Living the Dream — Woodward 2011

Billing itself as the "world's largest, one-day celebration of classic car culture," the Woodward Dream Cruise attracts more than 1 million car freaks from around the globe every year, all with high hopes of experiencing a little of that inimitable Motor City magic. What began in 1995 as a simple fundraiser for a local youth soccer field in Ferndale, Mich., has evolved into the region's most eagerly awaited gearhead gathering, often drawing 40,000 or more vehicles every third Saturday of August.

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It's early Saturday morning, and in the midst of this four-wheeled horsepower orgy, photographer Sue Lott and I are walking. We have tentative plans to catch a ride with Scott Hamilton, head of the Detroit-based underground rock label Small-Stone Records, for a ride in his 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. But until we connect, we're hoofing it. First stop is Mustang Alley at Woodward and 9 Mile Road. Ford has 9 Mile closed off for blocks. More than 700 Mustangs are on display, in addition to several dozen official Ford promotional vehicles.

View Pictures:  Woodward Dream Cruise: Mustangs

Chevrolet is the official sponsor of the cruise this year, celebrating its centennial with a Thursday night parade of Chevrolets down Woodward Avenue, from the tony, popped-collar suburb of Birmingham to the cafe-lined streets of Royal Oak. More than half of the vehicles were owner-driven Volts, some from as far away as California.

Bing: Woodward Dream Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise is often called the anti-Pebble Beach by the media and enthusiasts, in reference to the prestigious collectors event held the same weekend in Monterey, Calif., and there is a thread of truth to the sentiment. You'll find more skinned knuckles and grease-stained T-shirts on the curbsides of Detroit than in the garages at Pebble.

View Pictures:  Woodward Dream Cruise: Trucks

The thing about Woodward Avenue that outsiders don't understand is that you couldn't design a more perfect cruising road if you started with a blank sheet of paper. An avenue four lanes wide in each direction, with stoplights placed at convenient one-mile intervals, means a fresh drag-strip-style challenge awaits at each intersection. Dedicated U-turn lanes appear every half-mile and serve as convenient escape routes to ensure the action continues unabated. And let's not forget that it lies in the shadows of the very corporations that made Detroit the Motor City.

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When Hamilton arrives, he claims to be feeling grumpy. As much as the guy loves Detroit and muscle cars, the novelty of the Dream Cruise can wear thin on the locals, especially when you're a tad hung over and have a full day of family and business obligations scheduled. For guys like him, Detroit is about reconciling its storied past with its future, essentially the same philosophy that guided the reintroduction of the Dodge Challenger. Like many young entrepreneurs, artists and professionals, he's well aware of Detroit's reputation but refuses to let it tint his vision of the future.

View Pictures:  Woodward Dream Cruise: Muscle Cars

Idling in traffic, the vibe is friendly, something akin to the long traffic lines for parking at an outdoor music festival. When we cross the infamous 8 Mile Road and enter Detroit City proper, Hamilton puts his foot to the floor and airs out the Challenger to the tune of 100 mph or so. We maintain speed to the turnaround just before 6 Mile Road, making us, as Hamilton points out, "probably the only Dream Cruisers to actually cruise in Detroit." The Challenger has taken some hits concerning its handling and girth in comparison to the pony cars offered by its Blue Oval and bow-tie competitors. But on this road, on this day, at about 85 mph, the Challenger is just about perfect.

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At around 4 p.m., storm warnings are issued, and within minutes the skies darken and we're being pelted by sideways rain and 70 mph winds. Vehicles disappear from the streets and the corporate displays lining the route evaporate. Trees are uprooted and power lines downed. Standing water measures in inches. The expected swarm of locusts and plague of boils never materialize, but — due largely to the unyielding heat and humidity — rashes and sunburns appear to be approaching epidemic proportions. Local meteorologist Chuck Gaidica calls it a textbook microburst weather event. If you've never seen a half a million people make a simultaneous mad dash to get out of the rain, let me tell you, it's something.

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As the event tries to regain the momentum of its prestorm levels, a small group of apparently inebriated hooligans standing approximately 20 feet to our left is hurling insults at cruisers, particularly those driving non-American vehicles. A confrontation with the burly driver and occupants of a Subaru WRX is averted when dozens of motorcycle-mounted police begin a polite, methodical sweep down Woodward, attempting to clear parking lots of ne'er-do-wells along the way. "Pack it up people, it's over," the police inform us.

View Pictures:  Woodward Dream Cruise: Classics

Although the diehards continue to turn laps up and down Woodward well into the evening, spectator opportunities are fading fast, and with them our spirits.

Until my tires caress your sweet surface again Woodward, au revoir.

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Andrew Wendler is an entrepreneur and journalist based in South Detroit. A former editor of the now-defunct MPH Magazine, his work has appeared in Car and Driver, Edmunds Inside Line and Hot Rod, among others. When notwriting, you'll find him wrenching, racing, or on occasion, tour-managing a rock-music combo.

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