Mustang Alley to Take Center Stage at Woodward Dream Cruise

From Mustang Alley to the many lanes of Woodward Avenue, Ford’s pony car dominates Detroit’s unique annual event.

If you are a fan of the Ford Mustang, the Woodward Dream Cruise is an automotive event that should be towards the top of your bucket list. While the massive Detroit event is open to literally any make, model and type of vehicle, the mighty Mustang is easily one of the common vehicles on the lengthy cruise route. Every generation is represented, whether they be factory Ford models or those cars equipped with packages from aftermarket upfitters like Saleen, Steeda, Roush or Shelby, and this isn’t just the cars cruising down Woodward Avenue.

One of the key stops along the Woodward Dream Cruise route is the huge Ford Motor Company display at 9 Mile Road in Ferndale where it intersects Woodward Avenue. At that location, you will find the biggest and most elaborate OEM display, easily outshining Chevrolet and Dodge with help from thousands of private owners in the now-famous Mustang Alley.

Ford’s Factory Spread

The Ford Motor Company display at the Woodward Dream Cruise centered around the intersection at the corner of Woodward Avenue and 9 Mile Road in Ferndale. This area is kind of the unofficial end point of the main Dream Cruise route with the “Woodward Loop” in Pontiac serving as the other end and between them is a dozen miles of cruising glory with hundreds of thousands of spectators, sometimes packed 10-deep off of the road snapping pictures of the tens of thousands of classic cars and trucks along the route.

However, when you walk along 9 Mile Road on either side of Woodward, you will only see Ford products. On the west side of the route, Ford generally has a large truck display, giving attendees a chance to check out the latest and greatest pickups and SUVs from the Motor Company. This side of the display also has a stage with live music, an array of food and drink vendors and a family area with things like bounce houses and temporary tattoos for the kids, making this the best place for families to hang out at the Dream Cruise.

On the east side of the route is Ford’s car display which always focuses heavily on the Mustang, and that makes good sense since muscle cars dominate the event.

Ford often has an example of the newest Mustang on a rotary, turned onto its side to offer a great look at the underpinnings, along with a collection of the modern Mustangs joined by other performance models such as the Focus RS and Fiesta ST. This area also often has displays where you can buy Ford apparel as well as tents where you can get things like a free Ford shirt for signing up for their email list.

Based just on what the automaker brings out, the Ford display is the biggest and best of the OEMs, but just past the new cars on the east side of the cruise route is one of the most unique automotive displays you will ever see. This is, of course, Mustang Alley.

Mustang Alley

Mustang Alley extends out away from Woodward Avenue for roughly a mile and the entirety of that stretch of road is lined on both sides with pony cars, stacked tightly side-by-side.

That alone is a remarkable sight to see, but along that span on roadway there are many small parking lots and side roads, all of which are completely packed full of Mustangs. It is as though the only car in the world, as every one of the thousands of vehicles parked along 9 Mile Road east of Woodward is a Mustang, or a tow vehicle used to pull a Mustang display.

As you can imagine, a collection of Mustangs of this size creates a gorgeous automotive history lesson, starting back in 1964 and continuing without pause to the modern era.

Every generation of the car is well-represented in every form, so while the majority pack V8 power, you will see plenty of four-cylinder and V6 models in the crowd. Also, you will see everything from low-mileage, factory-stock cars up to fully-built race cars, including drag cars, road racers and even a drifter or two.

In fact, Mustang Alley has so much to offer in terms of volume and variety that you may find yourself seeing a model that you have never before seen in person, only to see two more as you walk along 9 Mile Road. There truly is nothing like it in the world and even if you only come to the Woodward Dream Cruise for Mustang Alley, you are sure to find that it is well worth the trip to Metro Detroit.

The 2019 Woodward Dream Cruise is being held on August 17 and registration for Mustang Alley opens sometime in April. If you have a Mustang that you want to show off in Mustang Alley, it only cost $20 to park, but you will need to register, as it does sell out quickly. Click here for more information and to bookmark the registration site for the event.

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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.

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