Americans’ love affair with autos is still alive

Two weekend events, at opposite ends of the country, suggest that despite the recession-induced automotive slump, America’s love affair with the automobile is as strong as ever.

At least 1 million people turned out along Detroit’s fabled Woodward Avenue this weekend, hoping to get a glimpse of the estimated 50,000 to 60,000 muscle cars, hot rods and sports cars participating in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

Nearly 2,000 miles to the west, thousands more automotive aficionados made a pilgrimage to California’s foggy Monterey Peninsula for a weekend of motoring events, highlighted by the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, considered the most elegant and important classic car show in the world.

“When you come here and see all the traffic, it makes you forget all the troubles we have in the industry,” said Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, as he looked out over the sea of people crowding the greens behind the Lodge at Pebble Beach. The crowd was so thick it was nearly impossible to see the cars on display.

The Concours attracts some of the hobby’s most competitive players, including celebrity collectors like Jay Leno, Yves Saint Laurent, and Jerry Seinfeld. The latter took home a second-place trophy for his Porsche 908 race car.

Capturing best-in-show can add millions to the value of a vehicle, so insiders hint that some collectors have spent as much as $5 million on a ground-up restoration. Bob Lee, of Sparks, Nevada, wouldn’t confirm that. He took top honors with his silver and gray 1937 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet.

But he conceded that he has spent “five years on the restoration, and the last few weeks were nearly 24/7 getting it ready” for judges who will knock a potential winner out of the box if they notice even a tiny spot of oil in the engine compartment.

The events surrounding the Concours underscore the breadth of the automobile’s appeal. A few miles away from the gated Pebble Beach, hundreds of classic cars spent the weekend at the challenging Laguna Seca Raceway. The annual Monterey Historics saw thousands of fans covering the hills surrounding the serpentine track for a glimpse of the three-day event where some of the cars first saw action 100 years ago.

A few miles further down Route 68, it was a very different scene at the first Concours Le Mons — definitely not to be confused with the Le Mans endurance race. The newest addition to what insiders call the “Pebble Beach weekend,” was a gathering of normally unloved cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s, considered by most to be an era when the automotive industry lost its way. But even vehicles like the Ford Pinto and AMC Pacer, it turns out, have their fans.

All the action on the Monterey coast nearly overwhelms normally quiet communities like Carmel, bringing the Pacific Coast Highway to an occasional halt. But that’s nothing like what the Motor City faces on Dream Cruise Saturday.

Actually, that’s something of a misnomer. While the Woodward Dream Cruise may have had its official run on the 15th of August, dedicated cruisers have been spinning tires along the 8-lane boulevard for nearly a month.

“I was out there sitting in my lawn chair a week ago,” said Nick Twork, a General Motors employee.

While Pebble Beach — with the exception of the Le Mons Concours — appeals to the automotive elite, Dream Cruise is decidedly down-market. Sure, a few Ferraris, and even a Lamborghini Gallardo, could be spotted creeping along in the flow of man and metal, but for this “audience,” the stars were cars like the newly reborn Chevrolet Camaro, along with the countless GTOs, Deuce Coupe hot rods and other muscle cars of the era when Detroit iron ruled the road.

“It’s really energizing,” said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Co.’s President of the Americas. “It reminds me of why I’m in this business.”

MORE FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

The Driver's Seat Section Front

Nissan hatches plan to boost battery cars At GM, down looks like up, at least for now Automakers turn to safety to sell cars CEO lays out ambitious Chrysler road map Plug-ins rev up; are consumers ready? As Toyota tips, VW steers for the top Battle of the ultrapremium automakers Toyota's reputation takes a pounding Saturn’s sudden death marks end of dream Automakers go ‘camo’ to thwart spy shots The Driver's Seat Section Front   Add The Driver's Seat headlines to your news reader: