SOUTH LYON, Mich. – There are countless classic and collectible car cruise-in style events all over the country each summer – from big-city suburbs to quaint small towns located in Everyplace, USA. The attraction of witnessing the sheer variety and uniqueness of every sort of vehicle that has rolled across this continent for the past century or so makes these kinds of automotive events a must-see for enthusiasts of every age. Most attendees would tell you the cars they see on display at cruise-ins are most often the pride and joy of owners who are actively involved in the car hobby – many of whom are likely older adults with a bit more disposable income than young car lovers. If you tend to think the same, then you may need take a closer look at a car show or cruise-in near you this summer.
We found more than a few surprises after making similar assumptions at a popular community car show venue is suburban Detroit last fall. It’s called the Lake Street Cruise-In -- a monthly car show held on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 9:30pm in the trendy little city of South Lyon, Michigan, located about 40 miles northwest of The Motor City. Downtown South Lyon has been the home of the Lake Street Cruise-In since 2012. People come from miles around to see some 250 vehicles representing everything from ‘50’s classics, hot rods, rat rods and trucks, to ‘60’s through ‘80’s muscle cars, along with sports cars, motorcycles, and maybe even a dragster or race car or two. The town’s own Cruzn' DJ Paul Peters plays a wide variety of music as showgoers dine or shop at the local businesses in town while enjoying the cars on the beautiful summer evenings. Awards are given out at the shows for Best Paint, Best Engine, and Best in Show on each fourth Wednesday night in May, June, August, and September, with the July event being an All-Day Motorfest.
Some conversations overheard at the September event were unexpected. One young couple was standing next to their car when a gentleman came up and asked, “Hey young fellow, where did you get those custom wheels?” To which the young man replied as he looked at his girlfriend. “Oh, I don’t know – this is her car!” At the big August event last year, a father and his teenage son were spotted polishing the hood on their classic Mustang when an onlooker came up and said to the dad, “Nice – did you buy this beauty back in the day?” The father just smiled and said, “No -- this is my son’s car” as the young man finished his dad’s sentence by adding, “We just got done restoring it together!”
At that same show, a local club member got up close to a big, beautiful 390-powered burgundy Galaxie on display to read a flyer on the windshield, thinking it was for sale. But it turned out that the flyer was actually from students at nearby Washtenaw Community College, proudly promoting the work of the school’s Custom Cars & Concepts class! Sure enough, when the Galaxie fan got home, he saw a photo of that same car on the school’s Facebook page, with a caption encouraging people to “come out and find out about all the new vehicles we will be doing this year and how to sign up for classes!”
Our roving Ford super-enthusiast and car show photographer Mark Storm attended that final South Lyon Cruise In last fall and saw plenty of families and young people – joining in with the Baby Boomers – out enjoying some cool cars on a warm summer’s night. Mark sent us some ofhis favorite photos from the event to share with you in the gallery below. And oh, for possibly more surprises, you should know that the 6th Annual South Lyon Lake Street Cruise-In All Day Motorfest will be held on July 26, 2025.
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTSESY MARK STORM
