Woodard Dream Cruise 2009

Turn on the news or watch a car commercial, and all you seem to hear is about "Cash for Clunkers." Well over the weekend, centered in Birmingham, Michigan, the streets were filled with old cars, but none were "Clunkers"

http://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com/
Detroit has always been the home of the American Auto industry, and the annual Dream Cruise is the Mecca of the classic car world. Not only does this event feature the best examples of classic American cars; It also does so it a particularly American fashion. This is not a show where priceless cars sit behind red-velvet-ropes, while their aloof owner's sip Champagne from
Waterford Crystal goblets, while waiting for the "Workers" to load the autos back into the trucks that brought them. No, the Woodward Dream Cruise is about driving the cars in an unscripted parade. It is part car show, part "Tail-Gate party.

If the film "American Graffiti" was about the tail-end of the Saturday night cruising culture, then this is the event for those that refuse to let those day die.

To think of this event as a celebration of "Old Cars" is to miss at least half of the true reason for the event. this is not just about cars, it is a part of Americana. It is about our youth, both individually, and as a society. It is about the power of the engines; but also the power of the US.

Nowhere is that more true than in Detroit. Has NASA got us to the moon; but the astronauts, were driving Mustangs and GTOs.

In 1969, Made in Japan, was not something anyone wanted stamped on the back of their car. Detroit muscle was the only way to go! They were making cars that people "Wanted," today they are fighting to make cars that people will think are a practical alternitive to a Toyota or Honda.

After spending a few hours wondering around Woodward, I can't help but ask if Deroit will ever get back to making cars that people truely desire, or has that role been left to only $100,000.00 + Super-Cars?

The SuperBird was a car that was put into production just to please NASCAR.

If you were going to put a car onto the track, you had to actually have a production car available to the public. In 1970, NASCAR raised the production requirement to one car for every 2 Manufacturer's dealers in the United States; this required Plymouth, to build 1,920 Superbirds.

1970 would be its only production year.
The Superbirds came fitted with the 426 Hemi engine, the 440 Super Commando with a single 4-barrel carburetor, or the 440 Super Commando Six Barrel with three two-barrel carburetors. Only 135 models had the 426 Hemi under the hood.

The 1958 Edsel came in two sizes - big and bigger!