BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -  Insiders to the annual Woodward Dream Cruise know full well that to avoid the massive gridlock on cruise day – held on the third Saturday of August each year – it’s best to get out on the weekdays prior to Saturday’s massive traffic jam. The cruising action grows with intensity on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and goes full-on for the Thursday and Friday leading up to the weekend. With this year’s cruise-day weather report calling for afternoon rain showers, cruise week seemed busier than ever as some owners decided to get all their cruising in on the weekdays and avoid the chance of getting their prized rides wet on Saturday altogether. That’s why we asked our own Ford Performance photojournalist correspondent, Ford retiree Bill Cook, to send us his photos from Woodward week, as well as shots of the action on the avenue taken by fellow Ford enthusiast Mark Storm.

“It was quite a week . . . something we call ‘Woodward Dream Cruise Week’ around here.” Cook explained. “There were multiple car activities for nine consecutive days. On the Wednesday before the big cruise, the Shelby American Automobile Club – Motor City Region (SAAC-MCR) held our Pre-Woodward Cruise-In at Pasteiner's Auto Zone Hobbies on Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Michigan. It was an impressive show of Shelbys and Ford power with great owners. Food was provided for our members. We had good time watching, listening (ha-ha) and commenting on the outstanding rides rolling by until dark.” Along with Bill’s photos from that night, Storm sent along shots he took along Woodward during the week as well.
   
By now, most enthusiasts know that the biggest one-day celebration of the car culture on the planet is the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. That’s when more than 40,000 custom, classic and collectible cars, trucks and motorcycles parade up and down the Detroit-area’s historic Woodward Avenue, known as the heart of The Motor City’s automotive heritage. More than a million fans and spectators line both sides of America’s first paved highway to witness this rolling spectacle each summer.
In case you missed the 2024 Woodward Dream Cruise – again sponsored by Ford Motor Company – fear not: Ford Performance has you covered! We’ll be sharing all sorts of exclusive Woodward Dream Cruise content and photos with you on FordPerformance.com over the coming weeks, as well as from Sunday’s massive Mustang Memories and All Ford Show at Ford World Headquarters, hosted by the Mustang Owners Club of SouthEastern Michigan (MOCSEM). So let’s get our Woodward Week coverage party started with these photos of some Ford-filled pre-cruise activity below:

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY BILL COOK & MARK STORM