Woodward Dream Cruise is the world’s most amazing car show.
Bring a cooler full of refreshments (soft drinks, of course), plunk a folding chair along the side of this famous thoroughfare and relax because the vehicles come to you! The beauty of it is there’s no need to walk for miles or take a shuttle all over town.
And you’ll spot at this event, from faithfully restored antiques to muscle cars to custom cruisers and much more. Short of a million-dollar Delahaye, if you don’t see it rolling along Woodward, it probably doesn’t exist. There’s truly something for every kind of car enthusiast.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Movie and TV Cars at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise
Of the tens of thousands of classic machines that make an appearance at this event, plenty of them are off the wall, strange or unbelievably outlandish. Here are 10 of the weirdest vehicles we spotted at this year’s event.
10. Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagon
This Ford Country Squire seems innocuous enough at first glance, but look a little closer. Likely built in the late 1980s, the above-pictured station wagon is dressed to impress with acres of fake wood paneling on its flanks and more than likely a smog-choked V8 underhood. But what’s that on the roof? Why, it’s grandma, comfortably reclined amongst a few suitcases! An homage to the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from (1983), this Ford elicited more than a few chuckles from the crew. For added effect, there’s a dog leash tied to the rear bumper; it’s almost as if Clark Griswold himself put it there!
9. Jeep Gladiator/Kaiser Jeep M715
Is this a military truck or a civilian pickup? We bet it’s the former, possibly a Kaiser Jeep M715 rig employed by the U.S. Army for heavy hauling. Whatever the case, it looks totally awesome rolling down Woodward with that folded windshield, tubular roll cage and bright yellow paint job. Ride quality is likely brutal with meaty-looking leaf springs at each corner and knobby off-road tires. Jeep experts, fill us in on the specifics!
8. Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
Just because this droptop Nissan utility is relatively new doesn’t disqualify it from our list of weird vehicles, in fact, it’s our eighth-place finisher. In U.S. spec, the Murano CrossCabriolet features a 3.5-liter V6 matched to a continuously variable transmission. The drivetrain is pretty much standard fare, however, the folding fabric roof is not. Some things just shouldn’t be done, including putting a convertible top on a crossover vehicle. There’s a reason they only built these things for a handful of model years.
7. Trumpmobile
This vintage Winnebago camper has been fully Trump-ified. Thanks to boxy bodywork, it’s the perfect place to post pro-Donald signage. Individual letters standing tall on the roof are a particularly classy touch, spelling out “TRUMP” for everyone to see. All that’s missing is megaphone blasting your favorite quotes from our 45th president, things like “Wrong,” “Gyna” and “Such a nasty woman!”
6. Customized Ford Thunderbird
Someone thought it was a good idea to take a perfectly decent tenth-generation Thunderbird and transform it into some sort of mid-century automotive nightmare by grafting what appears to be the front section of a 1951 Ford (with a different grille, might we add) onto it. This poor bird! What on earth would ever compel someone to do this? Oh well, to each their own.
ALSO SEE: 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise MEGA Gallery
5. Psychedelic Citroën 2CV
The 2CV is an improbably clever little car, rife with ingenious engineering. Eminently affordable and efficient, they were powered by a two-cylinder motorcycle engine. With no frills and rugged construction, you can think of them as France’s Model T. The car’s long-travel suspension provides a buttery-smooth ride and is self-leveling, plus the seats are removable so you can use them to have a picnic. This Woodward-approved example is dressed up with all kinds of colorful artwork.
4. Hot-Rod Model A Bus
We’re not sure what to make of this hot-rod school bus. Styled like a Model A Ford, the roof has been seriously chopped and it rolls on glittery alloy wheels. Massive brakes also peek out from behind the spokes. Almost certainly, the bodywork here totally custom. So, why is this even a thing? Well, why not? Everything is welcome at Woodward!
ALSO SEE: Top 10 Movie and TV Cars at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise
3. Caterpillar Custom
Including the No. 3 on this Top 10 list, which makes the previous vehicle look as plain as a Toyota Corolla. We’re not sure exactly what we’re looking at, but it’s diesel-powered, appears to feature a Model A body and rolls on what have got to be tractor-trailer wheels and tires. What say you?
2. Dodge Ram 2500
Oh boy, now we’ve officially gone off into the weeds, deep too. This MONSTER-SIZED, copper-colored behemoth is built on a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup chassis, at least according to the dude driving. It runs on diesel and is styled to look like a car from the art-deco era, though it’s much, MUCH larger. So big is this custom piece of work that it barely fits in the lane. The amount of time and effort that went into building this machine are frightening, the cost even more so, we imagine.
1. Cosmic Cruiser
Welp, here it is, folks, the weirdest, strangest, most galactically outlandish vehicle we spotted at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise. An eight-wheeled beast with more square footage of murals than the Sistine Chapel; it’s the van to end all vans, the Cosmic Cruiser! Supposedly more than 36-feet long, this monstrosity allegedly features a 600-horsepower LS6 V8 under that mile-long hood. Aside from Woodward, this is probably the gaudiest, craziest, most profoundly strange vehicle we’ve ever laid eyes on.
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