Way back in June of 2004, I got an invite from Chrysler Canada to join them out at Downsview Air Force Base in North York, Ontario, where they were doing two things - storing hundreds of cars - had leased time on the airstrip and set up several slolam courses.

Guests were given wrist bands and then taken on some high speed, exhilerating drives as a passenger in one of about 6 SRT-10 VIPERs. Each had with a professional driver at the wheel. What a treat! Everyone who wanted to got to ride once around their track - accelerating, braking from high speed, cornering ... it was awesome. For some reason, my daughter (who at the time was just finishing high school) got two rides!

Also on hand, were all kinds of cars (licensed mainly from Nova Scotia and Ontario) which were for the guests to drive without any escorts! There were: a few dozen Crossfire Coupes and Roadsters, some 300C SRT-8s, a few Magnum SRT Wagons (replete with Hemi), SRT Hemi Pickups and some nimble little Neon SRT-4s. The rule was - follow the course, drive how you want to - hit one of the cones - your day is DONE! I saw one idiot get escorted out, but generally people behaved even though they were given the keys to the vault! Everyone was trying to find the traction control switch on every vehicle but they'd been disabled. Smart thinking. Still, it was AWESOME to have had this opportunity. Too, there were offroad hill courses on which you could take a Jeep out for a thrilling ride.

Does anyone remember that? It served as the inspiration for the Crossfire that I search for and finally got last week. The reason for the long delay was a seven year, 3 degree stint at university for my daughter. She finishes her M.Ed. in a couple of months. And so it was time for Dad to treat himself as he entered into retirement!

Seriously, this is the resulting impact that the marketing genius who came up with that idea and then sold it to management, can have. A seven year, passionate imprint on my mind. Thanks for that!

I waited for another invite the following year, but it never came. It was a one time affair that travelled across Canada like a franchise. I'd love to know where that yellow roadster was today. It was THE car for me - still is.

Those were the heady days of Chrysler's Street Racing Technology in Canada. Probably, if they'd do that with an SRT Challenger, I'd be buying one of those next!

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to all our American cousins!

John

 

That event sounds a lot like what has become Chrysler's SRT Track Experience.

I've never been able to attend it. But I've heard it's a great day of fun.

 

That's exactly what it was! But it seemed to be a one time event. At least I only ever received one invitation. Do they still hold that? In the U.S.? In Canada?

I can't recall how I got the invitiation but I recall having to be there by 0700 hrs on a Sunday in order to get seat time!

Best,
John

 

That's a great story and I'm glad you got that car at last.

 

I know that the event toured in 2009. When it came to Dallas/Ft. Worth, I seriously considered going. I never looked into it for 2010 and they don't show anything yet on their schedule for 2011. If they are holding the event in 2011, I would expect the schedule to be released around March.

I posted this thread about the event back in 2008:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...xperience.html

 

It's intereseting to read about the experiences that people had at the SRT Experience. The one back in 2004 in Canada was a no charge event, although it was by invitation only. Regardless, there were all kinds of vehicles. As I recall, the only thing that was a real surprise is that there was nothing in the way of coffee or any kind of refreshments. There were new sales brochures but no apparel nor any merchandise for sale. A shame really, because everyone there wanted to buy something. It would have been good for Chrysler to have requested the support of a local club (BARC or one of the appropriate marque clubs), to organize everything from parking to setting up the courses.

The big question that I'd have to ask myself today is: Given that I own what I think is a really pristine Xfire today - would I take it out to a track, drive it hard and then be happy back at the barn? THAT, is a real quandry for me. I wouldn't make my Golden Retriever sit on the couch all day ... I get him outside and do my best to make him tuckered out. Yet somehow, I fear taking the car out and making it "chase a ball around"! It's hard to reconcile these two positions.

John

 

And isn't the yellow roadster the best looking car you've ever seen?

 

Yup, almost as pretty as the red ones.

 

Thanks for bringing this up, brought back some amazing memories!

That is where I fell in love with the SRT-6. I had just bought my SRT-4 at the time and back in 2005 they gave away one free admission to that SRT Track Experience with each SRT vehicle purchase.

Everybody wanted to drive the Charger SRT-8 and the Magnum SRT-8 on the roadcourse...there was a little Aero Blue SRT-6 vert that nobody would drive because it was "too girly". I drove that car AT LEAST 5 times around that roadcourse and fell in love, I had never felt a smoother, more refined driving car in my life. These cars are meant to be on a roadcourse. I had permagrin the entire time!


Here's me in the grandma car...if only they would have let us full out race...I would have smoked ALL OF THEM in this! haha While I loved the SRT-8s and the SRT-10 truck as well...they were doggin' pretty bad around the track...they are so heavy!

SRTTrack.jpg