2000 Dream Cruise, Day One Page 2

By Marty Padgett

Marty Padgett

Editorial Director BIO

Marty Padgett is High Gear Media's Editorial Director, overseeing the words that skim across High Gear Media's portfolio of automotive destinations... More

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A BRIGHTER IDEA? Dream Cruisers know it’s better to drive something modified than something stock. Roll down Woodward during the weekend, and you’ll see unfamiliar bodywork, exotic wheels and chromework, and of course, lots of rolling neon. We’re not sure if this purple rod’s hazy notion of style works, but the crowds on the street gave it the thumbs up.

classic Little Red Riding street Rod Enlarge Photo Click image for larger view

LITTLE RED RIDING ROD Of course, hot rods are the main attraction at the Dream Cruise. You’ll find all shapes and sizes of the homemade street cars crisscrossing Woodward. Most of them, like this red beauty, are made from Ford underpinnings and virtually custom-built by their owners or by specialty hot-rod constructors.

classic schizo wheels Enlarge Photo Click image for larger view

SCHIZO WHEELS After Dream Cruise, all of us could use a little bit of therapy. But this rod’s owner, maybe more so than anyone. Like many rods, this one’s a mutt, made up of plenty of pieces from different vehicles, massaged to work together. Looks like a Ford chop job, right? Correct, until you inspect the trunk and find the "Chevrolet V-8" badges.

classic Gray Ghost Enlarge Photo Click image for larger view

GRAY GHOST Maybe the most elegant hot rod we saw on day one, this car had a bench leather seat and switchgear from mid-1980s Fords but a classic hot-rod silhouette – and a license plate that read "IBCRUZN."

psycho van and motorsycle Enlarge Photo Click image for larger view

BIG WHEELS Dream Cruise is mostly about cars, but the legions of Harley riders, fire truck drivers, ambulance pilots and yes, even trash truck pushers would attest, it’s open to anything. We figure this two-wheeler was either a) a leftover from an ancient civilization of giant cruisers or b) someone’s idea of what the next Harley SUV should look like.

classic under repair Enlarge Photo Click image for larger view

FIX ON ROAD DAILY? Owning a classic isn’t always a cruiser’s dream -- sometimes they break down in the middle of the fun. This car was revived quickly by its owner during the height of Friday’s cruising. Normally, the summer heat drops a few of the classic rods out of the 5-mph crawl down Woodward, but this year, 70-degree temps and fair skies ruled the Cruise.