Top 10 Cars of the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise

Top 10 Cars of the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise
RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey Auction Sets New Record
Craig Cole’s 5 Favorite Things About Pebble Beach
AutoGuide Now For The Week Of August 17
AutoGuide Answers: Pebble Beach or Woodward Dream Cruise?
BMW M3 Plug-In Hybrid Could be In The Works

Posted:

A sunny Saturday set the stage for a fantastic 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise.

Cars off all sorts arrived along the historic piece of Detroit asphalt to put on a display of V8 muscle and custom creativity that can't be matched.

From old to new, rust to chrome, Woodward is a display of machinery that every car enthusiast should try and see at least once.

For your viewing pleasure, we have compiled a list packed with 10 of our favorite cars we saw at Woodward this year.

Do-it-yourself Chrome Hummer H2

Just in case the Hummer H2 was a little too inconspicuous, this owner decided to slather his in chrome. A clear do-it-yourself job, this H2 was providing a great mirror for the cruisers to check out their cars in. Best of all, just hang it from the ceiling and you instantly have the world's largest disco ball!

Mid-1960's Dodge W200 Power Wagon Crew Cab

Classic trucks are nothing out of the ordinary at the Dream Cruise, but I love seeing these old crew cabs. Buying a crew cab pickup was certainly not the norm when this truck was new, making these four-door models all the more rare. Add on that massive steel bumper with a winch mounted to it and this Power Wagon still looks ready to tackle some tough terrain.

Donk Love

Love them or hate them, ridiculously massive wheels, more affectionally referred to as Donks, are a trend in custom cars right now. From classic Cadillac's to a Ford Bronco, there isn't a car out there that someone hasn't slapped a set of donks onto. I think they look so ridiculous that you just have to love them.

MRAP

What appears to be a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) troop transport was out cruising among the lesser vehicles at Woodward, trying to keep them from under its tires. We never got a close look at this thing, but its massive stature had it standing out in a crowd of low-slung hot rods.

Off-Roading Anyone?

This custom dune buggy belongs on the streets of Baja, which makes it a unique experience to see it cruising down the street trough a Detroit suburb. The custom-bodied four seater was housing an entire family, making it the perfect Dream Cruise ride.

Ford F-750 Tonka

You're never too old to have toys and Ford has super sized the classic Tonka dump truck you used to play with in the sandbox. This Ford F-750 packs 330 hp and 725 pound-feet of torque from its diesel powerplant while standing at about 10-feet tall. Seeing this big yellow wonder rolling down the road is just a ton of fun.

Troy Police Hot Rod

Troy-Police-Hot-Rod

Even the police got in on the custom car action. This Troy, MI police hot rod has tons of style and is one cop car I might not mind being thrown into the back off, just to get a closer look.

DeLorean With its Own Doc

Delorean-with-Doc-

The DeLorean DMC-12 was famously used in the Back to the Future series to travel through time, and there were actually quite a few DeLoreans that decided to travel to the 2015 Dream Cruise. This owner set himself apart and earned a spot on this list by playing up that history, doing his best Doc Brown impression.

Lifted El Camino

Of all the unlikely vehicles to lift, this El Camino actually makes some sense. After all, it is a pickup truck though typically it has the ride height of a car. Obviously this owner got sick of sitting so close to ground and jacked his El Camino up with some custom axles, wheels and tires.

Covered Camaro

Whether you think it's tacky or not, you have to give this enthusiast credit for taking the time and energy to do…whatever you call this. It appears that the owner was going for a kid's entertainment themed car, sticking all sorts of action figures, toys and stickers to every inch of this Camaro.

Loading, please wait...

RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey Auction Sets New Record

Posted:

The unofficial tally from RM Sotheby's 2015 Monterey auctions from this past weekend sits at a cool $172.7 million.

If the total stands, it'll officially be a record for the highest grossing collector car auction of all time and marks a 20 percent jump on the company's 2014 performance.

At least 35 vehicles sold for over $1 million and four lots exceeded $10 million with the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM seen above getting $17.6 million. Other vehicles that broke the $10-million mark include a 1998 McLaren F1 "LM-Specification" that netted $13.75 million, a 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight for $13.2 million and a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione "Tour de France" for $13.2 million.

The three-day event saw numerous collector Ferrari models cross the block with over half of the top 10 vehicles sold sporting the Prancing Horse moniker. The first day of the RM Sotheby's Monterey auction also set a new record for a private automobile collection sold during a single-day sale, with the Pinnacle Portfolio netting $75.4 million on Thursday evevning.

Discuss this story at our Luxury Lifestyle Forum

Loading, please wait...

Craig Cole’s 5 Favorite Things About Pebble Beach

Posted:

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the crown jewel of Monterey Car Week. As automotive events go, this is arguably the most prestigious in the world, featuring a fairway full of multi-million dollar vehicles.

But there's so much more to see than just vintage iron. For starters, the people watching is unmatched; interacting with the world's wealthy can be seriously entertaining for commoners (like me). The things they do and say are often unbelievable. Accordingly, concourse Sunday is a rare glimpse inside another world where people count their money with shovels and bulldozers.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Along with top-shelf cars, high fashion is another prominent attribute of Pebble Beach. People really get into it, wearing period-correct outfits, paisley-patterned pantaloons and even gigantic hats. I even saw a guy dressed with a double-breasted jacket made of distressed denim. You win, sir, you win.

Even though most of the cars and people at this event have decades of patina, not everything is old. New-vehicle introductions are playing an increasingly large role during Monterey Car Week. More and more automakers are using the associated events to showcase their latest products. One place worth checking out is the concept lawn, which is located right behind the Pebble Beach lodge. On this impeccably manicured green, you'll see all the latest vehicles, from wildly styled supercars to production-ready models.

For the rest of my favorite things about Pebble Beach, please check out the accompanying video. You won't be disappointed … well maybe you will be if you have any sort of standards but whatever. Please, just watch the video, OK?

Check out our Tips and Advice Section

Loading, please wait...

AutoGuide Now For The Week Of August 17

Posted:

Sometimes it takes a look to the past to see just how far we've come. That's why we're testing a 2015 model year vehicle against its 2016 counterpart this week.

2015 and 2016 Mazda MX-5 – Mike Schlee, Road Test Editor:

"This week it's time to pit the brand new 2016 Mazda MX-5 up against a vehicle people can't stop comparing it to – the 2015 MX-5. In fact, I'm not just going to put it up against one, but two different versions of last year's Miata. How will it fare?"

See Also: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Review

2016 Nissan Maxima and 2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan – Jodi Lai, Managing Editor:

Jodi is testing two full-sized sedans this week, and will see how AutoGuide.com's Car of the Year, the Hyundai Genesis, will look compared to the all-new Maxima. With 300 hp and a fuel efficient CVT, the Maxima sounds like it has the engineering cred to take on the Korean sedan, but don't forget, the Hyundai has a few tricks of its own. Check back for the full comparison.

Loading, please wait...

AutoGuide Answers: Pebble Beach or Woodward Dream Cruise?

Posted:

Here's an interesting coincidence: this past weekend saw two very different events take place, the American-centric Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit and the ultra-high-end Pebble Beach Concours in Monterey, California.

The Dream Cruise is a celebration of American cars that sees thousands of cars, new and old alike, cruise up and down a 20-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue in Detroit for tons of spectators. On the other end side of the country at the same time, the most expensive and rare luxury exotics in the world gathered together on a beautiful piece of the California coast in Monterey.

We decided to ask our editors which of these two events are more their style. Here's what they had to say:

Mike Schlee, Road Test Editor: Woodward Dream Cruise

"For me it has to be the Woodward Dream Cruise. There's something about a wide-open, public welcome, weekend festival that just checks all the right boxes for me. There are classics, customs and muscle laid out as far as the eye can see.

If you worship at the parish of the V8, this is Vatican City of muscle cars.

But my favorite part of Woodward has to be the lack of pretention that oozes from every corner of Pebble Beach. You don't need money to enjoy Woodward."

Jodi Lai, Managing Editor: Pebble Beach

"I'm currently stuck in the most hilarious traffic jam I've ever been in. I'm in Carmel in California during Monterey Car Week sitting in traffic behind a Nissan GT-R and a lime green Lamborghini Aventador. Two Pagani Huayras passed by in the opposite lane. An insanely loud SLR McLaren just drove past with a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. And then a little Citroën 2CV putters behind me while a vintage Jaguar E-Type casually creeps forward.

There's no cooler place to be if you love cars than Pebble Beach. Even if you don't actually go to the events, races and auctions, this is the only place where sitting in traffic can be considered fun. Exotic supercars and vintage cars are as common here as Toyota Corollas are at home. Pebble Beach is a feast and I'm hungry. I can get used to traffic jams if they're always like this. "

Stephen Elmer, News Editor: Woodward Dream Cruise

"I just can't connect with perfectly manicured lawns, goofy colored pants and cars worth millions of dollars that aren't even driven. I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt, fixing old trucks out in the barn kind of guy. That's why I would choose the Woodward Dream Cruise in a heartbeat.

It's here that you see real cars, built by regular people on a budget. Sure, not everything is so shiny you want to eat off it, but that's part of the charm. There's no pretentious red velvet ropes to keep you from the cars and you don't need an "all access" badge to see the good stuff. Just sit on the side of Woodward Avenue and the car show comes to you, with the owner of each right there in the driver seat ready to tell you about his or her ride.

Best of all, the cars are actually out cruising! Isn't that what cars are all about? This was my second year cruising Woodward and I don't plan to stop going anytime soon!"

Jason Siu, News Editor: Pebble Beach

"If you've ever had the opportunity to attend Monterey Car Week, you'll understand that it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of the few things I'll never forget is one time I was at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the media was interviewing a gentleman with a white cane. Although I can't recall the exact phrasing of the question, it was something along the lines of "Why would you attend a car show if you can't even see the cars?" The gentleman replied, "Have you heard how beautiful they sound?"

And that's really what Pebble Beach is all about. Roaming through the hills of Pebble Beach or heading to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, there's simply something for everyone if you like all things with four wheels.

Besides, who wants to go to Detroit? Right Mr. Craig Cole? Right?"

Craig Cole, Associate Editor: Woodward Dream Cruise

"This question is easy for me to answer: Woodward. The Dream Cruise is as friendly and approachable as it is blue collar; you won't find a more welcoming car event. There's absolutely zero pretence at this gathering, which runs along a 20-plus mile stretch of 'Murican thoroughfare from downtown Detroit to Pontiac, Michigan. And if that's not enough it's also the world's largest single-day automotive event, drawing more than 1.5 million spectators and some 40,000 classic cars, which hail from practically all marques and eras. Oppressive snobbery and over-the-top wealth are hallmarks of Pebble Beach, which is at best nauseating, at worst infuriating. Throngs of people that need shovels and bulldozers to count their money congest the roads and sidewalks of this peaceful California town; it's just too much for me to bear. My tolerance for douche-baggery is extremely limited and Monterey Car Week exceeds this long before concourse Sunday."

Sami Haj-Assaad, Features Editor: Pebble Beach

"Exotics, one-offs and high-end luxury cars are the general vibe of the Pebble Beach Concours weekend and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. It's where you can see Lamborghinis and Aston Martins act like Civics and Corollas. There's a ton of expensive and beautiful hardware cruising all over Monterey during this time.

Sure you may have to rub shoulders with some pretentious millionaires, even those who may not know anything about cars, but it's worth it to gawk at the wonderfully crafted cars of the Good Life (TM). Oh and there's a ton of celebrities to catch a glimpse of. I'll take any chance I can to get a selfie with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jerry Seinfeld. Of course, Pebble Beach is also accented by the fantastic Monterey historics races, which is a bunch of fun too."

Well, it looks like we're split right down the middle. Which event would you go to if you had the choice? Let us know in the comments section below.

Loading, please wait...

BMW M3 Plug-In Hybrid Could be In The Works

Posted:

BMW might be planning to add a plug-in hybrid powertrain to one of its most iconic sports sedans.

The Detroit Bureau is reporting that a BMW M3 plug-in hybrid is under development to help the car meet new strict fuel economy regulations. The basis for the new powertrain will be the same 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that is used today, mated to an electric powerplant.

Torque is said to be boosted by about 73 lb-ft to sit around 480 lb-ft, while horsepower estimates were not revealed. On electricity only, the BMW M3 plug-in hybrid is aiming for a range of 20 miles.

Rear-wheel drive will remain as the M3's standard layout, although the platform is flexible, and could support a pair of electric motors responsible for driving the front wheels, allowing the car to offer torque vectoring. A regenerative braking system will also be offered with the plug-in M3.

Hybrid systems are known to add weight which is typically the enemy of performance. BMW plans to combat this by using even more carbon fiber in the development of the new M3 along with lessons learned from the i3 and i8, BMW's new line of lightweight hybrid cars.

The next-gen BMW M3 is expected to arrive sometime around 2020, so we have a while to wait before anything becomes official.

[Source: Detroit Bureau]

Discuss this story at our BMW Forum

Loading, please wait...

Car Reviews

Monday, 17 August 2015