The 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise

I’ve said it before, but it still bears repeating: if you’re a car guy, there’s no better place to be than in metro Detroit. Even in a summer in which the mayor of this good city has become a political laughingstock, the real gear heads hold their heads high and cruise down Woodward just like in the 50’s and 60’s.

Cruising the Avenue

Woodward. The name conjures up images of car hops, poodle skirts and saddle shoes. A few years later, the 10 miles of asphalt between Ferndale and Bloomfield Township would become synonymous with cars such as the GTO, the Hemi Coronet, the Stingray and the Cobra.

The current Dream Cruise actually had a very modest beginning. Back in 1995, a group of volunteers got together and tried to figure out a way to raise funds to build a soccer field in Ferndale. That first year, organizers were hoping for an audience of about 30,000. Instead, almost 250,000 people participated in that first Cruise. Today, entrants number close to 40,000 while more than 1.5 million people line the route along Woodward Avenue.

For those of us who grew up in post WWII America, the weekend is like jumping into a DeLorean (no ordinary time machine will do) for a trip back to what was a much simpler era.

1955 Chevy Bel Air

New this year

For the first time ever, this year’s Cruise featured a juried car show – in which all entrants (show entrants were invited and limited to 50) had to be approved by judges just to compete. 10 categories were chosen to cover everything from “Green Cars” to “Hot Rod Racers”. Judging was done at the Northwood Shopping Center at 13 Mile & Woodward. This “Dream Show” was developed by Dick Ruzzin, who created the “Eyes on Design” exhibition at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford mansion in Grosse Pointe and Don Sommer, founder of the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance.

1955 Pontiac Star Chief