By Michael Ellis
ROYAL OAK, Mich., Aug 15 (Reuters) - Thursday's massive power outage sapped the energy from Detroit's annual "Dream Cruise" classic car parade, but diehard car lovers still hoped more than 1 million people would appear for what is billed as the world's largest car show.
Thousands from all parts of North America usually drive their vintage cars along the 16-mile route on Woodward Avenue from the Motor City's 8 Mile Road through the northern suburbs to Pontiac. Many more sit in lawn chairs to gawk, or inspect automakers' displays of classic cars from the past.
"Normally, it's six lanes of traffic jam," said Doug Hauser, 34, as a few older cars mixed with the light traffic along Wooodward on Friday.
Hauser, who drove from Kansas City, Missouri, in his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible for his fourth Dream Cruise, waited half an hour at a gas station as the manager tried to hitch up a generator to restore power and get the pumps up and running.
Most gas stations in the Detroit area were unable to pump gas, and the few that were open had lines stretching for blocks, reminding many people of the oil embargoes of the 1970s when fuel was scarce.
Hauser feared the station would only have regular gasoline rather than the high-octane fuel that gives his muscle car its muscle. "It's like a soda pop instead of a protein shake," he said. "I'll just have to nurse the car."
Ingenuity and a generator was all some Ford Motor Co. workers needed to cook breakfast on Friday.
"We cooked it on a couple of (stage) lights," said Brad Hayes, as he and other workers set up the temporary "Mustang Drive-In" stage for some entertainment for Saturday. "We had eggs, bacon and all the perishables left over."
A midday rain storm dampened spirits and showered many classic cars, and a few spectators, with what could be their only wash of the day. The power outage caused water pressure in many communities to drop, and raised fears of water contamination.
Detroit Police reported a normal night for crime during the blackout on Thursday. But police in the suburb of Royal Oak, the epicenter of the Dream Cruise, were taking no chances. They discouraged people from parking their cars along Woodward, and said they would close the avenue at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) on Friday.
"The Dream Cruise will still go on -- at this point the word is it's still going," Royal Oak Deputy Police Chief Thomas Wightman told Reuters in his office.
Royal Oak's smaller neighbor, the town of Pleasant Ridge to the south, was proceeding with its plans to host a walk-up "Drive-In" along Woodward to show a re-run of the Beatles appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and an old episode of "The Twilight Zone."
"We don't need any more power than what we have -- the power of fun," City Manager Sherry Ball said.
Jack McCormack, setting up a display of auto parts for Mopar, said he still expected to see many people lining Woodward Avenue to see the cars. "They'll be sitting in their lawn chairs. They don't need any power. They've been waiting for this for a year," he said.