It’s Woodward Dream Cruise time again. And like in years before, Ford will be the center of the universe with their displays and enthusiast outposts. Top billing for this weekend will be the new 2012 Mustang Boss 302. The Boss 302, along with the track-ready Boss 302 Laguna Seca, will greet visitors to the Ford display in Ferndale, Mich.
Ford employees are also getting in on the fun, bringing an anticipated 10 original Boss Mustangs for display. But that’s not the only Mustang eye-candy. Mustang Alley will showcase more than 500 Mustangs – one of the largest gatherings of Mustangs in the country. The Ford display, which extends more than a mile along 9 Mile Road, also includes the 2011 Mustang GT with the all-new 412-horsepower 5.0-liter engine.
“We’re celebrating our entire Mustang lineup with this display,” said Fritz Wilke, Mustang brand manager. “We are letting enthusiasts get up close to learn about and experience our newest Mustangs and see the heritage of Mustangs at the same time.”
For visitors looking to take a piece of Mustang home, Mustang Boss 302 T-shirts will be given to fans. Ford also is selling Mustang Bears for $10, with all proceeds to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Additional Mustang and Ford merchandise also will be available for sale.
Ford Racing is bringing the garage to the Woodward Dream Cruise with Mustang Garage, which allows customers to customize their own cars on-site to sound louder and go faster – with show-special Ford Racing Performance Parts installed by trained Ford dealer technicians. Show-goers can make a Mustang Garage appointment in advance by calling Ed Schmid Ford (248-544-1091), or they can walk up to the Ford Racing booth and purchase the parts they want installed, then watch the process happen right before their eyes.
Located at the Ford display on 9 Mile Road, Mustang Garage will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. With any Ford Racing Performance Parts installation, the customer will receive a free Ford Racing T-shirt. The Ford Racing display also includes Ford Racing specialty cars, a 160-foot-wide display of NASCAR, drag racing and road racing cars, and the Ford Racing Performance Parts display trailer.
Current and future products will line the streets, including a display by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT), which will showcase the F-150 SVT Raptor and Shelby GT500. Current products will include the all-new Fiesta and Super Duty, as well as the Taurus and Fusion.
Other companies joining in the Ford display include Roush Performance and Shelby Automobiles, all taking to the streets of Ferndale to join in the celebration. Visitors can check out Ford’s monster truck, Blue Thunder, with an appearance by driver Linsey Weenk. The Ford area has two stages with live classic rock ’n’ roll entertainment, food courts and a play zone for kids.
The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world’s largest one-day celebration of classic car culture. The event attracts more than 1.5 million visitors and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom collector and special-interest vehicles. The annual cruise started as a small event to raise money for a soccer field in Ferndale in 1995. Nelson House and a group of volunteers hoped to create the days of the 1950s and ’60s, when cars, music and teenagers took over Woodward Avenue, America’s first highway. That year, 250,000 people participated – nearly 10 times the number expected. Today, nearly 100 area charities benefit from the sale of official Dream Cruise merchandise and refreshments each year.
