Retro rides rev up local car shows

Ken Savage is the president of Fun Time Cruzers, which meets every Monday in the parking lot of NAPA Auto Parts in Shelby Township. Every week, he presents awards in different categories. The winner of the “Sweetest Ride” award also receives a lollipop.

Photo by Maria Allard

Madelyn and Dale Upleger, of Rochester Hills, attend the Fun Time Cruzers car show May 19 in Shelby Township. Madelyn won “Best Orphan Cruzers” for her 1999 Plymouth Prowler. Dale owns a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette C8.

Photo by Maria Allard

Warren resident Paul Gutkowski, owner of a 1968 Mercury Cougar, pictured, invites cruisers from 5 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday to Sandbaggers Sports Bar and Grill, 25615 Van Dyke Ave. in Center Line.

Photo provided by Paul Gutkowski

METRO DETROIT — “This is quite a group. I was here last week. There were 374 cars,” Shelby Township resident Tom Konicki said. “There are quality cars here. Cars that are so rare. Beautiful cars.”

Konicki was talking about the Fun Time Cruzers, back on the road for another season of hot rods, muscle cars and vintage vibes. For almost 20 years, the Cruzers met at Lakeside in Sterling Heights. When the mall closed last year, it put the brakes on their weekly car shows.

Start those engines because the group found a new home from 4 to 8 p.m. every Monday until September at NAPA Auto Parts, located on Van Dyke Avenue, north of 21 Mile Road, in Shelby Township. President Ken Savage said it took nine months to find a new location.

It all began in 2005 when Savage’s son worked at Lakeside Mall and a store owner wanted to start a weekly classic car show. He recruited Savage and his son to help, but after a year, he left the group. Savage kept the Cruzers’ motor running.

“When I began, there were just 50 cars. It started going more and more. I have 600 cruise emails now,” said Savage, a Shelby Township resident who owns a Grabber Blue 1970 Ford Mustang convertible.

Fun Time Cruzers posts musical photo slideshows available on YouTube. Every week, Savage — with help from other members including Jerry Benoit, of Chesterfield Township, and Dave Gmerek, of Clinton Township — holds an awards ceremony with local businesses as sponsors. Categories range from “Coolest Cruze 2025” to “Best Original/Restored Cruzer” to “Best Corvette.” At the May 19 event, Madelyn Upleger won “Best Orphan Cruzers” for her 1999 Plymouth Prowler.

“That means they don’t make it anymore,” said Madelyn, who attended the weekly show with husband Dale Upleger.

Dale once owned the Prowler but gave it to Madelyn when he purchased a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette C8.

“She loved it and she didn’t want to sell it,” Dale said. “OK, we’ll keep it.”

“I always wanted a Prowler,” Madelyn said. “We saw them at a car show, and I fell in love with it.”

Both cars garner a lot of attention when on the road.

“I think it’s because of the color,” Dale said. “It draws the eye to it.”

The Rochester Hills couple, who have three children and two grandchildren, have been married 64 years.

For more details about the Fun Time Cruzers, call (586) 260-3459 or check the website at funtimecruzers.com.

There is at least one classic car show every night in metro Detroit where chrome shines and engines purr. Here is a list of other weekly and monthly car shows that we know of in the C & G Newspapers coverage area.

Mondays
• Jimmy’s Tavern behind the National Coney Island, located on Van Dyke Avenue north of 12 Mile Road, in Warren. It begins at 11 a.m. and it lasts all day.

• Lumberyard Pub and Grub, 26700 Schoenherr Road in Warren, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Tuesdays
• The Ukrainian Cultural Center, 26601 Ryan Road in Warren, from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Cruisers also will spin their wheels at the Ram’s Horn at Garfield and Utica roads from 5-8 p.m.

Wednesdays
• Classic car owners can drive into Sandbaggers Sports Bar and Grill, 25615 Van Dyke Ave. in Center Line, from 5 to 8 p.m. Organizer and Warren resident Paul Gutkowski, owner of a 1968 Mercury Cougar, said the car show brings in anywhere from 25 to 45 car owners each week.

“We just hang out, look at all the other cars and get to know each other,” Gutkowski said.

Gutkowski also runs the Pauly G’s Car Cruis’n Page on Facebook, where he lists various car shows happening in the area. Check the page for more car shows not listed in the C &  G Newspapers guide.

Thursdays
• Car enthusiasts will mingle from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Big Boy restaurant located on West Maple Road in Troy.

• Beginning in June, antique automobiles will line the pavement at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, 21201 E. 13 Mile Road in St. Clair Shores, from 5 to 8 p.m.

• The Stahl’s Automotive Collection at 56516 N. Bay Drive in Chesterfield Township will hold cruise nights from 4 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, minus the third Thursday of the month.

• Culver’s, located at 66227 Van Dyke Ave. on the Romeo and Washington Township border, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Fridays
• Weekly car shows at the Walter F. Bruce Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1146, located at 28404 Jefferson Ave. in St Clair Shores, will begin in June. The events will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. in the back of the facility, between the building and Lake St. Clair.

• Twisted Axles will meet from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lucky Leprechaun Pub, 32456 Gratiot Ave. in Roseville.

Saturdays
• Gearheads can get an early morning fix from 7 to 10 a.m. at Parking at Pasteiner’s Cruise-In at 33202 Woodward Ave., one block north of 14 Mile Road, in Birmingham.

• The Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society will hold monthly car shows from 9 a.m. until noon on the third Saturday of the month. The museum is located at 16600 Stephens Road in Eastpointe.

Sundays
• Eddie’s Drive-In, 36111 Jefferson Ave. in Harrison Township, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Charity drive
• For more than 30 years, the nonprofit Friends of Mount Clemens has organized the Mount Clemens Cruise in downtown Mount Clemens at the center of Main Street and Market Street. Money raised has provided Kroger gift cards for families in need and helped many charities, including the city of Mount Clemens Santa Parade, Turning Point, the Mount Clemens Lions Club and the Macomb Food Program. This year’s two-day Mount Clemens Cruise is set for June 6-7. This year’s event will feature a car cruise, awards, live entertainment and special attractions. For a complete schedule of events, visit mountclemenscruise.com.