Dream Cruisers from the General Motors Heritage Collection on Display

DETROIT –The Woodward Dream Cruise is an event unlike any other in the world, with over 40,000 cruisers planning to participate and an estimated audience of over 1 million viewers expected to populate the sixteen mile-long corridor along Woodward, from the Michigan Sate Fair Grounds to Wide-Track Boulevard in downtown Pontiac.

“The Woodward Dream Cruise mirrors the essence of the General Motors Heritage Center,” said Scot Keller, staff director of GM’s Corporate Brand Communications. “Just as the magnificent vehicles cruising Woodward this weekend reflect the passion and pride of their creators, the cars and trucks found in GM’s Heritage Collection demonstrate those same qualities of the GM people who turned automotive dreams into reality. The Dream Cruise is really all about living...and sharing...that dream.”

To celebrate the 2005 Woodward Dream Cruise, General Motors will display more than 120 cars and trucks in two separate venues, both open to the public. While each exhibit has its own theme, they are bound together by a common passion for breathtaking cars and trucks. These two displays create a car show within a cruise, offering enthusiasts the opportunity to see the classics in a setting that also presents the newest of the new.

At the Athens Coney Island on the west side of Woodward, south of Fourteen Mile Road, GM is presenting a salute to open-air motoring.

An impeccably restored 1941 GMC open-top fire truck, a 1949 Oldsmobile Futuramic convertible, a 1953 Corvette, a rare 1953 Buick Skylark convertible, a brilliant red 1959 Eldorado convertible, and a 1967 Camaro Indy Pace Car convertible are a small part of the display of drop-top classics from the GM Heritage Center to be found here.

The Athens exhibit doesn’t stop with the GM Heritage Collection vehicles.

A one-of-a-kind dual-windshield 1931 Cadillac V16 Phaeton will be joined by a 2006 supercharged, Northstar-powered Cadillac XLR-V roadster.

The C6 Corvette convertible, with its 400 horsepower small-block V8 will be displayed in the presence of Chevrolet’s first V8-powered car, a 1918 touring car.

Pontiac ’s new Solstice and the soon-to-be-introduced Saturn Sky two-seaters will continue the convertible theme, projecting the future as clearly as the three mid-fifties Chevrolet convertibles on display did in their day.

The dreams don’t stop there. Just over a half mile north, in the triangle formed at the “Old” Woodward and Woodward intersection, is another General Motors display. This one heralds the triumphant return of the mighty Chevrolet SS nameplate.

All-new 2006 cars, including the V8–powered Chevrolet Impala SS, the 395 horsepower Trailblazer SS, a Malibu Maxx SS, the Silverado SS and a supercharged Cobalt SS will be on display, joined by their famous predecessors such as a potent 1963 409 Chevrolet Impala SS, a 1968 Camaro RS/SS 396 convertible and a highly modified 2000 Camaro SS.

Complementing the display of yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s SS vehicles is another example of GM’s concept of a car show within a cruise.

In this case, it is a colorful display of hot rods and horsepower assembled by the Motor City ’s own “Cruisemaster”, Top Hat John. Top Hat called upon his many friends in the world of hot Chevrolets to bring together roadsters, retro-rods and even a blown big-block Pro-Street Camaro.

Adjacent to that show of Chevy power, is another all-Chevrolet exhibit which brings together everything from a 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Michigan State Police Cruiser to the late Dale Earnhardt’s #3 NASCAR Goodwrench Monte Carlo he raced in the 1999 Winston Cup Series. Nomads, Impala convertibles, Bel Air hardtops, early Corvettes and more - it is a rare gathering of special vehicles from the remarkable history of the Chevrolet brand.

Whether one wants to sample the offerings of the GM Performance Division, the American Revolution Tour, the All Access Music Tour, the Chevy Racing Tour or is moved to check out all of the eye-candy assembled by the gear heads at General Motors, this stretch of Woodward Avenue is the place and Saturday, August 20 is the date to do it.

Established in 2004, the General Motors Heritage Center, located in Sterling Heights, Michigan, brings together vehicles, artifacts and archives that reflect and project the Corporation’s passion and excellence in its products and the pride and passion of its people. The 81,000 square-foot Heritage Center provides an inspiring environment for business meetings and special events.

General Motors Corp. , the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 317,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company’s history. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.