Car lovers to unite at Woodward Dream Cruise

Behind every car is a driver with a story. And at the Woodward Dream Cruise, those drivers share a love for all things automotive.

Drawing in a crowd of more than 1.5 million visitors from around the world, the Woodward Dream Cruise, set for Friday-Saturday along Woodward Avenue in nine Oakland County communities, brings in more than 40,000 street machines. From classic American cars to late-model vehicles, you can expect to find rides of all shapes and sizes at one of the world's largest vintage car events.

The Woodward Dream Cruise, which begins in Ferndale and ends in Pontiac, is a favorite event every year for many car lovers, including Adam Bernard, 59, of Royal Oak. Since 2011, he has served as the president of Detroit's chapter of Lambda Car Club, an auto enthusiast group for LGBTQ+ members.

"I've been interested in cars since I was 3 years old when my dad would bring home Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels," said Bernard. "Later in life, I came out of the closet while I worked for General Motors. I was actually sent to represent GM at a Lambda Car Club event, so I just kind of tumbled into it at the right time."

Nationally, the Lambda Car Club has more than 2,000 members and around 120 in the Detroit chapter. This year, the group will be hanging out in Pleasant Ridge along Woodward where Bernard will bring his 1972 Mini Cooper.

"The Mini is a very innovative car, because it essentially set the stage for every modern front-drive vehicle on the market," said Bernard. "It also happens to be very fun to drive. Kids love it so much because it's just their size, so I usually offer to let them sit inside during the event."

For John Cowall, 47, of Southgate, his love for cars started at a very young age when his dad competed in autocross races, a controlled sport where drivers can explore the limits of their ride across a laid-out course.

"I loved the thrill of listening to the sounds of engines revving," said Cowall. "I've grown up around cars going to the auto crosses with my dad, so that's kind of how I got started with cars."

The first car he was ever introduced to was a 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega, the same ride that brought him back home from the hospital as a newborn. Over the years, Cowall and his dad restored around 20 Cosworth Vegas, becoming the car he dedicated most of his time to.

"I just grew up in and around that car, said Cowall. "The Chevrolet Vega was a standard run-of-the-mill production car that GM made. But the Cosworth engine in this car was a unique project between General Motors and Cosworth that makes it a very special collaboration with only 3,508 made."

Now, John Cowall is the president of CVOA, following in the path of his father, who was a regional director for the club in previous years. The CVOA is a national club of more than 280 members who share the same passion for Cosworth Vegas. This year, they will be bringing down one of the only known professionally road-raced Cosworth Vegas in existence.

Like Cowall, Mike Rey, 52, of Dearborn grew up around unique cars. Rey now serves as president of the Mustang Owners Club of Southeastern Michigan (MOCSEM) and the International Council of Mustangs Clubs.

"I think I was about 6 or so when my dad started taking me to car shows," said Rey. " It was a first-generation Mustang that I fell in love with and since then I've always wanted to own a Mustang. I've had nine Mustangs and the first one I got was a 1985 Mustang GT convertible."

With almost 2,000 cars on its roster to choose from, his club is now used by Ford to source cars needed for its promo shoots. On Sunday after the cruise, Rey and his team will be hosting Mustang Memories at the Ford World Headquarters, an all-Ford Car Show with more than 800 different cars.

This year, WDET will also be taking part in Woodward's car-lover antics. The public radio station acquired a 1964 Dodge 880 custom convertible that was donated by Mary Wilson, the widow of Detroit businessman Ralph C. Wilson Jr.

"Ralph got it for me back in '94," said Mrs. Wilson. "When I saw that car at DuMouchelles Auction House right on the first floor, I fell in love with it. We enjoyed driving it down Lakeshore Road or down Woodward. I've just had so many fun moments with it."

The Wilsons named the car "Horace" in acknowledgment of the first person who bought the car, Horace Dodge Jr. It has less than 22,000 miles and is one of the first of this model to roll off the line. Now, the car will be joining Lambda Car Club for the Woodward cruise on display in Pleasant Ridge's Memorial Park beginning at 2 p.m.

Since its conception in 1995, the Woodward Dream Cruise has brought people of all backgrounds together to celebrate one thing and one thing only: cars. No matter what corner of the cruise you end up in, you can almost guarantee to stumble upon an avid car enthusiast with a long history of loving cars and a sick ride.

"The thing about the Dream Cruise is that everyone's excited about everyone's cars," said Emiliana Sandoval, 53, of Detroit. "You might get a thumbs up or people will honk and say nice things about each other's cars. It's always fun. I think part of why people enjoy taking their cars out is to see the reactions and see people smile."

Woodward Dream Cruise

Friday-Saturday

The cruise runs along a 16-mile radius through Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Pleasant Ridge and Pontiac in Oakland County.

Main events

Friday

Pontiac Classic Car Show, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. in Pontiac

Cruise in Shoes 5k Run, 8-9:30 a.m., Royal Oak

Performance Classic Car Show, noon-7 p.m., Royal Oak

Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show, 1-7 p.m.

Official Dream Cruise Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, 5 p.m., Ferndale

CruiseFest Classic Car Parade, 6:30 p.m. in Berkley

Saturday

Birmingham Cruise, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Performance Classic Car Show, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Royal Oak

Woodward Dream Parade, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Pontiac

Pontiac Classic Car Show, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

Ford Bronco Show, 10-a.m.-6 p.m., Pleasant Ridge, at Woodward and Oakland Park Blvd.

For directions and parking information, visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com.