaying his MP4-12C Spyder which is 1 of just 1400 Spyders ever produced and one of handful painted Volcano Orange!

International Flare



The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is always excited to welcome new visitors from around the world. Classic car enthusiasts Roberto, Giuseppe and Amadeo from beautiful Lake Como in Italy paid us a visit the other day. Lake Como is located near Milan in northern Italy. Lake Como is a popular vacation spot for celebrities and its most famous resident is George Clooney who owns the largest villa on Lake Como.

From left to right: Roberto, Giuseppe, Amedeo

Through the Eyes

of a Child



10-year-old Adalynn Rosenbaum from Green Bay brought even more sunshine to an already sunny day this past week when she visited The Automobile Gallery & Event Center for the first time with her brother and grandfather. Adalynn is a bonafide car enthusiast whose eyes lit up over multiple vehicles in our Gallery collection, but her favorite was our 1961 AMC Metropolitan which is 1 of just 853 ever made! 

A Photo Finish



Our long-time Pit Crew Chief George Yursis recently retired but we couldn’t let him leave without a photo finish! The Automobile Gallery & Event Center commissioned a painting from our favorite artist Michael Sponholtz who painted an original photo with George in his very rare Oldsmobile W-31. Sponz’ painting reflects George perfectly right down to his iconic pair of reflective sunglasses.

From left to right: Michael Sponholtz, George Yursis,

TAG Board Member Becky Lewis

NWTC Intern

Cody LeSage

Supporting students and creating a pathway for their future careers is a main focus of The Automobile Gallery & Event Center. We’re pleased to welcome Cody LeSage from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College who has joined us as an intern this semester. Cody is a Green Bay native with a lifelong passion for video and digital art. Cody is a natural born entrepreneur and leads a busy life working on and off campus.

Cody is a 2019 graduate of Green Bay Preble High School and is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Digital Media Technology, with plans to start a freelance business in the videography field. Cody also has a strong background in photography and graphic design which makes him a great addition to the Automobile Gallery & Event Center family. Please join us in welcoming Cody to our team!

The Gallery is hosting its first Italian-only car show fundraiser!

Spend the afternoon of May 20th amongst a never-before-collected display of over 50 Italian vehicles while enjoying artisan pizza from Oley's and tasty wine flights from Captain's Walk Winery.

Tickets are only $15 which gives you full access to the Gallery collection and the Italian display.

Gallery Event Schedule

(per event details to come soon if not psoted)

April 13: Rock n'Roll Juke Box, Daddy D's Production

May 15-21: Brown County Historical Days (weekly admission deals and themed events)

May 20: Festa Italiana (Italian car show)

June 17: Cars & Guitars Car Show

September 14: Cruisin' the Classics, Daddy D's Production

September 30: AUTOberfest (German car show)

November 9: Patriotic Salute, Daddy D's Production

December 2: Old Fashion Chrismas, Daddy D's Production

If you have specific questions on an event, please reach out to Inquire@theautomobilegallery.org

In the News!

The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is honored to be featured in national travel writer and blogger Laura Lily's article Green Bay Wisconsin Travel Guide alongside international hotel leader Marriott Bonvoy. Click the link below to read the article.

Green Bay WI Travel Guide

GET INVOLVED!

Opportunities at the Gallery



If you or anyone you know would like to be involved with the Gallery, we have opportunities available:

**NEW** zSpace Operational Support: set up, monitor, and tear down zSpace laptop system during student sessions



**NEW** Front Desk Administration the front line Gallery representative, greet guests, and field general questions.

Volunteers to staff events, maintain the vehicles and Gallery, and educate guests



If interested in any mentioned role, please email Megan Lehmann at MeganL@theautomobilegallery.org

Google Reviews - We'd love yours!

The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is already on most Top 10 Lists for great things to do in Northeastern Wisconsin, now you can help even more visitors find us by giving us a great Google review.

CLICK HERE to leave your review.

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