Woodward Dream Cruise 2013

The Woodward Dream Cruise started as a community fundraiser back in 1994. Here we are, almost 20 years later, and it has grown into the world's biggest classic car event – or the world's biggest headache, depending on your point of view.

The real strength of the Dream Cruise is its populist format, especially when directly compared to the manicured lawns of California's Pebble Beach that runs on the same weekend. There are no judges in blue blazers and khakis; no golf clapping at an awards presentation. Anyone can bring their car onto Woodward and join in the fun. And thanks to this all-inclusive approach, there truly is something for everyone.

If you're not into pink Cadillacs or '57 Chevys, there's bound to be a Ferrari, a DeLorean or a Divco milk truck just up the road. And if you grow weary of cruisers doing burnouts when the cops aren't looking, there are many smaller shows in parking lots along the route, usually arranged by classic car clubs.

The Lincoln and Continental Owners Club set up shop near 12 Mile and Woodward. Several gleaming examples of Elwood Engel's 1961 masterpiece were there, both in hardtop and convertible form. The convertibles are especially alluring because you get to appreciate the amazing interior details like the bookmatched wood trim and embossed leather inserts.

Orphan car brands are also prominent at the Cruise, usually on "Old Woodward" in Birmingham. I saw more American Motors and Studebaker offerings on one city block than I saw all of last year at other shows. Even now, there is still something about the Avanti that captures the imagination. The Coke bottle shape, the clean front fascia, the expansive rear window. Even the later versions, built by hand and with clunkier details, carry a certain je ne sais quoi.

And in addition to the automotive lore, there is Woodward Avenue itself – a veritable patchwork of diners, motels and mattress stores punctuated by the occasional ice cream stand. Some of the signs are perfect for this event; others are gleefully out of place. But everyone would agree that this is not, simply, another divided highway. For car lovers, it is comparable to the Champs-Elysses or the Sunset Strip. A Mecca they will gladly return to year after year. What countless locals would call gridlock, they call paradise.

This year, an accident between two non-cruising motorists re-ignited the long running debate: should Woodward Avenue be closed down on this one day, just for the cruisers? There will likely never be consensus on such a polarizing idea, but one thing is for sure: this event is not going away, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Click on the photo gallery link above to see the cars from this year's Cruise.

Your author, Jason White, is an automotive designer by day and a teacher/sim racer/voice over artist by night. He lives in Detroit, Michigan USA (a.k.a.The Paris of the Midwest).

By Jason White