One Third Fewer Attendees Lined the Famed 16-Mile Detroit Roadway
After facing the worst power loss in U.S. and Canadian history, that caused a gasoline and water shortage as well as a drenching downpour midday Saturday Aug. 16, it would be fair to expect the ninth annual Woodward Dream Cruise to turn into the nightmare crawl.
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| This stretch of Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Mich., drew crowds of people to see the General Motors racing displays and the classic (and not so classic) cars during the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 16. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
Not so, but the blackout did force the cancellation of several pre-Cruise festivities, including the Revvin' with Ford Charity Preview and a noticeable decrease in the number of participants and spectators.
The Woodward Dream Cruise, sponsored this year by Eaton Automotive, is one of the biggest annual automotive events in the United States, usually drawing an estimated 1.5 million to 1.7 million spectators to see the some 30,000 vintage cars, muscle cars and hot rods that takeover Detroit's major north-south thoroughfare.
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| Ford Special Vehicle Team Owners Association Marketing Manager Jim Owens, standing next to an SVT Mustang and SVT Lightning, was happy to be out at the Mustang Drive In along the Woodward Dream Cruise route on Aug. 15. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
It was originally started as a grassroots event by car enthusiasts to recapture the crusin' days of the 1950s and 1960s and grew into a mega cultural event in the Motor City as not only the "Big Three" car manufacturers became involved -- DaimlerChrysler rolled out its Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 3 and Ford sponsored music concerts at the "Mustang Drive In" -- but also Hyundai and auto supplier companies try to capture a portion of the spotlight.
Hyundai had 25 of its 2003 Tiburons in various levels of customization on a lot just south of Eleven Mile Road. The display was co-sponsored by Hyundai and Speed, Style & Sound magazine. No doubt it is a sure sign that the Dream Cruise is extending far beyond its original Grease-like roots.