By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

FERNDALE — At this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise on August 16, fans of a classic American muscle car will ring in a decade of tradition — one that, in fact, flies right in the face of the caveat given by Wilson Pickett 32 years ago.

“Mustang Sally,” the soul legend pleaded in the classic 1966 song of the same name, “Guess you better slow your Mustang down.”

But for lovers of classic Ford Mustangs, this is a warning to be brushed off with defiance as they step on the accelerator, hear the mighty roar of the engine and watch the speedometer zoom into the red.

For the 2008 edition of Ferndale’s annual Mustang Alley showcase, even the late Pickett surely would have been impressed by the 300 to 400 Mustang owners who will be showing off their prized possessions on East Nine Mile Road near Woodward Avenue. The 10th anniversary of the event is, for many, a testament to the car’s enduring popularity as a symbol of American ingenuity.

“The Mustang’s look has changed over the years, but it always draws people’s attention,” said Michael Lary, event coordinator of the Ferndale Woodward Dream Cruise Weekend. “A Mustang stands up and says, ‘Look at me.’”

According to Mike Gorden, Mustang Alley coordinator, this year’s event marks “a new beginning,” with Ford Motor Co. becoming the exclusive automotive sponsor of the Ferndale Dream Cruise and now utilizing all of the city’s downtown area for its activities.

In addition to the usual display of Mustangs from all different eras, this year there will be an exhibition of Fender guitars, some customized with Mustang-related paint jobs that will be auctioned off. Barrett-Jackson — “the crème de la crème of classic car auction houses,” as Gorden put it — will also be on hand, as will “Blue Thunder,” the Ford-sponsored monster truck. There will be radio-controlled car races, merchandise giveaways and three different stages featuring live music.

A Mustang garage will be located at the corner of Nine Mile and Woodward, and a number of different competitions will be available for Mustang owners. “We’re sorting the different Mustangs by decade so that each will have a representative group,” Gorden said. “You’ll be walking back in time as you go down the street.”

Charity events will also be held over the weekend to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of South Oakland County, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and breast cancer awareness.

“We’ve changed the theme and the attitude this year,” Gorden said. “We’re trying to go back to the grass-roots feel that we started with.”

Indeed, Mustang Alley began as a fairly humble endeavor. A decade ago, members of various Mustang clubs throughout southeast Michigan gathered to show off their pride and joys, and talk shop. But it didn’t take long, Gorden said, before “the word spread like wildfire,” and the event quickly expanded to its current level of popularity.

For Lary, Mustang Alley remains a crowd favorite in Ferndale because of the personal touch involved with so many of the cars. “People come here and are amazed by the customized personalities the Mustang owners put into them,” he said. “It’s really impressive to see that creativity and imagination.”

Gorden — who has owned nine different Mustangs — agrees, but added that the event represents the passions and aspirations of the car owners themselves.

“We’re a group of fans and enthusiasts that are really large in numbers now — the baby boomers,” he said. “We are people who are spending big money for these classic vehicles, cars we can now afford that we couldn’t when we were 16 or 17. … A Mustang enthusiast has a passion for that era when cars were pure. They want to hang onto that dream.”

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jselweski@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5004.