WomanOnWheels.ca

Cars at the 2022 Cobble Beach Councours d'Elegance

The Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance, held in Owen Sound, Ontario, started up again for 2022 after the pandemic cancelled the last two. There were some incredible cars on display, and you can see some of them in my story at AutoTRADER.ca.

Hot rod and custom car fun at the 2022 Jalopy Jam Up

Few car shows are more fun than the Jalopy Jam Up, back after the pandemic shutdown at the Rockton Fairgrounds in Ontario. Some 500 cars showed up, including mine, and I had something to say about it in my story over at Driving.ca.

Impressive Iron: Classic Cars at the Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance Show draws some of the most beautiful cars ever built, and this year's event was no exception. Find out what was there in my story at AutoTRADER.ca.

Worthersee Treffen: Austria's everything-Volkswagen meet

For almost four decades, Volkswagen GTI fans have ascended on a tiny town in Austria to show off their cars, and it's one big crazy street party devoted to everything automotive. Find out more in my story at AutoTrader.ca.

The Rockabilly Rev Up: Cars, fashion, and fun

Before bobby sox and Happy Days, there was rockabilly, a raw American music that had a brief but glorious rise. But it's back, and in addition to music, it's also about cars and fashion -- and fun. I went to Port Dover, Ontario to the Rockabilly Rev Up show -- find out more in my story at the National Post (Driving.ca.)

Mustangs and the Woodward Dream Cruise go together...

The Woodward Dream Cruise is all about cruising the famous road, and Ford gave me a couple of vintage Mustangs to do just that. The Mustang even owes something to Woodward -- find out more in my story at the National Post.

Woodward Avenue: It's all about the cruise

Now in its 24th year, the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan is one of the largest (if not the largest) car events in the country, with tens of thousands of cars cruising the street and an estimated 1.5 million people showing up for it. Find out more in my story at AutoTrader.

Viva Las Vegas - Music, cars, models and more!

Viva Las Vegas is a rockabilly event and massive car show all rolled into one. I was there for the 21st edition in April and it was a blast -- check it out at AutoTRADER.ca.

The Jalopy Jam Up: Great hot rods and customs

There's nothing quite like the Jalopy Jam Up, an annual Canadian show of traditional hot rods and customs. It was a fantastic show this year in spite of the rain -- check out my gallery over at Roadkill.

Car and parts collecting at the Hershey flea market

It's believed to be the largest antique auto swap meet in the world, and even though many people buy their parts online these days, it still attracts fans from around the world--including me. Find out more in my story over at the National Post.

The Jalopy Jam Up

Take a whole bunch of traditionally-styled hot rods and custom cars, drop them into an old Western town, and you have the Jalopy Jam Up, one of my favorite shows. Find out more - and see some of these great cars - in my story over at the National Post.

Strange stuff at the New York Auto Show

A vacuum (which sucks, but doesn't!), a Cadillac at Lincoln, and 007 ... I have a wrap-up of some of the odder stuff at the New York Auto Show in the Toronto Star.

(But this guy wasn't included. This is Log Dog. That's all I know, and that's all I want to know ...)

Concept cars: Why aren't they as wild anymore?

Time and money, it seems. That Honda Urban SUV in the picture looks like it could go almost to the showroom floor, but it's considered a concept vehicle. Find out why automakers have toned down their "dream cars" in my Toronto Star story by clicking here.

The Detroit Auto Show: Connecting, but not always with the car

I spent yesterday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This year, it was a little different; while there are still two press days, almost all of the car reveals were on Monday. So I got there at 6:00 a.m. and got out at 7:00 p.m. I think these things on the bottoms of my legs are my feet, but I'm not absolutely sure.

Each year, the automakers always seem to have a theme, based on what the public seems to want. Sometimes it's horsepower; more often recently it has been fuel economy. The 2011 Detroit show was all about connectivity, and not always the type where you're connecting with the road.

Just about every vehicle that came out had some sort of computer screen, computer hookup, or social media connectivity built into it. Never mind just being able to synch your phone with Bluetooth or plug in your iPod. There were cars - some of them concepts, others production - that would find nearby movie theaters and give you the ratings on the films, let you Skype through a pad built into the seat, or page through a giant LED screen that was part of the dash.

There was even one - I think it was Hyundai - that would pinpoint your position and, through matching screens in other vehicles, let your friends know exactly where you were. Like instant messaging, except that your little dot came up on a map and moved around. I remember when people warned us about Big Brother stuff like that, and now people want to buy it.

Okay, I'm older than most of the people the automakers are targeting with this stuff. In fact, I feel like I'm adding twenty years to my age just by complaining about it. But on one hand, we have NHTSA and other government agencies mandating airbags, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, rollover crash standards and other items that are meant to keep us alive - and on the other hand, we're stuffing these cars full of electronic gadgets that, by their very nature, require you to take your eyes off the road or take your concentration away from driving.

I realize that younger drivers want connectivity and the automakers are feeding that desire, just as they fed my generation's desire for horsepower and styling and handling. But you can't have it both ways. The automakers made the cars safer - and now they're falling over themselves to offer vehicles that are not.

My husband wryly commented that if he's in his car and he wants to connect with someone, he drives to that person's house, knocks on the door, and sits down and has a conversation with him. He calls it FaceLook.

It's official: We're old ...

 Every year, the Antique Automobile Club of America adds another year to the vehicles eligible to enter the show field at the Hershey Fall Meet for judging. Last Saturday, this was one of the entries. Do I feel old? Hand me that cane, sonny.

SEMA: A tough year, but still plenty to see

I'm at the Specialty Equipment Market Show, or SEMA, in Las Vegas, the enormous trade show for all things aftermarket. It's pretty big if you've never seen it before, but if you've visited in healthy years, you'll really notice the hit it's taken because of the economy.

So far I've only spent time in the tires-and-wheels building, which is only half the size it normally is -- much of the hall is divided by curtains, and there's nothing behind them. The parking lot display is easily half its regular size, as well. The crowds are much smaller, and in past years I've fought to get a chair in the media lounge; this time around, it's a case of picking which one I want. Last year you could see the cutbacks; this time, you feel it.

Still, it's a must-see event; that Subaru pictured is just one of an enormous number of far-out vehicles on display. You can certainly see trends, especially in the tire area, where there are more Chinese tire companies than I've ever seen before. New products are geared more toward the useful than just fluff. The big automakers are here, though, and I'm going to check out their booths, especially Toyota's, where the new LFA is on display.

Vegas overall is definitely feeling the downturn, as I discovered during my walk last night. I'm staying right on the Strip, at the Flamingo, for as low as $50 a night. There are four empty stores in Caesar's Palace Forum Shops. And everything looks a little less maintained than before. This is definitely where a lack of disposable income really shows its face.

Back from Detroit

  I'm back from two tiring days at the Detroit Auto Show -- how can walking around looking at cars be so exhausting? -- and I'll be writing up some comments on it once I get all the deadlines out of the way.

General quick impressions? Much lower-key, of course, especially with the Big Three, who had to walk a very fine line between looking robust and healthy, but not too well-off, lest people ask why they seek government funding. Huge spaces due to Nissan, Suzuki, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Land Rover bowing out, and Mitsubishi's display just a group of cars sponsored by dealers, which were partially filled with displays normally found downstairs, a ridiculously overpriced food vendor, and even just sofas and chairs where necessary. And for some reason, there was an overpowering stench of rotting garbage in one corner of the building, primarily near Volkswagen, whom I'm sure had equally powerful words with the Cobo Hall folks because of it.

Fuel economy is everything, far outstripping the importance previously given to styling, and then to safety. Electric cars had mainstream displays.

And perhaps most telling, the Chinese auto companies moved their booths from downstairs, where they were last year, to the main floor upstairs. I don't expect they'll ever move back down to the basement again.

Off for the big show ...

  This weekend marks the press days at the Detroit Auto Show, which means that on Sunday and Monday, I'll be wandering Cobo Hall, searching out all the news that's fit to print.

It should be interesting to see how it all unfolds. A couple of manufacturers have already sent out notice that their booths and their displays will be considerably cut back this year. It's a tough line for them to walk, especially the domestics: they need to show their wares to the public, and to put on a brave face, but even so, they can't be too flashy, or people will wonder why they're asking for taxpayer money to keep them going. Chrysler has announced that it's not bringing a couple of cool displays that were bought and paid for many years ago -- a Jeep waterfall and giant Dodge logo -- because not everyone coming through the door knows that these items aren't new. Smart thinking. Too bad the guy who figured that out wasn't asked about the private jet to Washington.

And the future is coming at us pretty quickly. A couple of years ago, I saw the very first Chinese car ever displayed at the Detroit Auto Show. It was in the front lobby, not with the displays, and it was removed before the show opened to the public. The following year, I attended the first-ever press conference by a Chinese car company, very late in the day when most journalists were gone, and on the lower floor where the aftermarket companies are, not upstairs with the regular automaker displays. This year, two Chinese companies -- BYD and Brilliance -- each have press conferences, on the main floor, in the morning, and they're following the presentations by General Motors and Toyota, respectively. The Chinese cars aren't on their way over. They're here.

SEMA: Like a kid in a candy store

  I'm at SEMA right now, the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas. If it goes on, under, above or beside a car, it's here -- millions of square feet of aftermarket goodies, and I'm a kid in a candy store.

I'll post some more later -- gotta get to a press conference in a few minutes -- but right now, this rat rod is my gotta-have-it of the show. I want this thing so bad I can taste it. Tell me you wouldn't want to cruise the strip in this!

Cruise nights at Chrysler!

We slipped over the border last night into Michigan, to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills. Throughout the summer, the museum's parking lot is the site of a series of six cruise nights, each with a special theme. Since last night's was Dodge Challenger night, we took the beast over to get in on the fun.

It really was quite a blast, with the front lot stuffed with all manner of cars -- every make is welcome -- in every configuration, from bone-stock to widely customized. There were also some very neat oddballs, including two Chrysler-Maserati TCs (perhaps the only two that were ever actually sold?) and these two cute little Metropolitans.

The cruise nights have wrapped up for the summer, but the museum is still worth a trip -- it contains a wealth of history, including all kinds of concept cars (there's even a Turbine), racing legends and some examples from the company's earliest days.

But the highlight of the evening wasn't even a car -- at least, not a full-size one. The big "O" sculpture outside the museum is actually made up of rings of channel steel, and on the far side, the end comes down to the base. And there was a little boy who looked up at the sculpture, looked down at his Hot Wheels car, looked up at the sculpture ... and then reached up as far as he could, set the toy on this ready-made track, and let it go ...

McLaughlin Day in Oshawa

It was McLaughlin Day in Oshawa today -- the city names the civic holiday for GM of Canada founder Sam McLaughlin, who set up his company in the city (and ironically, while many businesses were closed for the day, the GM factories toiled).

The McLaughlin-Buick Club of Canada hosts an annual meet that moves to various locations each year, but for the company's 100th anniversary, it came home to Parkwood, McLaughlin's home and now a museum. Some 95 cars paraded through Oshawa's streets and ended up at the estate for a show. I'll be writing a couple of stories on it, but for now, let me tell you, there were some magnificent cars there, including a 1937 model that was driven to the show from Indiana. This 1932 in the photo came in from Alberta, and there was one from Maine. Although they weren't sold in the US, they sometimes show up at auctions and sales there, and American collectors seem to love them for their rarity. We just love them up here 'cause they look so nice.

I learned how to drive!

That's me, at the wheel of a Model T Ford that I'd just learned how to drive. Okay, I could use a bit more time behind the wheel to really be proficient, but I managed to go up and down that field a number of times without stalling it, hitting anything, or turning my instructor's hair white, which I think is quite an accomplishment.

I did this at the T Party, and if you're anywhere near Richmond, Indiana from now until July 26, get yourself there. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Model T, and there are some 900 at the event, which is said to be the largest gathering of the cars anywhere since they originally left the factory.

The car I'm driving belongs to The Henry Ford and is used to shuttle visitors at the museum; it's an authentic replica built by Ford for the company's 100th anniversary.

The T was simple to drive compared to many vehicles of its day, but it requires some coordination and several moves that aren't familiar to the modern driver. Levers on the steering wheel control the spark advance and the throttle, while you use pedals for the gear (high or low), reverse and brake. On older ones, you crank it to start, but this T was equipped with an electric starter.

First, the handbrake must be all the way back, the spark advance all the way up, and the throttle halfway down. Crank it or push the starter button, and when it catches, retard the spark and adjust the throttle. When it's idling nicely, you push the handbrake halfway ahead and press the clutch pedal right to the floor. This is the tough part -- the car starts moving, but you don't take your foot off the clutch. You just drive along.

Once you're up to speed, you put your foot up halfway, push the handbrake all the way ahead, and take your foot off the clutch, and now you're in high gear. I'm told that if you're good at it, you can switch between the two by finding the "sweet spot" halfway on the pedal without the brake lever, but I figured I was lucky just to get it to go ahead.

I'd always wanted a Model T because I thought they were cool; now I want one 'cause I think they're fun. I'll be writing a lot more on this great show, which also included an "air parade" of some ten pre-1930s planes at a nearby airstrip. These T folks know how to have a blast.

Hot rods: just too much damn fun

Last night being one of the first in recent memory without a torrential downpour, I fired up the Studebaker and headed out to the local cruise night. I'd forgotten just how much fun I can have with this truck.

The Stude used to be my daily driver from April through November; it was how I got to work, bought my groceries home, and how we hauled everything from a queen-sized mattress to our kitchen cupboards back from the store. It saw less use when I started reviewing cars, because you can't judge a vehicle when it's sitting in the driveway. That's a shame, because this little truck's a blast.

I went out to a local cruise night, one of the real ones that are still the way it "used to be". No offense to the guys who work so hard to present regular cruise nights each week, but I'm not a fan of being told what year vehicles can come into the roped-off area of the mall parking lot, and here's your ticket, and park where the attendants tell you, and when the last prize of the night is drawn, everyone fires up their cars and drives straight home via the shortest route possible.

No, this one out here (Pete's Big Bite in Whitby, Ontario, if you're ever out on a Friday night after about 9 pm) is as it was in the beginning: you come in, wait until one of the families getting a meal gets back in the minivan and vacates a spot, you double-park if necessary, and you hang around and talk cars until you've had enough, and then you slowly cruise on home because the night's so nice, and the car's running just right, and you're in the coolest thing on the road, and it's just good to be alive. Gas is how much a litre? At times like this, I really don't care.

Viva Las Vegas!

I sure would like to be in Las Vegas today. It's the annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend, and what a great event that is.

I've only been once, in 2006, but I loved every minute of it. It's primarily a music weekend that has a car show attached to it, but being a fan of all aspects of the event -- rockabilly music, tattoos and hot rods -- I was in heaven.

The car show is primarily for rat rods, those rough-and-tough unfinished beauties that have burrowed their way into my heart. And I also love the fact that the show isn't about the "traditional" 1950s music -- which has been so done to death at car shows that I now loathe Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper -- but the raw music that seldom made its way to the mainstream.

And I love the people. Unlike the average 1950s car show, where older men and women squeeze into poodle skirts and jeans and pretend to be teenagers, these folks go for grown-up glamor (this lovely lady is Tanya Harris, who looked just marvelous beside a 1929 Ford). To the day I die, one of my favorite moments is sitting at the tiki pool party, watching young women in Betty Grable swimsuits posing poolside and listening to a band singing Rock Around the Clock in Spanish.

You can read my full report here. And next year, try your best to get there. I promise it'll be more fun than you can possibly imagine.

The Year of the Car

This is a big year for the history of the automobile. In 1908, General Motors of Canada was founded, and the Model T first went on sale. Cadillac won the coveted Dewar Trophy for the interchangeability of its parts -- a big deal back in the days when most parts had to be individually machined before they'd fit -- and the Thomas Flyer won the New York-to-Paris race.

The Fisher Body Company was organized, the first four-wheel-drive motor vehicle was built, most cars went to left-hand steering, and Oakland was introduced, a nameplate that would eventually become Pontiac.

It was a pretty exciting time for the horseless carriage, and to that end, Michigan has a full range of activities planned to celebrate what it's calling The Year of the Car. This includes events at The Henry Ford, Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance, the Detroit Festival of Speed and Style, and the Woodward Dream Cruise.

You can find it all under one roof at MotorCities. Cruise on over and have a look.

From the sublime to the ridiculous

Today, in Geneva, Infiniti has unveiled its latest FX model, which should arrive in North America this June. It has technology. Oh, man, does it have technology.

It watches the road ahead and hits the brakes in case you're too busy sipping your coffee to notice that the car ahead of you has stopped. It warns if you're drifting out of your lane -- a common enough occurrence with people on cell phones -- and if you don't listen to it, it'll get its point across by jerking the wheel. And it'll keep its distance from other vehicles when the cruise control is on, so you don't have to go to the trouble.

But this is the one that really gets me: it features the "industry's first appliance of Distance Control Assist." According to Infiniti, it helps reduce the stress of driving in heavy traffic by intuitively helping to release the throttle and apply the brakes to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

Here's my advice: if you're that stressed that you can't drive your own car in traffic, do the rest of us on the road a favor and take the friggin' bus.

Sometimes it's the little things

When you walk around a new-car show, it's the big stuff that draws your attention: flashy paint, big wheels, all-new models.

But sometimes, the tiniest thing there could be the next wave of the future.

Case in point: this is the Hummer HX concept, which I saw at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It's a throwback to the Volkswagen Thing, with removable doors, roof and fender flares, and it's the work of three designers young enough to get carded when they go for a beer.

It might be the basis of an open-air, entry-level model to compete with the Jeep Wrangler, but that won't be its legacy. Instead, these designers might have changed the whole way we look at car stereos. In short, the HX doesn't have one.

It's got a full speaker system, though, and a jack to accept your iPod or other music player, and it's absolutely bloody brilliant. The CD player is going the way of the eight-track; who wants to carry a stack of slippery jewel cases when you can tote thousands of songs on something the size of a pack of gum? A great many people, me included, use the stereo as little more than a means to connect a digital player to the speakers.

Looking into my crystal ball, I see a world where this configuration will be the default, and a stereo -- with AM, FM, satellite, CD or whatever -- is an add-on option. Out of everything unveiled at Detroit in 2008, I'm betting that this is the one that counts.