Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Woodward Dream Cruise (cont’d) - Dave’s Midwestern Ohio Memories

A Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Woodward Dream Cruise (cont’d)

When my wife described last week’s blog about the Woodward Dream Cruise to her Mother, the two reminisced about the summer of 1971 when we first dated. My 1969 Nova SS pictured in last week’s blog had a set of Trush mufflers installed that made it quite loud. My Mother-in-law recalls when I dropped off her daughter after a late night out, the car’s roar would wake her up, which meant she also knew the time. She claimed the noise was audible until I crossed the railroad tracks on Rangeline Road heading back to Ft. Loramie.


Here are some of my other favorite cars at this year’s Dream Cruise. First is a Shelby Cobra, a car I always wanted but never owned primarily because I couldn’t fit in it; no leg room plus my head stuck up over the windshield! The fact that an original model now goes for $250,000 was a minor technicality, but lower cost replicas were available. Today some of the replicas actually have more leg and head room.


Other favorites were the 1969 GTO Judge and Olds Hurst 442. Friends at the time drove both classics that were really fast and had the distinctive monikers that made them instantly recognizable then and now.


Another favorite viewed at the Dream Cruise was the Hemi Under Glass Barracuda that could do amazing wheelies.


I also loved the fastback, boat-tailed Riviera from that era.


The Ford Sunliner was a really cool car with a retractable hardtop that would transform into a convertible. A high school friend had one of those. The hydraulics to raise the trunk lid and store the hardtop were an engineering feat I appreciated, but caused innumerable operational problems at always the wrong time.


The very first car I can remember was Dad’s 1951 Chevy; painted cream color with absolutely no options except 4 doors to allow us kids to pile in. It wasn’t nearly as nice as this restored beauty.


My first Ford vehicle was a 1971 Mercury just like the one below. We bought it with the money from selling the Nova SS about a year after we were married. Time for a family car, I guess.


When Ford purchased Jaguar, we owned two at one point; a 1959 XK150 and 1999 XK8, both maroon convertibles, or drop tops as the Brits call them.



Aretha Franklin’s funeral was held in Detroit this past week, and in her honor, an entourage of pink Cadillacs were included in the funeral procession in recognition of her album Freeway of Love.



Speaking of Aretha, she was in one of my favorite all time movies, the Blues Brothers singing her hit Think. In this years Dream Cruise there was a replica of the old Dodge police car the Blues brothers used in the movie, large rooftop speaker and all!



Speaking of movies, another favorite commemorated at the Dream Cruise was a Delorean featured in Back to the Future with its gull wind doors, flux capacitor and all.


Maybe they’ll make some movies about any of these strange vehicles spied during the Dream Cruise.


Mighty Mouse Cartoon.


Oops!


Rub-a-dub-dub!

Can’t wait till next year’s Cruise!

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