For mother-son duo, Nina and Dominic Palazzolo, this event is an annual family outing. “Our family has always had a passion for cars and, over the years, we’ve continued to add cars to our collection,” explains Nina, an executive assistant at ZF. “This year I had my 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator and Dominic had his first car, a 1964 Mercury Comet, at the show.”
While the cruise has evolved over its 23-year history, the event is still reminiscent of the ‘50s and ‘60s when people would show off their cars cruising down Woodward Avenue. In addition to cruising there are a number of other activities that take place during the event, including vehicle displays, safety and technology exhibits and lots of food and music. There seems to be a gathering of long-time attendees around each corner, admiring and critiquing the vehicles as they pass by while swapping stories about their first experiences on the legendary road.
“My father always referred to Woodward as the historic and often mythical road he would race his 1966 Tri-power Pontiac GTO at in the 1960s,” remembers Neb Stevanovich, engineering program manager at ZF. “Today, I have a 1995 C4 Corvette with a ZF 6-speed manual transmission. Each year I look forward to taking it out for the Dream Cruise and feel proud to wear my ZF polo when I drive it.”