Classic cars are parked at Riverfront Festival Plaza in Windsor on August 11, 2017. Photo by Mark Brown, Blackburn News.Classic cars are parked at Riverfront Festival Plaza in Windsor on August 11, 2017. Photo by Mark Brown, Blackburn News.
Windsor

DWBIA Previews 2nd Ouellette Car Cruise

The sounds of humming motors and popping exhaust will ring through Windsor Friday night.

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) announced their plans for the second annual Ouellette Car Cruise, taking place through the streets of Windsor. A media preview event was held at Riverfront Festival Plaza and it featured classic vehicles already being brought in for the event. One of the vehicles, a 1966 Chrysler 300 convertible, belongs to local TV news anchor and classic car enthusiast Jim Crichton, who co-hosted the media preview.

DWBIA chariman Larry Horwitz wants to build on the success of last year's cruise.

"We had probably 700 cars last year, hot rods, all types of older cars," says Horwitz.

The DWBIA estimates that last year's cruise brought in hundreds of thousands of tourist dollars to Windsor, Canada's automotive capital. Horwitz says people brought their classic cars from all over North America and beyond.

"It was exciting to hear the cheers and excitement from all over North America, all over the world," says Horwitz. "There were people from Vancouver, and people that came in from Chicago and New York."

The route cruisers will be able to use has been expanded for this year. It consists of a loop that begins and ends at Festival Plaza. Drivers will follow Ouellette Ave through the downtown core to Tecumseh Rd E, then to Pillette Rd, then Riverside Dr E all the way back to the plaza.

The event will also feature live entertainment at the plaza and a chance for visitors to check out the vehicles and listen to stories as told by their owners.

The Ouellette Car Cruise is free and runs from 6pm to 11pm next Friday, August 18. For more information, click here.

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