They arrived early Saturday morning with blankets, coolers and lawn chairs. Detroiters and others quickly grabbed the best spots along the 25km stretch of Woodward Avenue, the Motor City's eight-lane-wide main street.

Despite the ungodly hour, it wasn’t long before every choice vantage point was claimed by an estimated 1.7 million spectators, anxious to see the mobile museum that is the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Its the world's largest one-day automotive event and is a must-see for anyone who loves the internal combustion engine.

Watch as I show you some of the sights and speak with attendees to ask:

What’s the appeal of sitting for hours under a blazing August sun amid the deafening roar of revving motors and the sickly-sweet scent of engine coolant tinged with burnt rubber?

In the final analysis, the Cruise harks back to the glorious pre-OPEC days of the American automobile industry, when design and swagger ruled the boulevards.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is a celebration of the Detroit of yesteryear; a Detroit before race riots and burnt-out city blocks; before the Hudson's Department Store was abandoned and torn down, before "Murder City" supplanted "Motor City" as Detroit's unofficial nickname.

While the event is steeped in candy-coated nostalgia, the Woodward Dream Cruise is really an annual remembrance day for a Detroit that once was, and never will be again.