Dream Cruise Signs
Today was the famous Woodward Dream Cruise, a gigantic gathering of people who like cars, and who like to drive their cars slowly up and down Woodward Ave, while looking at other people who are doing the same thing.
It is pretty lame, actually, if you live near Woodward. Traffic becomes increasingly heavy the week before the cruise, and for the entire weekend, Woodward is impassable. I made peace with this, however, and decided to go to Birmingham and take some photos.
Raining Hard...
The Dream Cruise was cursed with heavy rains for the first half of the day. As late as 4:00, it was still raining steadily, and quite a few drivers bailed out early.
Birmingham Theater Area
Fords in Birmingham
Ford Motor takes over downtown Birmingham
Ford set up a large area in the downtown Birmingham park, where a large number of old Fords were on display, as well as new products. There were many Mustangs, old and new, as you might expect. There was also a strong Saleen presence, and lots of Shelby related displays.
1967 Mercury Cougar
I am not sure exactly what this is, I think it is a 2006 Focus ST. It is not much different from the 2005, that I can tell, except that Ford added a very agressive loooking front fascia, probably cribbed from the outgoing European model.
2006 Focus ZX4 ST (?)
Mobility Mustang GT--This car had a spinner knob on the steering wheel, and hand controls for the throttle and brakes.
2007 Shelby Cobra
2007 Shelby Cobra Engine
Shelby Concept Car
Saleen Mustang GT
Saleen was suprisingly well represented at the Ford area. There were numerous variations of the Saleen Mustang, as well as a S7 and a Focus.
Saleen Focus
GT40--An original example
A Bigfoot was parked by the Birmingham Police HQ.
After an over-dose of Ford corporate stuff, I decided to walk down Old Woodward to see the non-sponsored cars.
Pair of Edsels
Pair of Bentleys
Austin Healey Club
Cobra (Replica) Alley--Most "Shelby AC Cobras" that you see are replicas. Real ones are rare and very expensive.
Lincoln V12
1962 Chrysler LeBaron
Lebaron Interior
Cadillac LaSalle
Pontiac "Spirit of Daytona" race car, designed to race in the rain.
Interior of the Pontac Daytona race car
Pontiac Daytona race car engine
After walking for a while south on Old Woodward, I found myself in the Chevrolet display area. GM was showing off a collection of race cars (NASCAR, etc.) but most of these were covered with tarps after the rain. The Chevrolet product lineup was there, unlocked, and people were crawling around the vehicles. Product "models" were on hand to answer any questions about the cars, such as "Does this V8 Impala have front wheel drive?". (It wasn't me).
Chevrolet HHR. The HHR doesn't have much to see under the hood, but it does have lots of room inside and a nice interior for the price. I'm not excited by the retro styling, but overall, it seems to be a nice package. You can order one with a 5 speed manual transmission, which is a big plus in my opinion.
Impala SS with 5.3L V8 (but front wheel drive). I 'm not sure what I think about the new Impala. It has a crisp, clean design, but it is bland.
Impala SS interior
Monte Carlo--GM tried to sharpen the lines of the new Monte Carlo. It is less ugly than the previous model, but not less bland.
Woodward view, southbound, near the Chevrolet area
Leaving the Chevrolet area, I walked to the next light and crossed Woodward, near Borders Books.
Old School Cruising
Crossing Woodward
Pickup Hoops (heh)
Porsche Carrera GT. This was parked near an exotic car dealership, and it was attracting a lot of attention.
Segway. This guy was also attracting a lot of attention, but not in a positive way, I think.
Saleen S7. Not content with displaying in the Ford area, Saleen also had a display area set up on Woodward ave., showing an S7.
Saleen S7 cockpit
Update: I saw this guy the day after the Dream Cruise. Note the 9/11 Mural on the underside of his hood. He also had scissor doors, a DVD system with subwoofer, and the obligatory cold air intake.
Noble M12. The importer of the Noble M12 was on Woodward on the northbound side. The M12 is a small volume car built in South Africa, but sold here as a kit car to avoid OBD and crash regs. It is powered by a modified Ford 3.0L V6, with twin turbos, and claims 352HP.
Noble M12 cockpit
DeTomaso Pantera Club. I was not aware of the story of the Pantera, but one of the owners was nice enough to tell me about it. This amazing looking car was built for Ford, and was powered by Ford 351 Mustang engines. Only a small number were imported, and they are quite collectible, but not as prized as other Italian exotics.
Pantera Interior
"Modified" Hyundai (heh). I'm sure the blue plug wires are worth at least 10HP.
"Modified" Hyundai.
Her sign says "Burn it out" on the other side.
SmartCar. There were a small parade of these at the Dream Cruise. I am not sure if they were there from Daimler, or were Canadians mocking us.
Old firetruck
Tricked out 300, with scissor doors, spinners, DVD, etc.
Elvis and Marylin together?
20 comments:
Awesome coverage AP!
That's a great set of photos. Love the modded Hyundai (not).
thanks for the pics of my hyundai. but i bet my soloX sub in the trunk is worth more than you car. :)
and the wires do add 10 hp :D
hey, maybe before you go bashing dave's "modified" hyundai like its a POS, maybe you should check out the enthusiasts this car has www.elantraxd.com . i dont recall there being a sign there saying "hey i have the fastest car here". funny how you notice blue wires but no nitrous WAY TO FAIL dick. show some respect. he does have a hell of a nice car, just because you dont like it, dont diss it
Just because it's a Hyundai you instantly slammed on it. Maybe you should take the time and do a little checking on how far Hyundai has come in quality, and features before just showing how little you really know. But then again you work for one of the big 2 1/2 and probably still in the dream world that the only good cars come from Detroit.
hey love the hyundai pics... Way to put down a car you know nothing about. You definitely earned that s/n "Auto Prophet" (Nah) maybe you should've found out what "mods" he has done to his car. BTW i especially like the picks of youre POS car...oh wait there were none my mistake. Loser
That "modified" hyundai is the best one there! Woot! Looks Sharp! Nice catch on actually getting the pictures of it! Where is your car? Hmmm.
What a fucking loser.... I mean you judge someones car that way because it is a Hyundai?? WTF? That is why stupid idiots like yourself drive ford pintos and beat up station wagons and dream of buying a new car. Learn some respect idiot.
MrGisriel
www.elantraxd.com
I see I struck a nerve with my Hyundai comments. It is true I missed the NO2 bottle, but that's a dumb mod in my opinion.
I don't care for Hyundai, since the American auto makers are in a life or death battle with them, and the Korean have an unfair advantage. If you want to drive Korean steel that has been dumped on our market, go ahead. You can paint it any color you want, I still won't like it.
Word: If you wanted to get performance out of a little 4-banger, you would go for turbo or supercharging, new intake and exhaust headers. Not an NO2 bottle, K&N filter, coffee can tailpipe, and fat plug wires. Basically all you are getting is a lot of noise.
At least he didn't put a huge carbon fiber wing on the back of the Hyundai--or maybe he is saving up for it?
I don't much care for DVDs and huge subwoofers in cars, either--my idea of entertainment is to drive the car, not to watch and listen to porn at deafening levels. If I want to watch TV, I go sit in my living room.
A $12,000 Hyundai with $10,000 worth of mods is still a Hyundai. I personally would rather buy a nicer used car, and skip the bling. You all can spend your money however you want--but don't show up at the Woodward Dream Cruise and expect any love.
Thanks for reading.
well, its not like you have to see the nitrous bottle. obviously you would have seen the NITROUS MANAGEMENT UNIT bolted on the FIREWALL. like i said before, WAY TO FAIL. its not just a tail pipe, its full cat back, and the headers are sitting in the closet. maybe its not your idea of fun to have a bunch of electronics in a car, but you know what, its not your car. wheres the pics of your car? whats the problem with nitrous over a turbo or supercharger. its MUCH easier than turbo set up, much cheaper and provides just as much power. then again, nitrous isnt used 100% of the time like a turbo. yes you did strike a nerve. you may think its "Korean steel that has been dumped on our market" but guess what, my warranty will be running out when your car breaks down for good. and you know what. i paid 1/2 for my car then yours. everyone and their mother knows america quality is going to shit, but there seems to be a select bunch (read : most of detroit) that seems to think it keeps going up. hell, the only way american cars could boost their sales past honda/toyota/hyundai/mitsu was to offer an employee discount. id be willing to put 100$ that if hyundai did the same thing, they would outsell the shit out of american cars.
hi, im the owner of the hyundai. before anyone makes any more comments why dont you look at my sounddomain website. this will, IN DETAIL, describe all that is done to my car. http://members.sounddomain.com/2loud2k2xd this will inform you and everyone that i dont throw stuff in or on my ride to gain recognition. i do it because i love to do it. i have all performance from intake to FULL exhaust done.
and by the way, the carrera gt you took a pic of, ive driven 4 of them, at the dealership i work at. where the car was parked. have a nice day. and nice article on the dream cruise. just dont dis the hyundai bro, i might have to call you out to the track and show you what it can do :D
sorry by the way, it was 17,000.00, not 12,000.00. :)
2loud2k2xd
You say you're in the auto industry and a member of the SAE, but you don't even know that nitrous oxide is N2O, not NO2. You're mad at hyundai for outselling american cars because they have an unfair advantage (by the way, what is this unfair advantage?), so I guess this means you hate america for beating terrorists because we have an unfair advantage over them...
Of course I know that Nitrous Oxide is N20 not N02. NO2 is a pollutant. I just can't always type correctly.
Domestic quality, depending on how you measure it (low mileage TGW or high mileage) is for some products better than Japanese, for some products worse. I personally would not choose a Hyundai over a Ford or GM because I think the quality is worse, although Hyundai does have a much more generous warranty than the domestic makers.
Thanks for reading.
What car do you drive farmer?
Please don't disrespect Hyundai. They make reliable cars for a good price.
It is modified very well in my opinion!
To the owner, you've done a great job!
Panteras were sold in Mercury dealships, I remember seeing a few on the streets. The famous hockey player Tim Horton died in one as he was returning home from a game late at night in St. Catharines Ontario. A friend of mine's father has one, well built and robust.
IMHO, most of the folks who posted in response to the "dis" of the Hundai are far worse and sorry-er than the guy who made the unfortunate original comment. Resorting to personal attacks and name-calling is a sign of either immaturity or a low IQ. You can disagree or admonish (like the Hundai's owner did) without being mean or nasty. If a guy is proud of his ride and want to "trick it out", then what does it matter what the nameplate on it is? I have owned and driven American and foreign vehicles. The U.S. makers have gotten a LOT better in quality and design, and the Japanese/Korean makers have continued to innovate. There's room for all, and competition benefits ALL us buyers. BTW: I recently traded my '99 Tahoe SS 4x4 for a new HHR 2LT which has been converted to an SS as well. Great little truck! I had several cars on my "short list", including Pontiac Solstice, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda 6, Chevy Cobalt SS, and Honda Civic. the HHR was IMHO the most innovative design, and gave the most "bang for the buck". OnStar isn't available on either an Acura OR a Lexus. Only on GM and "affiliates".
Here's what a quick search of the web on " interior design firms " came up with: interior design firms
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