Chevrolet Camaros on the Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise.
Camaro was celebrating its 50th Anniversary in Royal Oak, Michigan when a late afternoon rain storm prematurely shut the Woodward Dream Cruise down. Notably absent was Ford Motor even though it has “Mustang Alley” every year in the city of Ferndale on Nine Mile road – the very southern edge of the Cruise.
This is likely the largest gathering of Mustang owners in the world. The Ford Mustang, of course, was on sale more than a year ahead of the first Camaro. Mustang established and defined the pony car segment. There were no Ford Motor photos, no press releases, nothing but silence during the Cruise, unless you count the local shopper.
A trend is becoming apparent here. Communities south of 13 Mile road are living the old dream, so to speak, by doing the same old stuff. Remember Ferndale, arguably, founded the Cruise as a fund raiser for a soccer team.
Meanwhile North of 13 Mile road – starting with the Camaro under glass, and all the way up to Dodge’s street legal racing in Pontiac – the Dream is expanding.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
