The Edelbrock Road Tour combines two events that are on most street rodder's must do list. The Woodward Dream Cruise is celebrating it's 14th year and has grown to become a spectacle that encompasses about 40,000 special interest vehicles and probably one million people lining the 20 plus mile stretch of Woodward Ave. Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah is celebrating it's 60th season and is legendary in hot rod history as men and women push machines to speeds of 400MPH. It is appropriate that Edelbrock is the sponsor of this tour as the company that was founded by Vic Edelbrock Sr. 70 years ago has been a part of the Bonneville tradition for all of the Speed Week's 60 years of existence. The Yellow Brick Road from Detroit to Wendover will take us to stops at Yogi's, Speedway Motors and the incredible museum built by Joyce and Bill Smith, Vintage Auto Parts and Streamline in Denver, car customizer Bo Huff's shop in Utah, and then on to two days at the salt. Wrapping up our week we will visit the Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, Utah and get together with the Salt Lake City area rodders at Totem's Club on Saturday night. Hang on folks, the Edelbrock Road Tour is headed to OZ.
Street Rodder Magazine's Senior editor Ron Ceridono is again traveling with the Tour in the 34 Phaeton that features the beautiful Australia built body. With almost 10,000 miles on our Speed 33 convertible I have become right at home behind the wheel and sport a pretty good tan. We are getting about 20 MPG on the freeways and still enjoy all the power provided by the new Ford Racing Boss 302 engine. The Classic Motorsport built Tremec with it's tall 5th gear helps in this department.
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Ron and I arrived in Dearborn on Thursday evening as planned and set up camp at the Hampton Inn right next to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village which is all now known as The Henry Ford. With nothing specific planned for Friday Ron and I spent the day at the Henry Ford. I have been to the museum quit a few times in the recent past but had not visited the Village in many years. The museum and village are truly amazing. The incredible vision that Henry Ford had when he began to assemble these two tributes to American history and ingenuity is mind boggling . Original historic building including Thomas Edison's workshop, the Wright Brothers bicycle shop, and the rich history of the Ford Motor Company line the street of the turn of the century village. The Henry Ford is a place that you must visit at some point. Theme parks are fine but take your children and grand-children to the Henry Ford and show them some of the people, events and places that made America the great country that it is today.
Saturday was the big day for the Woodward Dream Cruise. The Road Tourians gathered in the parking lot of the Hampton at 8AM and we made the short drive to our parking area on Woodward Avenue. Sandy and Mike Eaton of Eaton Detroit Spring were again our hosts at the lot that they rent for the day next to U-Coat-It's store between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads. We were at ground zero for the Cruise and everyone enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day. We especially enjoyed the great food provided by Sandy and Mike's daughter Kim and her husband Jeff. Thanks to the whole Eaton crew for again rolling out the red carpet for the Edelbrock Road Tour. New this year at the Dream Cruise was a special concours show of sorts put on by a hard working committee of volunteers that assembled almost 50 special interest vehicles that were on display all day Saturday at a spot on the corner of 13 Mile and Woodward Avenue. It was a car show within a car show and everyone enjoyed it.
Sunday morning it was up and at 'em as we headed west toward our evening stop in Clinton, Iowa. Our journey took us across Michigan and around Chicago which is best seen on a Sunday morning. The traffic was light and we were able to negotiate the many construction zones with little problems. Much to our surprise when we arrived in the small Mississippi town of Clinton, Iowa we found a car show in progress. It was the 21st annual Clinton Area Rod Club's Fun-Sun car show and we were welcomed by everyone and enjoyed the 150 special interest vehicles on display. Sunday evening was spent in the hotel parking lot as the Road Tour participants got to know each other a little better. There are 38 registered vehicles on the Edelbrock Tour and we are all in store for a great week. Check back here this week and I will keep you up to date on our travels as we follow The Yellow Brick Road to Bonneville.