Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Woodward 2009: License plates - They're the original Twitter!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-license-plates-theyre-the-original-twitter/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-license-plates-theyre-the-original-twitter/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-license-plates-theyre-the-original-twitter/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Woodward license plates - Click above for high-res image gallery

These days, Twitter is all the rage as a means for the digitally inclined to communicate their thoughts in bursts of 140 characters or less. However, that 140 character limit is positively verbose compared to an older and more established means of short messaging. Drivers long ago realized that certain combinations of letters and numbers could be used to send messages in less than seven characters. One of this blogger's all time favorites was a classic Lamborghini Countach with the plate IXLR8.

While that particular Lambo didn't appear at this year's Woodward festivities, there were plenty of other interesting messages sent out. As far as we're concerned, the best plates are the ones that don't take too much brain power to decipher. Sometimes, the license plate phrase reinforces something about the car's behavior - such as the FASSST plate on one Cobra. Other times, drivers use onomatopoeia like the BRMBRUM plate on another Shelby snake. Still others, such as the LVNGLYF plate we saw on a Lotus Elise, are more descriptive of the car's driver. Check out our entire gallery below of interesting plates from the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise.


Gallery: Woodward 2009: License plates ? They're the original Twitter!

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Woodward 2009: License plates - They're the original Twitter! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>licenselicense platelicenseplatevanity platevanity platesVanityPlateVanityPlateswoodwardwoodward 2009woodward dream cruisewoodward dream cruise 2009Woodward2009WoodwardDreamCruiseWoodwardDreamCruise2009Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Woodward 2009: A corral of Cobras and not a real one in sight]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-a-corral-of-cobras-and-not-a-real-one-in-sight/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-a-corral-of-cobras-and-not-a-real-one-in-sight/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/16/woodward-2009-a-corral-of-cobras-and-not-a-real-one-in-sight/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Kirkham FIA 289 Cobra replica - Click above for high-res image gallery

Someday, many decades from now, after all historical records of the late 20th and early 21st centuries have been extinguished by the great internet crash of 2012, someone will be trying to figure out what happened. As paleontologists are combing through the remainder of scrap yards for clues about what we did here, they may come to the conclusion that the Shelby Cobra was the second most produced car of all time after the VW Beetle.

The reality, of course, is that the real Shelby Cobra is exceedingly rare, but the look may well be the most replicated of all time. There are also plenty of Ferrari and Lamborghini "replicas" that are mutated to fit on existing platforms like the aforementioned Beetle and the Pontiac Fiero, but the vast majority of the faux-Cobras look so much like the real thing, that all but the most dedicated observers cannot tell the difference without close inspection.

In a little corner off Woodward Ave just south of Maple Rd. were at least two dozen "Cobras", and not one appeared to be the real thing. None the less, these are generally blindingly fast cars and usually just as thrilling to drive as one of Carroll's babies.


Gallery: Woodward 2009: The Cobra corral


Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Woodward 2009: A corral of Cobras and not a real one in sight originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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High performance cars - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Woodward Dream Cruise is generally considered the province of muscle cars and hot rods. However, the event is open to all comers... and come they do. So that means in addition to the usual assortment of classic machines and muscle cars, we get to see an array of exotics and other assorted high performance machinery.

Ferrari, Aston Martin, De Tomaso, Lotuse - these were are all designed to traverse motorways and canyon roads at elevated velocities. However, when they hit Woodward Ave., speed is not part of the plan in any way, shape or form. Regardless, it's fun to see these machines moving at a pace that lets you actually take in their visual appeal.


Gallery: Woodward 2009: High performance cars stuck in traffic

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Woodward 2009: High performance cars stuck in traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>exoticsperformance carPerformanceCarwoodwardwoodward 2009woodward dream cruisewoodward dream cruise 2009Woodward2009WoodwardDreamCruiseWoodwardDreamCruise2009Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:09:00 EST<![CDATA[Woodward 2009: Past Chrysler savior meets the next one?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-past-chrysler-savior-meets-the-next-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-past-chrysler-savior-meets-the-next-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-past-chrysler-savior-meets-the-next-one/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Fiat Topolino - Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in the waning days of the Carter administration, Chrysler was in an all-too-familiar position. The company was on the verge of insolvency with a lineup of products that almost no one wanted. That time, they just managed to avoid bankruptcy court. But as the company got a batch of government-backed loans, they were proclaiming a new line of cars that would pull them out of the gutter. Before long, the K-cars arrived and for the next decade most of the company's lineup was derived from those roots.

Today, fresh out of bankruptcy court, engineers are scrambling to finish a fresh lineup as management is telling the world, "Wait till you see what's coming next!" Only this time, the origins lie in products from Italy instead of Highland Park, MI. There are a decent number of Fiats floating around steamy Woodward Ave. today, although none so far are of the contemporary type that we expect to see badged as Chryslers soon. In fact, most are even older than the assorted K-cars also plying the pavement.


Gallery: Woodward 2009: Fiats and K-Cars


Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Woodward 2009: Past Chrysler savior meets the next one? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google street view car watching the watchers - Click above for high-res image gallery

As we strolled down Woodward Ave. this morning shooting all the the wild and wacky machinery idling along, we spotted a little gray Chevy Cobalt on the opposite side of the street. While everyone is welcome to participate in the Woodward Dream Cruise, this was no ordinary Cobalt. It sprouted an absurdly tall rig from its roof that instantly gave it away as a Google Street View machine. It's not clear if the driver was just enjoying the ride or actually collecting data that will appear in Google Maps soon, so we'll be checking frequently in the coming weeks to see if the Woodward Dream Cruise has gotten the Google treatment.


Gallery: Woodward 2009: Google Street View camera car


Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Woodward 2009: Google watching the watchers! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlegoogle mapsgoogle stree viewgoogle street viewgoogle street view cargoogle streetviewGoogleMapsGoogleStreetViewGoogleStreetViewCarGoogleStreeViewwoodwardwoodward 2009woodward cruisewoodward dream cruisewoodward dream cruise 2009woodward dream cruise birminghamWoodward2009WoodwardCruiseWoodwardDreamCruiseWoodwardDreamCruise2009WoodwardDreamCruiseBirminghamSat, 15 Aug 2009 13:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Woodward 2009: We're streaming live video!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-were-streaming-live-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-were-streaming-live-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/15/woodward-2009-were-streaming-live-video/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Woodward Dream Cruise has become one of the largest car related events in the world over the last 15 years. But here at Autoblog we know you can't all get here to Detroit. We'll of course be providing you lots of posts and photo galleries all day long as always. In addition for the third straight year, we're doing a live video stream of the action down on the street. You can watch cruisers heading up and down Woodward (which way is up anyway?) from 10-4 today. The stream is after the jump so open it up in a new window and keep checking back for closeup action from Woodward as well as our crew at Pebble Beach.

Click here to watch live streaming video of the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise

Continue reading Woodward 2009: We're streaming live video!

Woodward 2009: We're streaming live video! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakinglive video marketplacelive video streaming service from your phoneLiveVideoMarketplaceLiveVideoStreamingServiceFromYourPhonewoodwardwoodward 2009woodward dream cruisewoodward dream cruise 2009Woodward2009WoodwardDreamCruiseWoodwardDreamCruise2009Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Shades of Champ Car/IRL: Birmingham exits Dream Cruise, starts own same-day event ]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/shades-of-champ-car-irl-birmingham-exits-dream-cruise-starts-o/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/shades-of-champ-car-irl-birmingham-exits-dream-cruise-starts-o/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/shades-of-champ-car-irl-birmingham-exits-dream-cruise-starts-o/#commentsFiled under: , ,

At first blush, the city of Birmingham's decision to pull out of its official relationship with the Woodward Dream Cruise doesn't strike us as a big deal. After all, 40,000 or so classic cars are expected to descend on the historic Woodward Avenue just south of the Motor City whether Birmingham has representation on the Dream Cruise's Board of Directors or not. Officials representing the Cruise, though, don't quite agree with this assessment.

The Detroit News reports that Dream Cruise board President Greg Rasse sent a not-so-friendly letter to Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus requesting that the city cease-and-desist using Woodward Dream Cruise logos and event name when promoting its own event, which is scheduled to run concurrently with the official Dream Cruise. Not terribly surprising, given that Birmingham's departure from the Dream Cruise Board means that the city is not paying the Board or its Executive Director any money.

No matter what happens, the show must go on, as they say, and we'll be there as always this August with digital SLRs in tow and live streaming video of all the action. We don't imagine that many of those attending the Cruise in 2009 will notice the difference, and we hope the organizers and the locales involved can get along well enough not to ruin an enjoyable event.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Shades of Champ Car/IRL: Birmingham exits Dream Cruise, starts own same-day event originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last year, organizers for the Woodward Dream Cruise teamed up with Motorcities National Heritage Area to bring the classic car festivities all the way from the southern suburbs in Oakland County to Downtown Detroit. Ironically, it was the first year that the longstanding event officially entered the Motor City itself. Next year, the Dream Cruise will retreat back across 8 Mile and out of Detroit. Why? The economy, of course, as it seems the Detroit-specific programs didn't earn enough money to repay the costs associated with promoting and running them.

The good news is that the 2009 edition of the Dream Cruise is still on schedule to run on a hot, humid Woodward weekend in August, and Autoblog will be there to bring you live coverage as always.

[Source: Detroit News]

Woodward Dream Cruise retreating back across 8 Mile originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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