{"id":33205,"date":"2024-08-17T11:52:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T15:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33205"},"modified":"2024-08-17T11:52:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T15:52:01","slug":"dream-cruise-saturday-families-vettes-evs-flock-to-woodward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/dream-cruise-saturday-families-vettes-evs-flock-to-woodward","title":{"rendered":"Dream Cruise Saturday: Families, \u2018Vettes, EVs flock to Woodward"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pontiac<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The Thomas family was out at the crack of dawn for Saturday\u2019s Woodward Dream Cruise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be here early so you can get your spot on Woodard,\u201d said Bob Thomas, 43, of Waterford Township, standing next to his 1966 Dodge Dart at the corner of Pike and Woodward in downtown Pontiac. Bob is the son of Mike, 64, the first of three generations of Thomases who religiously attend the Dream Cruise each year. The third gen is Mike\u2019s grandson Hunter, 19, who just bought a Mazda Miata to restore.<\/p>\n

Restoration is in the blood. Mike, who has been coming to the Cruise since its inception in 1995, arrived this year in a 1968 Chevy Camaro that he restored six years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a first and second-generation Camaro fan,\u201d said Papa Thomas. \u201cI\u2019ve restored more Camaros than I can count.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of his first was a 1970 model that he used to drag race on Woodward as a 16-year-old. The car was briefly impounded when he was caught racing twice on the same night. \u201cI didn\u2019t see the cop was behind me at Woodward and 13,\u201d Mike said, laughing. \u201cBut I\u2019m not into that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n

The Thomas family (l to r): Mike, Hunter, Bob got an early start at Saturday’s Woodward Dream Cruise on Aug. 17, 2024. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Woodward\u2019s legendary drag days are a bygone era, and Bob and Hunter (who brought his 2002 Chevy Silverado to this year\u2019s Cruise) had no similar stories to share. Instead, they look forward to legal drag racing at Roadkill Nights in Pontiac the weekend before the Cruise each year.<\/p>\n

ICE \u2018n\u2019 EV<\/h2>\n

Royal Oak<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Lounging next to his red, mid-engine, V-8-powered Chevy Corvette C8 on Woodward, Kevin Kicinski sported . . . a Rivian shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the best of both worlds,\u201d said Kicinski, a service manager for the electric brand. A fan of both internal combustion engines and electric vehicles, Kicinski keeps a Ford Mustang Mach-E next to his Corvette at home in South Lyon.<\/p>\n

But he prefers his ICEs loud and his EVs silent. \u201cI\u2019m not a fan of that sound,\u201d he said of the recently introduced, electric Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee\u2019s artificially-generated V-8 exhaust note. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to go electric, then be electric. If you\u2019re going to be a muscle car, be a muscle car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/figure>\n
\n

Kevin Kicinski of South Lyon brought his Corvette C8 to Woodward for the Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, but the Rivian service manager also loves electric vehicles like his Mustang Mach-E. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kicinski knows his muscle. He\u2019s owned a Dodge Charger as well as two fifth-generation Corvette C5s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my third Corvette. This one is really special to me, because it\u2019s the first time I flew out to purchase a vehicle,\u201d he said of the sleek, 495-horsepower beast next to him. \u201cI bought it online, flew out to New Hampshire and drove it back. That was a fun-filled day just bringing it home.\u201d<\/p>\n