Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Tom Nagle on Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 8:45 AMThis Cruise is now in the record books
The discussion a week ago was all about concern over the lack of sponsorship for the cruise and how much that would reduce the quality of the event. Now we know at least from the participant standpoint, this cruise was at least as good as any in the past and in some ways better.
The facts are not in yet about the financial impact and the estimated numbers of cars, but those out on the streets did enjoy the day. The weather was better than many of the past cruises that had some amount of rain, or even loss electrical power. It was a fun and memorable event.
We got together and walked Old Woodward. We did early morning cruising and then watching the other cruisers. As the day ended we enjoyed the very comfortable night air and discussed events of the day and many related events.
It is like an annual reunion event where friendly gear and motor heads as well as those that just enjoy the sights also enjoy each other's company. We discuss special things that we all recalled from the day that ranged from a very unique wooden hearse to the truck with flame throwers. All things we will remember from the day.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Doug Guthrie (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 10:32 PMAnd it's over
The roar of big block V8s has been replaced on Woodward Avenue by the roar of police motorcycles and flashing red and blue lights.
Woodward has reopened to traffic (at 10 p.m.) after a brief shutdown, but there is a heavy police presence that will remain through most of the night. More than 50 police motorcycles from agencies throughout the Woodward corridor hit the street in two impressive packs, circulating in fast-moving packs and sending the message that the fun was over.
"People understand. It's over with," said Oakland County Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Lambourn. "It's been a long day."
The crowds that had lined Woodward packed up their lawn chairs, tents and barbecues and headed to cars that were often parked far, far away.
Brian Meissner of Macomb Township arrived at 6 a.m. to set up curbside tents for a gathering of Camaro and Firebird owners.
"There's something very unique about the Woodward Cruise," he said. "There is no other city in America that could do this. No other place where there are so many people who simply love cars. And at the Cruise the people sitting along the curb next to you become your best friends."
"We just love all the cars, the old ones especially," said Brenda Evans, 54, of Southfield, who attends the cruise every year with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. They were carrying their belongings away from Woodward on 13 Mile Road at 9:45 p.m.
"It wasn't as many people as before, but it was still a great show," Evans said.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Scott Burgess (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 9:46 PMGood night, great cruise
For everyone who has been so nice to talk to me this week as I told the stories of the Woodward Dream Cruise, thank you. Covering the cruise is a tiresome but great time.
For everyone who participated in the Woodward Dream Cruise, thank you. It's the collective group that makes the cruise and not any one thing that makes it so special.
While there may be businesses towing billboards and people selling things, the cruise endures because many Detroiters love their cars and that passion is felt year-round, not just in August.
More horsepower to the people!
Have a great night, weekend and summer. See you next year.
Ornaments
The cruise is in the details. Two great hood ornaments: one obscure, one famous.
On the left, the ornament of an all but forgotten brand, the AMC Marlin.
On the right, a hood ornament known to all. But do you know how the famous Rolls Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy" came to be?
Designed by Charles Robinson Sykes in 1911, the ornament was sculpted after model Eleanor Thornton, the secret lover of John Walter Scott, a pioneer of the automobile in England. Scott was married and Thornton was his secretary, a secret known to a small circle of his friends. As a result, the ornament is also known as "The Whisper."
Royce himself always hated the ornament and called it a useless bauble. It became his habit to rarely drive a Rolls with the mascot in place.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Doug Guthrie (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 9:14 PMA green machine makes the Cruise
A decidedly low horse-powered machine was parked at the curb on Guifford just off Woodward in Royal Oak.
A little Internet research tells me this is "The Dogsled," a human-powered machine built for the coming Burning Man festival getting its debut at a remarkably less green event.
The bizarre contraption that makes use of bicycle, go-kart and lawn furniture technology drew quite a crowd, but its owners were nowhere in sight. Whoever it is must have all the confidence in the world that it would take four strong athletes to steal this thing and get far away.
There are four seats, each equipped with bicycle pedals. They all feed a central drive shaft that appears to have come from a go kart, complete with its disc brake. The tires are slices from a giant, plastic drainage tube, with pieces of car tire tread screwed to the surface. Standing high up top are two patio umbrellas, and the headlamps are Tiki torches.
It's an incredible display of creative engineering and it is getting its due from the normally high horsepower fans at the Woodward Cruise.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Henry Payne (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 9:13 PMRecognize this face?
One of the things I love about the Dream Cruise is the opportunity to compare generations of cars.
On Woodward today: a 1951 Bentley grille and a 2008 Bentley Continental grille. What beauty. What a change.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by George Bullard on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 8:53 PMAnother stunning Cruise - now pick a fave
It's tough to pick THE iconic piece of Detroit iron. The 1957 Chevy? A modern Escalade? Ford's F-150? Lots of votes might go to the pink Cadillac, a cultural touchstone of the 1950s, which even spawned a popular song. Well, semi-popular anyway.
Only the Dream Cruise could deliver multiple pink Cadillacs on a given afternoon.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Tom Greenwood (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 8:48 PMWhat a ride
I'm writing shortly after 8:30 p.m. and in total amazement. With the Woodward Dream Cruise in its final hour, it seems to be getting even more crowded.
At the moment, northbound M-1 is one solid mass of cars from Interstate 696 all the way to 14 Mile. And there's a solid line of cars from about 8 1/2 mile to Nine Mile as well.
One of the nicest places to observe old school, elbow-hanging cruising is in the area of downtown Ferndale where the police have allowed spectators to sit on the broad, grassy, tree-lined median between north and southbound Woodward.
The median is jammed with friends, families and kids running around like mad. I'll bet Como's Italian Restaurant has been shuttling pizzas into the median like mad.
Here's an idea for sponsors of next year's cruise, a little blast from the past for anyone age, say, 50 and above.
The cruise route is miles long so how about putting in a few of the old Burma Shave advertisements along the road?
OK, youngsters, what is Burma Shave?
Burma-Shave was/is a shaving cream used by everyone's dad. The company had little advertising poems on signs that were spaced along highways all over America.
I barely remember them myself, but one I do recall was a series of little signs that read: "At a quiz ... Pa ain't no whiz ... But he knows how ... To keep Ma his ... Burma-Shave."
The Burma-Shave advertising signs were around for decades and there had to have been at least a million (OK, a slight exaggeration) rhymes in the ad campaign.
Hey, just a thought.
Well, another Woodward Dream Cruise is in the books. No more until next year, and you know what that means, don't you?
It's time to start advertising for Christmas.
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Beth Reeber Valone (The Detroit News) on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 8:40 PMWhat's the oddest thing you've seen at the Dream Cruise?
The Woodward Dream Cruise is really supposed to be for classic cars, but modern-day hot rods, motorcycles and tuners have muscled their way in. Then there are the kooky vehicles that are just plain out of place.
But a boat?
Sean Conway of Royal Oak jumped in his Jeep and pulled his restored vintage motorboat around his neighborhood and on Woodward with daughter Allison, 12, along for the ride in the boat - complete with a set of oars. Yeah, they turned a few heads.
What oddball vehicles did you see today?
Category: Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by George Bullard on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 8:34 PMHardly an ordinary car in sight...
The Dream Cruise is so fat with classics, it seems normal to have them everywhere. Pedestrians walk around rarities as if they were plentiful. Which they are, once a year on Woodward.
