The Woodward Dream Cruise is a celebration of what Detroit is known best for: muscle cars and hot rods.
If fat-fendered cars make your "rockin' world go 'round," the Woodward Dream Cruise is your sort of party. The largest one-day automotive event on the planet, Woodward is all about real people driving real cars on a real road. It brings an estimated 1 million people and 40,000 cars to Detroit at the end of every August, and has become a "must" event for gearheads around the world. But it's especially important for those who live in Motor City, a proud community battered by the recession.
"It's classic Americana," says Car and Driver Editor-in-Chief Eddie Alterman. "Old-school family values — baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet." A Motown native, Alterman drove a Ram pickup down Woodward on Saturday. The vehicle was part of a Save the Manual — as in manual transmission — campaign. "Woodward is a celebration of what Detroit gave to the world: cars, especially muscle cars," Alterman says. "It gives locals the chance to take pride in their hard work and have some fun with family and friends."
View Pictures: Woodward Gallery 1 — Hot Rods/Custom Cars
Once a street-racing haven and always a cruising scene, the 19-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue where the famed rally is held runs through Detroit's suburbs and straight into the heart of American car culture.
View Pictures: Woodward Gallery 2 — Muscle Cars
The event began in 1995 when a group of car buffs, who had grown nostalgic for the hot-rod nights of the 1950s and '60s, decided to raise money to build a soccer field in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. So they did what they knew best: They organized a cruising event on Woodward Avenue, their old stomping grounds. It was a rousing success, so the group decided to make it an annual happening.
View Pictures: Woodward Gallery 3 — Trucks/Vans/Wagons
Over the years, the cruise has grown to include every angle of the automotive hobby. Street rods, cruisers, racers, lowriders, military vehicles, antiques, Class 8 tractors — they all take part in this famed rally. But mainly it's red, white and blue, 4-speeds and twice pipes that the fans love to see. Spectators just love the thunder of eight big pots and a lumpy cam.
View Pictures: Woodward Gallery 4 — In the Mix
While it's impossible to capture the entire scope of this multimile event, here is a snapshot of the coolest cars from 2010. So hang an elbow out the window and cruise down memory lane.
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