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Dream Cruise Saturday wakes up with a roar in Pontiac
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 15, 2026
Pontiac – Dawn broke over the Woodward Deam Cruise here Saturday revealing asphalt black with burnout marks at the intersection of Woodward and Pike.
It’ll got a lot blacker today.
The bookends of the Woodward Dream Cruise have very different personalities. Ferndale opens the Cruise Friday at 5.30 PM each year – blessed by the presence of Ford’s sprawling Mustang Alley display at Como’s – with an official ribbon cutting at Nine Mile and the Lights & Sirens Parade of city emergency vehicles.
Pontiac is the Wild West. No ribbon cutting. No officials. No manufacturer presence. Just wall-to-wall car owners enjoying the world’s biggest car event. After the sun went down Friday, the revs turned up as cars cruised the West Track Loop at the north end of the Cruise’s 16 mile strip before turning south.
Livin’ the Dream: Cars loud and proud cruise down Woodward
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 15, 2026
David Guralnick, The Detroit News
Pontiac — Drivers in their twin-turbo, gold-rimmed glory will be indulging fuel-injected fetishes on Woodward Avenue Saturday.
Hot-steppin’ Hemis with four-on-the-floor will be letting them unwind during the Woodward Dream Cruise.
With apologies to rocker Bruce Springsteen, the bard of the automobile, the annual car extravaganza will be jammed with people who found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car.
But nobody will give a hoot about the skyrocketing cost of gas.
Sun (and Mustang Dark Horse SC Convertible) rises on Friday Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2026
Henry Payne, Detroit News
Ferndale – On an overcast Friday morning at 6:38 a.m., an orange sunrise failed to poke through the clouds over Woodward Avenue.
But a purple Mustang did.
Hoisted 40 feet in the air on a crane, the 2027, Purple Precision Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC Convertible — shrouded in a Ford blue cover — rose over Nine Mile and Woodward for its big debut when the Woodward Dream Cruise officially gets under way later in the day.
Read full article here.
Mustang unveils topless, 795-horse Dark Horse SC Convertible
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Ferndale ― Now you can go topless riding 795 ponies.
Just in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise, Ford on Friday unleashed the 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC Convertible, the drop-top version of its wicked, 795-horsepower, 5.2-liter, supercharged V-8 Dark Horse SC. With its soaring soundtrack, Ford Racing-engineered performance, and sleek styling, the SC Convertible takes aim at luxury, six-figure coupes like the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, Mercedes SL, and BMW 8-series.
The SC Convertible expands the Dark Horse lineup to four models, establishing it as a premium sub-brand within the Mustang lineup to appeal to upscale muscle-car customers enticed by the range-topping, limited edition, GT3-race-car-based, $330,000 Mustang GTD halo.
Read full article here.
Class of 2000: Meet the new Dream Cruise classics
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2026
Honda, Wieck
At the turn of the 20th century, the Detroit Pistons’ newly hired GM Joe Dumars kicked off the Ben Wallace era, the Tigers moved into their new Comerica Park home, the Red Wings suffered a shock first-round exit to the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Lions went 9-7, narrowly missing the postseason. Motown’s own Eminem broke through with The Marshall Mathers LP. Gladiator won Best Picture, PlayStation 2 sold like hotcakes, Vlad Putin was elected Russian president, Al Gore demanded a recount, America Online bought Time Warner and Santana’s “Smooth” became a mega-hit.
On the automotive front, the new millennium birthed a fleet of automotive notables from American sedans to sleek sports cars to a BMW SUV made in the USA.
Here’s a look at the new antiques.
Cadillac F1 names new boss at midseason break
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2026
Clive Rose, Getty Images
“We’re at this inflection point with the summer break,” said Towriss in a call with media Wednesday. “Cadillac has gone through this initial build phase . . . and now as we look at the development phase, there’s a real opportunity here to build something new. We’re delighted to welcome Martin to Cadillac Formula One (and) excited about what he brings to the table. This is the perfect time to make (a leadership) change as we go into the second half of our inaugural season (and) as we start to think about building the 2027 car.”
Budkowski replaces Graham Lowden, who did yeoman’s work to get the F1 field’s 11th team to grid in just 10 months after Cadillac received approval to race in 2025.
Budkowski joins the team with more than two decades of F1 management experience, including senior roles with Ferrari, McLaren and Formula One’s FIA organizing body. His most recent role was with Renault/Alpine — another relatively new F1 team that joined the grid in 2021 — where he led the team’s transition as executive director and board member.
“From the beginning, our goal has not been simply to participate in Formula 1, but to build a next-generation team capable of competing at the very front,” said Towriss.
After 11 grand prix, the team is stuck at the back of the field. Progress demanded more urgency when Aston Martin — which had been mired at the back of the fields with the two team Cadillacs — made big strides at the last Hungarian Grand Prix, leap-frogging Cadillac F1 into mid-field contention with a 12th and 13th place showing.
Both Cadillac’s meanwhile, failed to finish, the latest in a concerning bout of unreliability to go with the team’s lack of pace.
Detroit’s Big 5 autopaloozas are here. What you need to know
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2026
Katy Kildee, The Detroit News
It’s August in Detroit and that means the volume gets turned up to 11 for the next two months featuring Detroit’s Big Five autopaloozas.
The fun begins Saturday in Pontiac at M1 Concourse with the 11th annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge street drag racing followed by the Woodward Dream Cruise Aug. 15, the Sept. 12 Cars at the Station at Michigan Central, Detroit 4fest at Holly Oaks Off-Road Vehicle Park Sept. 18-19, and wrapping up back at M1 with the Oct. 2-4 American Speed Festival.
It’s a remarkable concentration of car culture unmatched anywhere else in the United States, said Detroit-based Tom Zielinski of Z Performance Concepts, one of the nation’s premier event organizers (including Cars at the Station and other North American 4fests).
How to navigate the world’s biggest car event, the Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2026
David Guralnick, The Detroit News
As is tradition, the Cruise actually kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, on Nine Mile in Ferndale with a ribbon-cutting led by Michael Lary, Ferndale special events director and president of the Dream Cruise for 21 years.
At 5:30 p.m., the Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show in Nine Mile rumbles to life ― rolling up Woodward to 11 Mile and back for the annual Lights & Sirens Cruise Parade. Look for an array of modern/classic police, fire, military and other EMS machinery.
Four-door Mustang unveiled before dealers at Ford Vegas meeting
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2026
Courtesy Of Hagerty Drivers Foundation
Ford Motor Co. this week showed dealers plans for a four-door Mustang sportscar, according to three people familiar with the situation, the latest move by the automaker to squeeze value from its passion nameplates.
The envisioned four-door pony car had a gas-powered engine with the potential for a hybrid — but not a fully electric version, according to the people, who weren’t permitted to speak publicly on the topic. The vehicle is expected to arrive in showrooms before the end of the decade, said two of the people, both dealers who witnessed the presentation. The vehicle would appear to be a direct competitor to the Dodge Charger that comes in two-door and four-door variants.
Some dealers also saw the Ford Fathom, the all-electric midsize truck launching next year that starts under $30,000, the two dealers said. The base version seen was described as slick and digital-focused with a simple, no-fluff interior, and few or no buttons and dials. A forward-looking image shown to dealers during a presentation also included a crossover built on the Fathom’s same Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, according to the dealers.
The Mustang move is another example of the Dearborn automaker leveraging the power of a few core model names from its 123-year history — Mustang, Bronco and F-150, to name a few — to boost sales, fatten profit margins and expand the Blue Oval’s appeal.
Read full article here.
Payne: Last dance with the terrific Toyota GR Supra
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 6, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Bay City — Call it the Batmobile. The stealth fighter. The Black Widow.
Or, in long hand, the matte-black 2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final Edition. It’s the last hurrah for one of the most engaging, recognized, awarded sports cars in the U.S. market. My Final Edition tester was a paparazzi magnet on a weekend up north. In Charlevoix a Amazon delivery driver jumped out of his truck.
“I saw this come by down the block,” he said. “Do you mind if I take some photos?”
At a gas station, the driver at the next pump came over to ogle. “Nice car,” he drooled.
On I-75, an SUV shadowed me at 75 mph, its occupants hanging their smartphones out the window to take video.
On M-31, a Golf R tailed me to get a closer look.
Rivian opens first Metro Detroit charger as volume R2 hits showrooms
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 31, 2026
Dan Mears, The Detroit News
Rivian’s entry into the Metro Detroit market at 780 East Big Beaver Road in Troy comes as it launches its most important vehicle to date: the R2 SUV aimed at the heart of the compact SUV segment, the largest in the United States.
It is where Tesla became a household name with its volume Model Y SUV selling 400,000 units alongside top, gas-fired sellers like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. With the R2, Rivian ― heretofore a maker of $75K-plus luxury vehicles ― hopes to hit similar volumes and become a mainstream hit.
“Rivian was selling the lifestyle message and pairing their cars with the idea of adventure and off-roading because that’s a very fun-sounding use case,” said California-based auto analyst Karl Brauer of iSeeCars.com. “But it’s also antithetical to what a lot of these EVs are good for, including track-focused EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. When you consider the (range) logistics of getting to a place that you have to go to enjoy a lifestyle event ― whether a racetrack or an off-road park ― that’s one of the biggest disadvantages of an EV.”
Other EV companies not named Tesla have struggled to gain profitability. Silicon Valley-based Lucid, for example, which has thus far made critically acclaimed EVs ― if low-volume ones like the Air and Gravity — recently hired AlixPartners to help get its financial house in order.
Tesla’s Supercharger network remains the big dog, and all OEMs ― including Rivian ― are switching to NACS charging ports (from CCS) to take advantage of Tesla convenience.
Payne: On the town with the hybrid/EV Lexus ES twins
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 31, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Detroit — Exotic and practical, progressive and conservative, modern and traditional. The all-new 2026 Lexus ES has a dual personality: it’s offered in electric and gas models while sporting flashy design for customers shy on the latest tech.
Rolling into Supino’s Pizzeria in Eastern Market to satisfy my appetite for the best Brooklyn pie in town, my electric ES 350e turned heads.
If Lexus has been known for its expressive Spindle grilles, the electric ES’s design (and its hybrid ES 350h doppelganger) is inspired by the Lexus LF concept. Goodbye gaping mouth, hello dark sideburns. It’s a striking evolution from the last-gen Darth Vader fascia, and more pleasant to my eye.
Forget rideshare. How seniors are using Teslas for transportation
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 31, 2026
Leonard Kraud, The Detroit News
Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi rideshare service to include Florida, Texas, and California as it competes with Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, and other autonomous rideshare services. But consumers are already buying retail Teslas to self-drive them in cities across the United States.
Senior citizens most notably.
Determined to maintain their individual transportation independence, they are using Tesla’s hands-free Full Self Driving system as a driver assist. Though by no means exclusive to seniors in its ability to add another set of eyes to the road, FSD helps elderly drivers maintain a cocoon around their car as their confidence in reflexes and eyesight naturally deteriorate.
“It’s as good a driver as I am,” said Dick Amacher, 78, a retired General Motors engineer from Rochester Hills who drives his Model Y and Model 3 on FSD 98% of the time. “Here’s the thing: It will not go through a red light. It will not go through a stop sign. Every once in a while, I’ve driven through neighborhoods where stop signs were partially obscured by low-hanging branches, for example … and (the Tesla) sees them before I do.”
GM puts on high-powered drag races for Trump at Milford stop
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 31, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
FOOM! An all-wheel-drive, 1,250-horsepower, hybrid V-8/electric Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, the most powerful American sportscar ever produced, exploded past the presidential viewing stand, defeating its mere supercar sibling, the rear-wheel-drive, 1,064-horsepower ZR1, by two car lengths in a drag race.
“I hit about 115 (mph) at the viewing stand,” said GM engineer and ZR1X driver Stefan Frick afterwards. “Then backed out of it at about 120.”
If he had kept going past the 1/8-mile makeshift dragway set up on Black Lake, the 67-acre asphalt skid pad at the north end of the Proving Ground’s 4,400 acres, the ZR1X would have hit 233 mph.
“That’s the largest piece of asphalt I’ve ever seen,” said Trump, a car buff with his own large collection, at a rally afterwards. Black Lake has been an engineering test ground for countless performance vehicles.
Tire-smoking Ford-Red Bull Showrun roars into Dearborn
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Ford, Ford
It’s the third stop of four on a U.S. tour that kicked off with a wild, airborne demonstration on San Francisco’s hills last winter. On February 21st at the intersection of Broadway and Divisadero, American off-road racer Mitch Guthrie Jr. raced up Broadway’s 11-degree incline and launched the Raptor T1 at 45 mph off a 5-degree ramp — soaring over the Red Bull F1 car that was performing smokey donuts on Divisadero.
Don’t expect similar jumps in the flat Dearborn terrain off Hubbard Road north of Ford headquarters. But Baja racer Chris Polvoorde ― who takes Guthrie’s seat in the T1+ this weekend ― promises it will still be wild.
“Really excited. Just went and ran (the course) the first time, and it’s really cool,” said the 2025 Baja 1000 overall race winner. “It’s got a mix of super-big areas, high-speed areas, and then some really tight areas that will be good for the crowd. A little nerve-wracking for the drivers … but I think it’s gonna’ be awesome.”
WAUURGGH! Ford’s Custom Garage toy store delivers the metal goods
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“There are vehicles that we want to make sure capture a broad audience, but we always know there’s individualized taste,” said Ford Racing Parts Planning Supervisor Ryan Long. “Everybody’s unique. We want to resonate with those individual customers … and provide them more of what they are looking for. (We) give them the option to take their vehicle to the next level safely through a dealer warranty.”
After a day burning rubber all over Michigan International Speedway’s 1,400-acre campus in the Irish Hills, here are the highlights of the hottest accessories for your next Ford Dream Cruiser.
Mustang FP800S. The FP800S package puts a $48,795 Mustang GT on a steroid diet with 810 horsepower and 615 horsepower compared to the standard V-8’s 480 and 415. That’s, ahem, just five horses shy of a $327,960 Mustang GTD supercar and more than a $106k, 795-horse Mustang Dark Horse SC for way fewer dollars.
Payne: The Toyota GR Corolla hellion is a hoot. But is it practical?
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Memphis ― Is candy food? Is the 2026 Toyota GR Corolla transportation?
Inspired by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division, the hell-raising hot hatch is a daily sugar high. WAUUUURGH! I nailed the throttle out of my cul-de-sac into the twisties. WAUUUURGH! I nailed it onto the I-75 on-ramp north to Auburn Hills. WAUUUURGH! I stomped on it out of a stoplight onto Telegraph Road. WAUUUURGH! I stomped it out of a turn on M1 Concourse test track.
With an outrageous 100 horsepower per cylinder, the 300-horse GR (that’s pronounced GRRR) is one of the most entertaining cars in the market. All-wheel drive for drifting, front-rear limited-slip differentials, stiff track suspension, stick-shift from the gods.
It’s a go-kart with a license plate. But at nearly $50,000, does my Premium Plus model make any sense as a daily driver?
Team Penske, Reuss make White House pit stop for Freedom 250 race
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
White House, White House
IndyCar made a pit stop at the White House this week.
Detroit auto giants Roger Penske and General Motors President Mark Reuss joined Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, Indy 500 runner-up David Malukas, and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou at the White House to give the nation’s capital a preview of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix coming next month to DC’s streets.
The motorsports event follows June’s UFC Freedom 250 slugfest that showcased the world’s best ultimate fighters on the White House south lawn. Team Penske driver Malukas and his pit crew showed off their quick hands, too, with a tire-burning, 6.5-second pit stop in front of the West Wing.
President Donald Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Penske President Bud Denker, and Fox Sports CEO (and IndyCar broadcast partner) Eric Shanks looked on while White House staff cheered from the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
2026 Mercedes CLA350 EV
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit New
Hell — ZOT! Like a greased jellybean, my Mercedes CLA 350 sedan shot onto I-75. Past a line of traffic. Headed to the moon.
Quiet as a mouse.
Nine years after the Tesla Model 3 sedan became an overnight sensation and ushered in a new age of performance electric vehicles, it’s, well … playing second fiddle to the Model Y. Model 3’s SUV doppelganger, introduced in 2019, now outsells the sedan by three-fold in a country ga-ga for utes. From the rugged Rivian R2 to the flashy Mustang Mach-E to the sculpted Hyundai Ioniq 5, automakers are drafting electric Model Y rivals en masse.
The CLA EV (which shares the CLA-Class model lineup with gas/hybrid variants) is one of the few sedans that has dared take on the Model 3.
It does so with trademark luxury, comfort, straight-line speed, style and convenience. Asterisks on style and convenience. Walk up to my $67K, all-wheel-drive CLA (the rear-wheel-drive CLA 250 starts at $48.5K) and you might mistake it for a Hyundai Ioniq 6 — another Model 3 competitor shelved this year (only the coming, estimated-$70K track-focused Ioniq 6 N will remain). Jellybean shape, horizontal rear taillight, ducktail, flush door handles.
Mercedes only comes into focus with its giant star logo planted on a black, plastic grille under a Hyundai Sonta-like monobrow. It’s busy … un-Mercedes like.
Payne: Ram TRX supertruck is a Swiss Army Saber
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 8, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Buchanan — World Cup fans are in awe of America’s retail cornucopia: Buc-ee’s, Walmart, Costco, Waffle House, Cheesecake Factory.
Wait until they get a load of the 777-horsepower, 6’ 9” tall 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT pickup with 35-inch all-terrain tires, 14-inch suspension travel and 36 inches of digital displays. TRX for T-Rex.
On a rural road in Berrien County, I punched the dash button to initiate Launch Control. Floor the brake pedal. Floor the accelerator pedal. Wait for the tachometer to steady at 3500 RPM. Release the brake.
Release the Kraken.
EERAWRRGGH! The beast exploded down the road, blowing through 60 mph in 3.5 seconds on the way to (speed withheld to preserve my license). Its four paws clawed at the pavement to put down the power of the shrieking, roaring 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood. The sound will send shivers up your spine.