Ten of the super-baddest Woodward Dream Cruise muscle cars

Even without any proof, you know. Waiting at a stoplight, shimmying rhythmically and rumbling quietly with a deep bass like an approaching storm. Green light. And in that moment the lopey growl explodes into a deafening scream – an instant and then it’s gone. All that remains is the sweet-smelling race gas’s vapor, a bit of tire smoke and there’s your evidence: Another quarter mile.

More than anything else, muscle cars embody the Woodward Dream Cruise’s spirit. After all, it was on Woodward in the 1960s where factory skunk-works teams would do battle, testing their latest and greatest, away from prying eyes. Saturday, Aug. 20, was the 22nd annual Dream Cruise and while the heat and sticky humidity were ever-present, the rain held off until late afternoon, long enough to enjoy the spectacle.

Here are 10 of some of the meanest muscle cars we saw cruising Woodward:

1. Spotted leaving Vinsetta’s Garage, Gentile’s Injecticide is a 1955 Chevy built Gasser-style, sporting a 383-ci small-block capped by twin quad carburetors and a GMC supercharger. This car is a local legend, having been raced for many years by Jim Gentile and others at the Detroit Dragway. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
2. We spied this Plymouth Road Runner passing Roadkill Nights racing registration at M1 Concourse and headed to the Woodward Avenue strip. Equipped with a 440-ci V-8 and looking mostly stock, the driver was anticipating racing on America’s first paved street, the first time in history that legal “street racing” was allowed on Woodward. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
3. This cobbled-together-looking ’69 Camaro has a great stance, but look closer and there is a surprise: The caged interior is straight out of a sixth-gen Camaro, dash and all. Additionally, a twin-turbocharged V-8 heads the drivetrain. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
4. Treated to custom paint and aftermarket rims, a 1979 Camaro makes a run on the M1 Concourse’s mobile dyno. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
5. Wait, what? How did this get in here? Yeah, it’s a Ferrari f430 Scuderia, but it makes more than 500 high-compression horsepower. If that’s not muscle… Lounging trackside, it was sadly only there for the Roadkill Nights Show-n-Shine. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
6. Camaro Cars and Coffee was held the Friday morning before the Woodward Dream Cruise and featured some amazing machines. This Big Block Z/28 was a pure drag racer, running twin quads atop a blower. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
7. It seems that Mopars were everywhere at Roadkill nights, not surprising as Dodge sponsored the event. Dodge’s 440-ci “Six Pack” (three two-barrel carbs) V-8 powers this 1969 Dodge Charger. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
8. A ’62 Chevy Sedan cruises to the strip with its intake popping through the hood. A big block, bored out to displace 461 cubic inches, provides this Canadian Chevy’s motivation. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
9. The old and the new – a second- and fifth-gen Viper share the spotlight at Vinsetta’s Garage on Woodward. (Photo by Josh Scott)
   
10. No, it doesn’t have a V-8 and yes, it is a Toyota. But with a massive Garrett turbo, this straight-6 Supra makes about as much power as the two Vipers, combined, in the previous photo. (Photo by Josh Scott)
    

*Editor’s note* A previous version had picture 8 labeled as a “Bubble-top” Impala. It is a 1962 Chevy Sedan and has been fixed. Thanks for the catch!