So, I heard all the talk. Its great, it's awesome... blah blah blah.
Well, in a word, I say WOW!
Ted and Bruce have been clamoring me to show up at Woodward because they know my interest in old cars and they weren't wrong. Woodward is an unbelievable event and something everyone should experience at least once. The pics, videos and stories you see and hear don't do it justice. Not even close. To see the massive expanse that is Woodward is indescribable.
Most car events or shows are in a confined local. You go, park and participate. Your biggest joy is probably driving there. Woodward is not that. It's an interaction like no other. You can park and watch, but you can also cruise. And not just cruise to the event. Imagine cruising 20 miles in both directions with never ending historic vehicles from every genre riding with you and parked on both sides as you go. It's amazing!
For those familiar with Woodward, Bruce had a spot reserved in Troy which was our base. We used Adams St. as our N/S run down to Birmingham where we had spots near 14 mile. Great location accross from the triangle.
Friday night we had a great dinner up in a quaint little spot in Rochester in the N. suburbs of Detroit. So I thought about the chicken, but went for the pan fried walleye. It was extremley fresh and good. And with real mashed potatoes! (Irish smile) Awesome little spot. I highly recommend this restaurant.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kruse ... 83.1341404
We cruised Woodward Friday night and rolling south towards Detroit just out of Pontiac when we saw what looked like a spot with 100 bikers hanging out front. I couldn't get a name of the place, but it was certainly noticable given the combination of a bunch of bikers and the neighborhood.
The next moning, we took an early cruise and saw the same place with several passed out or semi-concious bikers still out front in what looked like the remnants of one hell of a party.
Of course I couldn't resist figuring out just what was it????
So I googled the location and discover it was the...
The name? The Detroit Renagade MC Club HQ. So that's a google map image of the place in pristine condition. It was a little rougher on Friday/Saturday!
That's what I love about Detroit. It's so Cleveland!
Anyway, the cars we saw covered all eras and manufacturers. I loved the Ford Model A's and would love to own one. Those flat 4's are cool and I love the simplicity. I must say I hate the choped hot rod versions and was happy to see a purist section who's owners ran them like it was 1931 all over again.
So of course we did see plenty of VW's and Bruce's Bus 1 was a huge hit. Here are some pics featuring VW's and a few others...
There's a few pics in the middle of this featuring a 1969 AMC vehicle. Who can name it???
Woodward Cruise 2019
Re: Woodward Cruise 2019
Might be an AMC Rebel
Re: Woodward Cruise 2019
Rambler Hurst/SC or Hurst/SCRambler...
Re: Woodward Cruise 2019
Re: Woodward Cruise 2019
I've done WWDC about 15+ times over the last 20 years, only missing a few because of family illnesses. Woodward stretches about 20 miles from downtown Detroit to Pontiac with the majority of this involved in the cruise. They've claimed as many as 40,000 classic cars and 1.7 million people in the past and I don't know what the current counts are, but it's a blast! You can sit in your lawn chair on the edge of the road and watch the cars go by, or you can walk around and look at the cars parked. I usually hang out around Maple and WW in Birmingham near the Old Woodward "triangle", which is closed to traffic and one big car show. Making one "lap" to Pontiac and back usually takes 1-1.5 hours and spectators are lining the road nearly the whole way. Friday night is usually very cool and loaded with anticipation. People from all over the US attend, there's license plates from many states down south and trailers packing many hotel parking lots.
Detroit has a ton of stuff to do for gearheads, if you haven't been to the museums and where the car industry started, you should think about getting there. The Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and the Ford Piquette plant are a few of the don't-miss attractions. Roadkill (on Motor Trend channel) has a wild day where they block off Woodward and do drag racing near Pontiac. We saw the big burnout area where there was a ton of rubber on the road. The problem is they do it on the same day as Volksfest.
Not a great shot but this gives you an idea: Plan for next year!
Detroit has a ton of stuff to do for gearheads, if you haven't been to the museums and where the car industry started, you should think about getting there. The Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and the Ford Piquette plant are a few of the don't-miss attractions. Roadkill (on Motor Trend channel) has a wild day where they block off Woodward and do drag racing near Pontiac. We saw the big burnout area where there was a ton of rubber on the road. The problem is they do it on the same day as Volksfest.
Not a great shot but this gives you an idea: Plan for next year!
Bruce Amacker
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus