Anybody that has ever had an appreciation of classic cars knows that the annual Woodward Dream Cruise is one of the can’t-miss events of the calendar year.
Held annually at Michigan’s legendary Woodward Avenue, the world’s largest classic car cruise is shaping up to have another memorable 2011 staging, complete with over 30,000 classic vehicles and an attendance that’s expected to reach well over 1.5 million people.
This year, the Chevrolet-sponsored event will be held on August 20th when you’ll see some of your favorite cars in history. An event like this brings out all types of cars from different generations. You name it, it’s there: from hot rods, classic cars, muscle cars, rat rods, art cars, TV cars, and everything else in between. In fact, at least one of every type of Mustang model made since the car debuted in April 1964 will be in attendance, as well as the Shelby GT500, both street and racing versions of the Boss 302, and the Mustang GT and V6 Coupe with performance package. Getting back to the main sponsor, Chevrolet, the Detroit-based company is bringing many cars from their past, present, and future, including the Cruze, Camaro, Corvette, Volt, Sonic, and ZL1 Camaro.
If you happen to be in the area this weekend, you’ll get a first-hand look at some of those classic rides that you’ll have the chance to check off of your bucket list. But if you’re not within the vicinity, you can still keep up-to-date with the latest happenings courtesy of the event’s official radio station, 104.3 WOMC. Head over to the WOMC website and find out everything you need to know about the Woodward Dream Cruise 2011.
There’s an old saying that states, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." While the millions of people that have uttered that phrase a time or two mostly do it when co-workers screw something up or when something at home goes array, Yannick Sire of Sire Performance Custom Performance in Inglewood, CA meant it on a much bigger scale. He didn’t want to provide better landscaping or execute a perfect parallel parking job; he wanted to build a car. And not just any car, he wanted to build the perfect hot rod. A few years - and some spare parts and elbow grease - later, Sire had hand built himself a car that he felt earned the name of Priapism.
Priapism is actually a medical condition that was named after the Greek god Priapus who was known for his disproportionately large and permanent ----. Go ahead and look it up; you know you want to. But whatever its name translates into, the Sire Priapism has got some balls in the form of two Chevrolet 350 small block engines producing a total of 1000 HP. Adding that power to a comfortable 2,370 lbs car gave Sire a hot rod worth getting into.
Hit the jump for details on the Yannick Sire Priapism.
In the world of classic cars, the Woodward Dream Cruise is the cream of the crop. The event is held annually on the third Saturday of August and it takes place in the former home of mostly all American car production, Michigan. The drive starts on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, through Ferndale in Oakland County, and goes all the way to the State Fair Grounds inside the Detroit city limits, just south of 8 Mile Road. It might not be a Los Angeles beach cruise, as it’s Detroit, but for lovers of all the old days, it’s as good as it gets.
The event isn’t just big for the fans, it’s big for the city of Detroit as well. It is now the largest single day classic car event in the world, and brings in over $56 million annually for the Metro Detroit economy. It is, without a doubt, the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing about 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars each year.
After the jump, we have assembled numerous photos of the events. If you have photos of your own, feel free to share them with us.
Why do we love cars? Why is it that we know nearly every make and model of vehicle on the road? Why is it that the sound of an Italian V8 or the low-down grumble of old muscle cars excites us? There are many answers to those simple, thought provoking questions.
Some of us love the automotive world because of the engineering aspect. It can be easy to have the best time of your life working under the hood of your favorite car. Some love their beauty and the way artists have sculpted such brilliant shapes. We love them because of the freedom and speed they represent.
Luckily for people like us, there are events that can give us that sense of speed and the freedom to drive as fast we want with no laws to worry about. Two events that are coming up allow anybody to come and take their machines to the limit. The Texas Mile 324 and the World of Speed 2010 at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
UPDATE 08/26/2010: This article has been updated to include another top speed event. Check out the information on the Mojave Mile!
The folks at Factory Five Racing, the premiere Shelby Cobra replica builders in the world, have just come out with their fourth generation roadster complete with a reshaped body for a more period correct look thanks to a new in house fiberglass manufacturing process that significantly reduces the costs to tool the bodywork and apply the paint as well as additional room in the footwells for a more comfortable ride for both the driver and passenger and an optional aluminum shell seat for bigger guys.
The Mk4 roadster replica also comes with an all new assembly manual for complete kits making it easier to put the cars together from scratch as well as a Koni suspension that was first offered as an option on the last generation model and are now standard with all kits, but best of all they are made to accept the all new 400 HP 5.0 Liter Coyote V8 from the new MustangGT.
