Goodyear is opening its first retail concept store in Detroit, and it picked the loudest weekend of the year to do it. The Goodyear Motor City Garage opens to the public Saturday, August 15 at 8 a.m. at 3075 East Grand Blvd., just east of Woodward, timed to the Woodward Dream Cruise. Inside are two cars most people know from a screen, and overhead that weekend, two Goodyear blimps. Here is what the store is and why it is worth the stop.
The Motor City Garage at a Glance
| What | Goodyear Motor City Garage, the company’s first Detroit retail concept store |
| Where | 3075 East Grand Blvd., just east of Woodward |
| Opens | Saturday, August 15, 8 a.m., during Dream Cruise weekend |
| Inside | The Mary Tyler Moore Show Mustang and the Bandit Trans Am |
| Also | A working Goodyear Auto Service center |
| Overhead | Two Goodyear blimps that weekend, plus remote-controlled mini blimps |
A Concept Store, Not Just a Tire Shop
The Motor City Garage sits inside an existing Goodyear Auto Service Center, but the concept reaches past service bays. Goodyear describes it as its version of destination retail, citing models like the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and the Nike House of Innovation. The idea is a gathering spot where enthusiasts connect with car culture, see where tire technology is going, and get a look at the company’s vision for the future of vehicle care.
Practically, it still does the job it always did. Customers can get the same services offered at other Goodyear Auto Service locations, including tire sales, alongside the displays and heritage vehicles. In other words, it functions as a real shop rather than a pop-up that disappears after the weekend.
The location choice says something too. Detroit has plenty of car-adjacent retail, but a national tire company planting its first concept store here, a few blocks off Woodward, is a bet on the corridor itself.
The Two Cars Worth the Drive
The vehicle list is the reason to actually walk in. First, there is the 1973 Ford Mustang convertible from the opening sequence of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” on loan from the Ford Motor Co. Heritage Collection. It wears Goodyear Performance Series F70/14 custom wide-tread tires with raised white letters. That is a factory-accurate recreation of the original spec.
Next, from the General Motors Heritage Center and Archive, comes the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am W72. This is the black-and-gold “Bandit” edition tied to “Smokey and the Bandit” with Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. It originally ran Goodyear GR70/15 GM Custom Tread tires. Finally, consider what that adds up to: two cars most people know from a screen, parked a block off Woodward, free to look at.
The Blimps Are the Bonus
Goodyear also plans to fly two blimps over metro Detroit that weekend, which is unusual given how small the fleet is. Most people are lucky to see one in a lifetime. In addition, the company is running a new generation of remote-controlled mini blimps during the festivities.
Exact flight windows are not public yet. Goodyear says viewing opportunities and schedules will come closer to the event on its social channels.
Planning Your Dream Cruise Day
The Dream Cruise itself runs Saturday, August 15 along Woodward from Ferndale to Pontiac. It draws more than 40,000 classic and custom cars and well over a million people. Notably, the Goodyear stop sits at the Detroit end of the corridor. That makes it a reasonable first stop before heading north into the heaviest cruise traffic.
Our Dream Cruise 2026 guide has the route, timing, and viewing spots, and our Dream Cruise Week roundup covers the city parties happening all week. More in our Events coverage.
Goodyear Motor City Garage FAQ
Where is the store?
3075 East Grand Blvd. in Detroit, just east of Woodward, opening to the public August 15 at 8 a.m.
What is inside?
Displays, tire technology, and two heritage cars, plus a working Goodyear Auto Service center.
Which cars are there?
The 1973 Mustang from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and the 1977 Trans Am “Bandit.”
Are there really two blimps?
Yes, Goodyear plans two over metro Detroit that weekend, plus remote-controlled mini blimps.