Wet n' Wild Woodward

Rain-soaked Woodward Avenue welcomed thousands of cruisers and car enthusiasts for the 16th annual Dream Cruise on a wet Saturday just north of Detroit.

Though the weather didn't cooperate for much of the day with rain ranging from a mist to steady showers, it failed to dampen the spirits of car fans for all over. As usual, Mustangs, Corvettes and Challengers took center stage on the iconic strip, which plays host to the yearly summer celebration of chrome and fins.

The Woodward Dream Cruise started as a fundraiser in the mid-1990s and has since grown to one of Michigan's largest events. Cars in various stages of restoration--or simply their natural states roll up and down M-1--better known as Woodward--every year on a Saturday in August. Usually the cruisers begin doing laps days or weeks ahead of the actual event, and this year was no different, with crowds flocking to catch a glimpse of the sheetmetal well ahead. Mix in food, beverages and music, and it becomes sort of an automotive Mardi Gras.

The crowd appeared to be down at bit this year for cruise day because of the weather, and there were fewer cars in the afternoon when there were significant gaps between classic cars passing on the avenue. Later in the day the weather relented in the area.

Most cars in the Dream Cruise are locally owed and among the most famous and celebrated ever built from the Detroit 3, though rides of nearly all makes and models are represented. Icons likes the 1957 Chevy Bel-Air and 1959 Cadillac Eldorado are seen in bunches, as well as scores of Ford Mustangs and Galaxies from the '60s. Chrysler is usually represented by hulking Chargers and Challengers, as well as long-gone Plymouth Road Runners.

Though it's a Detroit-centric event, the Dream Cruise attracts car enthusiasts from all over. Robert Greenlee, of Houston, drove up to Michigan to show is 1969 Plymouth Satellite and do some laps on Woodward. With a 528-cubic-inch Hemi V8 underhood, he boosted his Mopar muscle packed 650 hp.

“It was great,” he said of his drive. “Ten miles per gallon with the air conditioning running.”

Another enthusiast, Mark Kleckner, was proud to display his 1966 Corvette Sting Ray. It had a 427 engine and was cast in a sharp shade of maroon. His father bought in it Tennessee and it is still registered to him with Georgia license plates. Recently fixed up, the car has been a common bond between father and son for decades.

“It's kind of a family heirloom,” said Kleckner, who learned to drive a manual transmission with the four-speed gearbox.

By Greg Migliore