The Coolest Cars at the 2026 Woodward Dream CruiseCaleb Miller - Car and DriverLast week, Detroit hosted one of the largest car shows in the world. The Woodward Dream Cruise sees more than a million people flock to one of the metro area's major boulevards, Woodward Avenue, to watch a rolling display of thousands of machines, ranging from classic muscle cars to lifted trucks and modern supercars. Woodward is open to anybody, and you never know what you might find cruising down the avenue. Here are some of our favorite spots from this year's edition of the Woodward Dream Cruise.Photo credit: Caleb Miller - Car and DriverPhoto credit: Caleb Miller - Car and DriverPhoto credit: Caleb Miller - Car and DriverPhoto credit: Caleb Miller - Car and DriverAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile '60s and '70s muscle cars are the dominant force at Woodward, there's plenty of modern muscle too, and we wound up finding four Ford Mustang GTDs over the course of our day prowling the avenue. Starting at around $328,000, the GTD takes the Mustang and turns it into a roadgoing race car, drawing upon Ford's learnings in endurance racing. There are vents carved into virtually every body panel, a towering rear wing, an 815-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 engine, and a trick pushrod rear suspension setup. While the Mustang GTD still looks cool in gray, we were particularly enamored by the vibrant blue and green examples we saw.Many owners use Woodward to show off their specific taste, and we loved the look that this driver chose for their Chevrolet C10 pickup. The truck pairs its turquoise paint job with a nice patina, a mean lowered stance, and yellow headlights. To top it off, there was a neat little Honda Mini Trail bike in the bed.Woodward cuts through several Detroit suburbs, including the wealthy area of Birmingham, where we stumbled upon this McLaren Speedtail. McLaren built just 106 units of this otherworldly machine, with the UFO-like bodywork designed to help the Speedtail reach a lofty top speed of 250 mph. A V-8 hybrid powertrain delivers 1035 horsepower, and the Speedtail was also the first McLaren since the iconic F1 to feature a three-seat interior layout.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverSitting next to the Speedtail was the equally long Saleen S7. While the Speedtail is smooth and glassy, the American supercar takes a more brutalist approach, covered in cutouts and packing a beefy Ford 7.0-liter V-8.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverIn between the Speedtail and one of the Mustang GTDs was one of the most iconic supercars of the 2000s, the Porsche Carrera GT. Only 1270 Carrera GTs were built, and the car earned a reputation for being quite a handful to drive, thanks to a 5.7-liter V-10 engine that sent 605 horsepower exclusively to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe owner of this glistening 1940s Mack truck told us that it started life as a single-cab fire truck before he got to work on it. The truck looked absolutely resplendent as it towered over traffic, and it wears an awesome hood ornament depicting Atlas of Greek mythology.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThere were hundreds of classics to choose from, but we were impressed by this incredibly clean 1960 Chevy Impala, featuring gleaming chrome trim, vivid blue paint, a lowered stance, and white wall tires.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThis Chevy is a bit more modern. The Corvette ZR1 is the C8 honed for track duty, especially when outfitted with the ZTK Performance package that adds plenty of carbon-fiber aerodynamic elements. The ZR1 is the quickest rear-wheel-drive car we've ever tested, hitting 60 mph in 2.2 seconds and blitzing the quarter-mile in just 9.5 seconds. We saw a couple of new ZR1s, but this spec on this green example was definitely the most unique.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThere aren't many prewar cars cruising Woodward, aside from a few Model Ts, and this Cord 812 stood out. The Cord 810 and 812 were among the first cars to feature front-wheel drive and hidden headlights, and made an impact with its radical front-end styling that earned it the nickname of "coffin nose."Caleb Miller - Car and DriverAdvertisementAdvertisementMore and more Japanese cars are appearing at Woodward, and amongst the kei trucks and Skylines was this sweet Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution. Built in order to homologate the Pajero for racing in the Dakar Rally, the Pajero Evo wears aggressive bodywork with vents, bulging wheel arches, and fins mounted to the rear of the roof, with power provided by a 3.5-liter V-6 and only a few thousand units produced.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThis 1920s Rolls-Royce was definitely a surprise, and we like how the hood was left unpainted to contrast with the blue body and black fenders.Most right-hand drive cars we saw at Woodward hailed from Japan, but this FPV Pursuit is a sporty ute from Australia. Essentially a souped-up version of the Ford Falcon, power comes from a 390-hp 5.4-liter V-8. Keen-eyed readers may notice that the front end is different from a factory Pursuit, but the cabin confirms this as a legit FPV, and some Internet sleuthing tells us this example was involved in a collision, with the owner opting to fix it with an XR8 front end. We're not quite sure how this ute was imported to the U.S., as it isn't quite 25 years old yet, but we're not mad about it.The Cadillac Eldorado was one of the most sought-after luxury cars of its day, and this late '50s example looked lovely in its serene light blue paint.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThis is the latest high-performance Mustang, the Dark Horse SC, only revealed in January of this year as a successor to the Shelby GT500. The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 under the hood cranks out 795 horsepower, and the SC matches that oomph with assertive bodywork covered in vents and aerodynamic addenda. This example, on manufacturer plates, features the Track package, bringing the large rear wing and carbon-fiber wheels. Deliveries begin soon, with prices starting at $144,985 with the Track pack included.Caleb Miller - Car and DriverThe Dodge Li'l Red Express is one of the earliest performance trucks, and it packed a 360-cubic-inch V-8 engine producing 225 horsepower. In a Car and Driver test, the Li'l Red Express famously became the quickest American vehicle at the time from zero to 100 mph.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029