FERNDALE, Mich. – If you've never attended the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit, then you're missing the biggest one-day automotive event on the planet. And with Ford being the event’s primary sponsor for the annual cruise again this year, it was better than ever!
For 2018 Ford Motor Company celebrated 20 Years of hosting Mustang Alley at the cruise with special cars, displays and attractions. Up along Woodward on cruise day there were also driving demonstrations at the Ford Fund’s “Driving Skills For Life” display at Westborn Market; a full Ford Performance vehicle display at Dugan’s Pub – including the spectacular 2018 Ford GT; a “Family Fun Zone” at Poplar Park; and even a “Ford Motor Meadow Meetup” sponsored by Ford Performance at Pleasant Ridge Park where free parking and picnic areas were available for club members and owners of collectible & vintage Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles.
The action all started at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 17, at East 9 Mile and Woodward with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, followed by a “Police and First Responder Vehicle Parade.” Then early Saturday, the massive cruise – with some 1.4 million people and nearly 40,000 collectible cars – was ON! As you might expect, hundreds upon hundreds of Fords cruised along the famed Woodward Avenue, with thousands upon thousands of car-watching onlookers.
Despite all of those cars making headlines and all of the media hoopla, it was just a handful of notable Mustangs Ford had newly revealed and/or put on display that had generated the biggest enthusiast buzz. People were still talking about them after the Dream Cruise had closed the books on yet another successful year along famed Woodward Avenue. Tops among these stars of the weekend were reveals of the all-new Mustang Cobra Jet drag car and the all-new Mustang NASCAR racer for next season. What’s more, the original Bullitt movie car was there, as well as the First Retail Sale Mustang, plus the newly minted 10 Millionth Mustang, not to mention the 2019 Mustang Bullitt (plus a one-off Kona Blue version that will serve as a charity raffle car for JDRF).
We sent out our staff photographer, Isaac Ireland, to shoot some images of these newsworthy Fords in all of their glory during the Dream Cruise, and asked him to share just a sample of his favorite shots with you in the gallery below:
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTO GALLERY / COURTESY ISAAC IRELAND