The Camaro Corral Brings 50 Years of History to Woodward

The Camaro Corral brought 50 years of muscle car history to the 2016 Woodward Dream Cruise, with over a hundred privately owned Chevrolet Camaros and some free swag for both participants and visitors of the Pleasant Ridge display.

While Ford Mustang owners have long had their own special area along the Woodward Dream Cruise route, Camaro owners have been forced to park all over the place, until General Motors fired up the Camaro Corral at the 2014 Dream Cruise. 2016 marked the 3rd year of the Camaro Corral and while rainy weather thinned the crowd a bit, the Camaro-specific display area proved to be a popular destination for owners who wished to display their cars and those spectators who wanted to see 50 years of Camaro history in one convenient location.

Camaro Corral at the 2016 Woodward Dream Cruise
I had a chance to speak with Brian Meissen, Organizer of the Camaro Corral and founder of the Michigan F-Body Association. Brian explained that even with the hard rains in the early afternoon, they had over a hundred privately owned muscle cars on display in the Camaro Corral – spanning all 6 generations and 50 years – along with scores of visitors who walked in to check out this spread of Camaro history in one convenient location.

Those Chevrolet Camaro owners who parked at the Camaro Corral got great street-front parking among other vehicles and like-minded enthusiasts, but they also received a goodie bag from General Motors with a 50th Anniversary lapel pin, a 50th Anniversary hero card, a Camaro poster and some other small items. Mind you, displaying your Camaro in the Corral is free, so in addition to a great parking spot – those folks who parked in the Camaro Corral got some cool free stuff from the automaker.

Also, in addition to providing the goodies for the goodie bags, the large Chevrolet flags, the Chevrolet tent and the parking area itself, the company provided extra posters and brochures on the Camaro for visitors. Because of that, those visitors who stopped into the Camaro Corral could score some of the same free items that they would get if they traveled a few miles north to the official GM display.

Getting around the Woodward Dream Cruise was a nightmare this year with the worst northbound traffic congestion I have seen in my ten years of attending the event, so for those Camaro fans who couldn’t make it to the official display along Old Woodward, the free swag from GM was a nice bonus at the Camaro Corral.

While the official GM display miles north might offer a look at the newest vehicles, those Camaro fans who want to see a huge spread of cars from all six generations will continue to visit the Corral in Pleasant Ridge. The Camaro Corral might not be as big as Mustang Alley yet, but with the continued popularity of this featured GM muscle car area, Camaro fans are likely to continue to help this program grow in the future.

Congrats to General Motors, Brian Meissen and all of the folks who helped make the Camaro Corral a great display for the third year. I cannot wait to see this display continue to grow in the coming years, giving GM fans a featured area of their own.

Image: Brian Meissen