Celebrating the 13th Annual Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise

August 20, 2007

More than a million visitors brought over 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, customs, collectors, and special interest vehicles out to this weekend's Woodward Dream Cruise to celebrate the heart and soul of cruising in America's Motor City.

Visitors strapped themselves in for a 16-mile ride down Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to Pontiac, Michigan, celebrating the nostalgia of bygone days in the cars that made them so special, accompanied by lots of music and retro-themed activities.

Now in its 13th year, the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture is always held on the third Saturday of August. Each year, it provides educational, historic, and fun for car lovers of all ages, showcasing a selection of great vehicles from the Fifties to the Eighties, celebrating the nostalgia of bygone days with the cars that made them so special.

Best not to attend this event if you don't have an appreciation for the smell of exhaust and the rumble of big-block engines. However, do plan to attend next year if you want to enjoy a stellar lineup of old Detroit iron as it cruises through the nine communities of Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, and Royal Oak, Michigan.

The week leading up to the event is full of activities, including one that drew 175 Plymouth Prowler owners from all over the United States. The guest of honor, New Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli, brought his 2001 Plymouth Prowler black-and-white two-tone "Black Tie Edition." Only about 150 "Black Tie Edition" Prowlers were made, according to Jason Vines in his Firehouse Biz blog.

This year's Woodward Dream Cruise visitors enjoyed the parade under sunny skies that made for picture-perfect memories. For those of you who couldn't be there to enjoy the show, check out the photo gallery at the official Woodward Dream Cruise site. They've got oodles of photos there, submitted by fans of the event. You can even purchase some merchandise online, and pretend you made it out for the fun.

By Brandy Schaffels
Contributing Editor