1977 Dodge Truck 4x4, 4 Speed on 2040-cars

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Cruise Woodward Avenue with Autoblog's Dodge Challenger Hellcat

While Autoblog was consumed by coverage of the increasingly important Monterey Car Week last weekend, there was another big even going on. The Woodward Dream Cruise is significantly lighter in terms of news, but there's no denying that it's a far bigger, and far more egalitarian than what the wine-and-cheese crowd experience on the links at Pebble Beach. The Dream Cruise crams tens of thousands of cars and over a million spectators along a four-lane ribbon of asphalt between Ferndale and Pontiac, MI. What's remarkable aren't these numbers, though, so much as the distances they travel. Owners and admirers come from far and wide, across the United States and in some cases across the globe, to take in the spectacle. This year, local radio and television coverage featured fans that traveled from Japan, Australia, and Europe, just to take in the cruise. Of course, we realize that not everyone can make the pilgrimage to Woodward Avenue. With that fact in mind, we decided to bring a bit of the Dream Cruise to Autoblog with a time-lapse video of the cruise route. You can experience the good (a Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Oldsmobile Cutlass 442), the bad (the traffic jams), and the ugly (no, your 2003 Ford Focus does not qualify as a classic, get the hell out of the cruiser lanes). So join us, as we turn off 8 Mile Road behind the wheel of our 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and run north, through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, and Bloomfield Hills, before ending up on Wide Track Drive in Pontiac.

Cruiser's close call caught on camera

A new recruit to the Kansas Highway Patrol experienced his first brush with danger on his first day when a semi truck clipped his cruiser during a traffic stop last week. Public relations officer Tod Hileman said in a Facebook post that the incident occurred when an officer and his brand-new trainee pulled over a black Dodge Charger on I-70 in Trego County, Kansas. Hileman said in the comments that the cruiser was parked two feet away from the white line on the shoulder. Not only did the driver not get over a lane when he saw the stopped cruiser per Kansas law, he seemed to have moved closer to the side of the road. The big rig managed to send the cruiser's side mirror and spotlight flying across the road. The truck could have easily injured one of the officers, perhaps fatally. The truck driver ignored Kansas' Move Over law, which requires "drivers approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying flashing lights, including towing and recovery vehicles, traveling in the same direction, to vacate the lane closest if safe and possible to do so, or slow to a speed safe for road, weather, and traffic conditions." With a clear lane to his left the trucker in this case had no excuse. He stopped after the crash and was cited by the officers for failing to change lanes when he saw the stopped vehicles. Being a cop is a risky job. So far this year, 28 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty due to car accidents, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. News Source: Facebook Government/Legal Dodge Videos traffic traffic stop traffic tickets move over law

2018 Dodge Demon comes with a factory tune for race gas

We knew the Dodge Demon was going to make a lot of power, but the ongoing question has been how much. We've seen estimates of between 757 and 1,121, but those have simply been guesses based on the numbers found in promo photos. However, if we had to put our bets on a horsepower rating, we'll probably go with the higher estimates because the Demon can run on race gas. Yes, the latest teaser for the Demon reveals that it will come with a factory tune optimized for race gas, which is rated at 100 octane or higher. Running such high octane, in combination with its heavy-duty intake cooling, means the Demon can handle absurd amounts of boost and advanced timing without running the risk of dangerous pre-ignition or detonation. Of course this also means the Demon should be capable of astonishing power with the high-octane calibration. The tune will be included in the Demon crate on a separate engine computer that the owner can swap out when he or she is ready to race. In addition to the computer, the center stack also has a button to activate the high-octane mode. A pair of fuel pumps and larger injectors also ensure the engine gets plenty of that sweet racing fuel. When not running the high-octane tune, the Demon runs on your average premium gasoline. Also, in case you accidentally run premium gas with the high-octane mode activated, the car will automatically switch to the default tune if engine knock is detected. You can get a peek at the system in the video above, and be on the lookout for a bonus video tomorrow. The full reveal will be next week on April 11 at the New York auto show. Related Video: