Woodward 2017: Chevrolet Shines at Dream Cruise

Chevrolet wasn’t the title sponsor for the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise, but in the streets and parking lots, the Bowtie brand was well represented.

After serving as the title sponsor for the Woodward Dream Cruise over the past few years, it came as a huge shock to the muscle car community when GM announced that Chevrolet would not be the official automotive sponsor of the historic Detroit area event. GM stated that it was simply a business decision as the company looks to allocate some funds elsewhere, but many Chevrolet fans were concerned that their favorite brand would not be as well represented at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise beyond the name of the event.

Unfortunately, the Camaro Corral didn’t happen this year, but other than that special parking area and the Silverado Safety Safari vehicles, Chevrolet was just as present as any other American brand – if not more so.

Chevrolet Performance on Display

Chevrolet Performance was back with a large display near the corner of 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue (shown above from the road). This area featured some of the hottest new production models such as the Colorado ZR2, the Camaro ZL1 1LE, the Corvette Grand Sport, the Corvette Z06, the COPO Camaro drag racing package and a handful of Silverado pickups.

Joining these new production models was a collection of concept cars, SEMA Show cars and pro race cars. Included were some classic Chevy muscle cars with late model drivetrains, the Camaro Turbo AutoX Concept and one of John Force’s 10,000 horsepower Camaro funny cars.

Finally, the Chevrolet Performance parts division had a handful of product displays, including performance parts for the Silverado and Camaro, all sorts of wheel options for modern GM vehicles and crate engines for any project. Also, while Chevy fans were visiting the Chevrolet Performance area and checking out the highest performance GM products ever- they could score a free Chevy Performance t-shirt.

Chevrolet Performance on the Road

In addition to the newest production models and the coolest concepts being on display in the Chevrolet Performance area, Chevy and the rest of the GM brands were very well represented on Woodward Avenue. The dense traffic near the Chevrolet Performance area was often packed with Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile products and if you traveled to free-flowing portions of the route – such as the area of the Pontiac Woodward Loop – you had a better chance of seeing some of these GM Performance models on the move. From Fieros to Firebirds, Chevettes to Chevelles and Camaros to Corvettes from every generation, GM was arguably the most well represented company by cruisers at the Woodward Dream Cruise.

In case you missed the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise, we put together a gallery showing the vehicles of the Chevrolet Performance booth at 13 Mile and Woodward (above) as well as a quick look at just a few of the vehicles on the road – showing just how diverse of a crowd makes the drive to Woodward to show off their beloved vehicles.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com