Packard, sad legacy...

[mdsalemi]

http://www.freep.com/article/20121202/NEWS01/312020186/1118/RSS

A sad legacy--an American industrial tragedy.  Still standing, barely, after all these years.  Last car out was 2 years before I was born.  To think that the American version of the Merlin engine came from here...

If it were safe I'd venture down there.

I do have one lasting heirloom, a trophy made out of the original wood paneling from the Executive Offices, crowned with a piston...

[Cees Klumper]

When I was living in Florida I was surprised to see abandoned buildings; a K-Mart closed down in the town I lived and then it just sat there for years. I figured it must be cheaper to let it go to waste than tear it down. Even a mall in Boca Raton sat vacant for years, as a new one opened down the street and shops moved there. Awful sights. In my home country of Holland, space is precious and this kind of thing is extremely rare. I guess Detroit takes the cake for the US in abandoned buildings.

[Benz Dr.]

I had a ride in a Caribbean Convertible once. Fantastic two tone blue - huge car with tons of chrome. Sold for about 130K if I remember correctly.

  

[TOMNISTUFF]

Thank you, Michael, for that link.  I spent almost 34 years in Engineering at Ford, AMC, Chrysler and finally DaimlerChrysler before retiring.  It hurts me deeply to watch that film.  I don`t know if it`s because it represents the permanent end of something grand or if it simply makes me realize my own mortality as I grow older.  Endings are getting harder and harder to take.  I hope the rest of the American auto industry outlives me.  I don't think I could take seeing that happen to what's left of the "big three".

Tom Kizer

[mdsalemi]

Yes, Tom and everyone, it is pretty sad.  There are a lot of beautiful places here, and a lot of thriving things, but there is also this incredible decay.  Today I took my daughter to the movies, and saw a trailer for "Burn"; it might not make it to a theater near you, but it is a film festival winner.  You can see some aerial of the Packard plant in this trailer:

http://detroitfirefilm.org