'They were pieces of art,' Bill Lawrence, 42, of Troy, said along the roadway Friday after several Camaros and Corvettes sped past. 'They don't make them like that anymore.'

Organizers are expecting 40,000 vintage cars and 2 million spectators during the 14th year of the event.

Car lovers will park or meander along Woodward during a day that pays noisy tribute to the birthplace of the American automobile.

They'll wander back to a time when cars had personality, shown by an array of tail fins, oversized grilles and suicide doors.

Motorists began gravitating toward Woodward in the last few weeks and the movement picked up steam in recent days.

'This doesn't happen anywhere else,' said Tom Wilson, 54, who drove here from his home in Roanoke, Va. 'Where can you see all these cars in one place?'

On Friday, the eve of the big day, Woodward became congested with visitors who wanted to get an early look at the custom and muscle cars and hot rods of other enthusiasts. By 10 p.m. Friday night, Royal Oak police were routing everyone off Woodward Ave. to prepare for today's big day.

Here are some snapshots of the machines from yesteryear and the people who love them.

Pontiac's the place to be

At the north end of the Cruise strip, classic hot rods were filling up several parking lots in Pontiac, turning nondescript pavement into a cruiser's paradise, with endless rows of practically every candy-colored vintage imaginable.

That's where Butch Trager, 67, came to park his 1954 pennant blue Corvette on Friday, miles away from Woodward's epicenter in Royal Oak.

'It's a zoo down there,' he said from behind his dark shades, raising his voice to be heard over the oldie-but-goodie 'Old Time Rock & Roll' blaring from nearby speakers.

'I got out of work and I shot down here immediately,' said Trager, of Davisburg.

And where will he park today?

'Right here. Same spot.'

'Like a kid in a candy store'

Dan McNulty of Shelbyville, Ky., had been hearing about the Dream Cruise for years. You have to go, his friends told him. There's nothing but custom cars for miles around.

Like his buddies, McNulty is a car nut. His particular affliction is Camaro, just like the one he drove in high school in the 1970s.

Finally he could wait no more. Despite skyrocketing gas prices, he drove the 362 miles to Michigan for this year's event. 'If you love cars, this is where you want to be,' McNulty said as he watched other Camaros pass along Woodward. 'It's like a kid in a candy store.'

He towed his 1973 red Camaro here on a trailer. He plans to spend every waking moment along the roadside today, from early morning to late evening. 'This is my idea of heaven,' he said.

Burgers booming at Hunter House

What goes better with hot-rod watching than sliders and French fries?

The Hunter House, the iconic greasy-spoon diner located at Maple and Woodward, is ready to serve up as many as 10,000 hamburgers this weekend.

This morning, refrigerator trucks from Detroit delivered 1,200 pounds of meat patties and 2,275 pounds of shoestring potatoes.

'I'm really hoping that will be enough,' said Eric Wilson, restaurant manager. 'The weekend doesn't contain (the Dream Cruise) anymore. It's really grown.'

Tents and checkerboard-covered tables will accommodate the overflow of patrons from the restaurant's claustrophobic shack through Saturday. Two extra grills plus five additional fryers will spit out their signature greasy-spoon fare: burgers, chili-cheese fries and corn dogs.

A vacation, Corvette style

Cathy Paul doesn't view her yearly pilgrimages to the Dream Cruise as vacations. She considers them research trips.

Paul, 57, of Grayling, is obsessed with Corvettes. She wants to know everything about them. How has it changed from one model year to another? What's the best way to keep it in shape?

So Paul comes to the Cruise and quizzes every Corvette owner she finds.

'Nobody knows more than someone who's owned one,' she said. 'They have experience that you can't teach.'

Paul also is the voice of experience, having owned several Corvettes through the years. She doesn't know what first drew her to the car, but the hold has been inescapable, she said.

On Friday, Paul walked along Woodward, eyeing Corvettes in various shapes and sizes.

Her husband, Ron, who isn't as crazy about cars, accommodates his wife's curiosity. But he smilingly disagrees with her contention that these Cruise trips aren't vacations. 'Don't let her kid you,' he said. 'She's having the time of her life.'

Recouping costs, bit by bit

Trinkets marked with the official Dream Cruise logo -- T-shirts, dash plaques, magnets -- were on sale at a tent in Pleasant Ridge. Cruisers came in spurts to buy them in time for the official day.

Charles Shaw, 66, of Detroit, drove up in his 1984 Studebaker Avanti and left with a T-shirt and cap for himself and shirt for his girlfriend, Lula Thomas, 53.

'They seem to have prettier colors this year,' said Thomas. '(A woman) must have been sitting on the focus group or something.'

The city of Pleasant Ridge stands to recoup most if not all of its share of costs -- mostly overtime pay for the police and public works department -- if merchandise sales are brisk. And so far they are, said Shirley Reese, a volunteer.

The most popular item? The city's signature Hawaiian shirts ($60-$65) and the $5 Woodward Dream Cruise T-shirt. 'You've got to get people something they can afford,' said Reese. 'Times are really rough.'