Classic cars hit Woodward during the annual Dream Cruise
Thousands of cars and spectators from around the world take over Woodward Avenue in suburban Detroit.
- The writer’s first car meant freedom. After that, his experience with cars became more mixed.
- Car culture is a big part of life in the Detroit area and across the country, and the Free Press plans to expand its coverage to include even more car culture.
I have a book on my desk called Never Stop Driving: A Better Life Behind the Wheel.
As the title suggests, it’s an homage to cars and the act of driving, with thoughts from the likes of Jay Leno and Mario Andretti. It is the desire that the car is the key to freedom and the world it opens.
I used to joke that I wanted to write a sister piece called “Never Stop Commuting.” I’d probably add “A Life Stuck in Traffic.”
It wasn’t just a lame attempt at a laugh, it was the dual emotions that cars represented to me then and now. Fun and frustrating.
One moment you’re driving down the highway with the windows down and the perfect song playing, and the next you’re facing red brake lights in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I remember the first time I drove it myself, in a silver 1978 Honda Civic that I bought 10 years after the model year with the money my grandmother left me when she passed away. I got a new driver’s license and felt so liberated that I can’t imagine ever getting it back.
Growing up in rural eastern West Virginia meant there was real distance between me, my home, most of my friends, and the places I wanted to go.
My life changed essentially overnight, from riding an overcrowded bus to school and home, to relying on others for most of my transportation, to driving (usually) too fast in a small car that wasn’t designed for abuse.
When that car was running, I could go to fast food jobs in neighboring Virginia or anywhere I had money, but I couldn’t go home without cash. Despite the Civic’s small size, I remember there being enough room in the back to store a disassembled sousaphone, so cargo space wasn’t much of a concern. It wasn’t everyone’s idea of a dream car (stick shifts weren’t the novelty they are today), but I loved it, even if the dings and dents piled up.
That Civic was quickly succeeded by a 1979 Civic, which benefited from a supply of replacement parts, as far as I can remember.
Years later, my relationship with cars has evolved somewhat. A long commute to a job that doesn’t pay very well can help you change your perspective. Driving becomes one of the things you have to do every day.
Of course, cars have been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. Memories of long-lost relatives intermingle in my head with images of their cars, including my grandmother’s black Chevrolet Bel Air and someone else’s orange Chevrolet Monza.
Perhaps it’s safe to say that I’m not that unique in making such connections.
My time in Detroit began in 2008, which was a rough year for the Motor City. The auto industry is struggling, to say the least, and the news for the city hasn’t been very optimistic.
The Detroit area has been getting more and more love from the outside world these days, but while the auto industry is certainly healthy, there are still some deep questions about its future, especially now with concerns about competition from China and tariff uncertainty.
In my early days at the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, cars weren’t one of the areas I covered, but living in the Detroit area meant knowing that my neighbors and just about everyone I happened to meet might have connections to automakers and suppliers. That became clear to me many years ago when my son, now 13, was younger when we visited Petoskey State Park. In case you didn’t know, he was chatting with a group of women on a beach a few hours outside of Detroit. After all, they were all Chrysler retirees.
However, it’s not just about work.
People here love cars, and it shows in the various events that dominate the experiences we share. My late Uncle Earl was always used to big car shows and cruising, but I was surprised when he came to visit. My wife and I took him and my late Aunt Janet on the Woodward Dream Cruise. When we stopped around mile 14, we saw a cruiser go by and I can still hear him telling me, with a kind of awe, that he had never seen anything like it.
The Dream Cruise may be the ultimate sign of the entrenchment of cars and car culture in metro Detroit, but of course car culture is more than just a local phenomenon.
At the right time of year, car shows around the country each week invite casual enthusiasts and enthusiasts to see lifted Broncos and Wranglers hit the trails and convertibles welcome the sun and wind.
But car culture is more than just shows and cruises. You’re wondering if a warning light on your dashboard is causing you to rack up more credit card debt than you can afford, or you’re wondering why you’re stuck replacing an expensive key fob when an old-fashioned metal key is cheaper and doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced.
I’ve been writing automotive articles for the Free Press since 2017, previously covering Stellantis and its merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. During that time, I’ve also written about other traffic and safety topics related to America’s car culture, including the many pedestrian fatalities that occur in this country each year.
After all, car culture has costs, but some would argue that those costs are rarely calculated. Cars obviously bring joy to many of us, but the consequences of a car-centric society are also important.
This has been a long journey to the point where I can say that car culture is my current beat. This is part of the expansion of auto coverage we’ve been working on at Free Press over the past few months, and will take us into new areas and areas we haven’t previously explored in depth. That might mean getting some more eye candy from some of the many cool shows or seeing how one of your neighbors restored a classic muscle car he found in his barn.
That might mean taking them on a scenic drive or finding out how window tints became popular. Occasionally, we also cover heavier topics.
Great stories and interesting columns usually start with a tip or suggestion. So I’m looking to you for guidance. If you have any great car culture sources or suggestions, please let us know. Let’s go on a journey together.
Eric D. Lawrence is senior auto culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. If you have any tips or suggestions, please contact us at elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
