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2018 Woodward Dream Cruise: What to know and where to go

If there's anything that proves Detroit's motor-oil-in-the-veins, gearhead bonafides, it's the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, which will bring an anticipated 1.5 million or so people from near and far, plus tens of thousands of classic and custom and just plain weird cars, to a 16-mile portion of Woodward Avenue on Saturday for the 24th year. Loved by gearheads, collectors and the merely curious, who see it as the Motor City's version of Mardi Gras, and loathed by others, who deride it as the world's largest traffic jam, the Dream Cruise is nothing if not an explosion for the senses. What will you see there? Well, as Autoblog Managing Editor Greg Rasa put it last year, "There are historic cars. And works of art. Some are worth vast sums of money, and some are rat rods and rust buckets. And some are bizarre creations that make you ask, 'What were they thinking?'" A few things are certain: You will see many incredible automobiles. There will be plenty of T-shirts and other merch, official and not-so-much. It will be crowded, and probably hot. The Cruise will officially go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., though of course cruisers have been out already for weeks. And there are plenty of attractions, both on and off the pavement of Woodward. Tony Michaels, the Dream Cruise's executive director, said the event is special for the Detroit region. "Together we celebrate the automobile and what it has meant to us," he told Autoblog. "To see the these fantastic vehicles and the proud owners says so much about who we are and our pride. "People should take it in to see history running 16 miles down Woodward Avenue and to be a part of the greatest automobile event in America." Ford is once again serving as the Dream Cruise presenting sponsor and will hold the 20th anniversary of the Mustang Alley at the corner of Nine Mile and Woodward in Ferndale, where it expects as many as 1,000 Mustangs to line up. It will also show off its lineage of trucks at 13 Mile, along with several performance vehicles at Duggan's Irish Pub at 31501 Woodward in Royal Oak. The company on Thursday unveiled the 2018 Mustang Cobra Jet drag car to celebrate the nameplate's 50th anniversary. Just 68 examples are planned of the $130,000 limited-edition model Other Ford activities include: Sales of tickets for a raffle of a one-off Kona Blue Mustang Bullitt, starting at the media clubhouse at 2 p.m. Friday. The raffle itself takes place in November and will support juvenile diabetes research.

Abarth 124 Spider is one furious Fiata

If you've been thinking of picking up a nimble new roadster, but can't decide between the Mazda MX-5 Miata and its Italian counterpart the Fiat 124 Spider, the vehicle you see here might tip the balance. It's the new Abarth 124 Spider, tuned by the Italian automaker's performance division. And it's just made its debut here on the floor of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Abarth version, of course, is based on the Fiat model, which in turn is based on the Mazda. But the one with the Scorpion emblem offers a number of performance upgrades. Under the hood is still a 1.4-liter turbo four, producing the same 184 pound-feet of torque, but in Abarth spec offers a more prodigious 170 horsepower (up from 160). Buyers will still be able to choose between a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, but the rest of the components are no-brainers: Brembo brakes, Bilstein dampers, and a Record Monza exhaust. The steering is electrically assisted, but it has a proper mechanical limited slip differential, there's a Sport button, and the electronic nannies can be fully defeated for hooning around on track. The sum total is a 0-62 time quoted at 6.8 seconds and a top speed at 143 miles per hour. Bear in mind that these are specs for the European model, though, and could change if and when the Abarth spider makes its way to our shores. View 11 Photos Of course the technicians at Mirafiori didn't leave it there, equipping the Abarth 124 Spider with an array of visual enhancements as well. There's a full aero kit, larger air vents, 17-inch alloys, and a black hood to cut down on glare (and make it look more businesslike). The interior is all done up in Alcantara, with a small-diameter steering wheel, short gear lever, aluminum pedals... the works. As if all that isn't enough to get your motor running, Abarth has also worked up a rally version to recall its glory days of old. The Abarth 124 Rally is built to FIA R-GT regulations, and ditches the 1.4-liter engine for a 1.8 mounted further back and producing an impressive 300 hp. It also has a fixed roof, full roll cage, and a long list of other competition-spec upgrades that are too long to list here, but you can read all about them in the second of the two press releases below. View 17 Photos This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Fiat GIF-based ads make our heads spin

Take a good, long look at the image above. Don't worry, it's completely real; you're not hallucinating. Would you believe that's an actual screencap from an actual ad commissioned by Fiat that's airing on actual television? Believe it.
The commercials started as a series of animated GIFs from The Richards Group for Fiat's Tumblr page, according to Adweek. Chrysler's Chief Marketing Officer reportedly liked them enough that he had them cut into ads for TV. The result is a combination of Internet meme heaven that includes the above horse mask and "Deal with it," animation, experimental filmmaking, cats, a person in a bunny suit twerking on a Fiat 500 and more general bizarreness.
Whatever your opinion on them, you have to admit that the advertising is certainly attention grabbing. Imagine looking up at the TV form your tablet to catch a glimpse of this weirdness. If you don't like them, Fiat is even giving people the chance to do a better job. Its Tumblr is open to submissions of new GIFs, which could lead to some very inappropriate and potentially hilarious results given the way that the Internet often works.