For attendees and classic car owners alike, the annual Woodward Dream Cruise — on famed Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to Pontiac — stirs memories of a simpler time. And for many, it reminds them of Dad.
“There’s a deeply philosophical and analytical reason why you drive the vehicle you drive ― it’s because your father drove one. And my father drove a Chevrolet,” retiree Norbert Jarzynski told the Detroit Free Press on Friday, Aug. 14. “I’m kinda strung out on General Motors. I’ve been driving them for 50 years. I still buy them.”
Jarzynski, 79, who now lives in Milton, Wisconsin, was among the crowds of people cruising — or watching the cars go by — on the day before the official cruise.
He said this is his third consecutive trip to the Dream Cruise, the biggest classic car show in the country. It draws a million people and 30,000 vehicles annually. Car fans have been gathering along the route (that also goes past Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills) to watch cars all week.
Though he’s not crazy about modern auto body stylings and says he prefers the visual appearance of classic cars to modern ones, Jarzynski said he thinks the best Chevy to drive is always the latest one.
Though he didn’t pursue an automotive career, he recalled how General Motors paid for his college at General Motors Institute, now part of Kettering University in Flint.
“My father was not by any stretch of the word wealthy, and I couldn’t see myself putting that kind of financial burden on him.”
Three generations of cruisers
Matt Joseph, 39, an underwriting manager at a credit union who lives in Sterling Heights, came to Dream Cruise with his father Dennis and three of his four sons: James, Samuel and Jack.
“They had a choice this year ― all three of them volunteered to come,” he said. His vehicle, a 1977 Corvette, stayed behind because it only had two seats.
Joseph said he is drawn to vehicles from the mid- to late 1970s, and said as years pass, models from that timeframe show up at the Dream Cruise more frequently than those from the 1950s.
“The reason I like them is, my dad had one,” he said, “When I was little, I wanted to replicate that car.”
Livonia resident Jeffrey Bieling, 60, who works in tool and die for Magna International, inherited his 1940 Ford Sedan Deluxe from his father. However it was his uncle who restored the vehicle and who Bieling said influenced him most.
“My uncle was a big influence on what I am today. My dad always liked cars, but he was not mechanically inclined,” Bieling said. “When (my uncle) passed away, I talked my dad into buying his car so we could hang out and be car guys. I taught him all about the car and how to take care of it.”
In addition to the Ford, Bieling owns a 1972 Monte Carlo and a 1968 Camaro.
Bob Malcolm, 74, a Waterford resident and Chrysler retiree, said he found his 1939 Ford Coupe Deluxe after years of searching. He said he has attended every single Dream Cruise since 1994.
When behind the wheel, Malcolm said, “I think of my stepdad. He bought one of these, it was a 40, when I was 15 or 16. He paid a whopping $175 for it,” he said. “It was an original.”
Detroit Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan contributed to this article.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Woodward Dream Cruise sparks memories of dads
Reporting by Jackie Charniga, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jackie Charniga, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
