We aren't the biggest fans of most vanity plates. At the Woodward Dream Cruise, however, there are plenty of witty, snappy and mildly inappropriate plates to be seen, and we can't help but laugh (or at least chuckle quietly) at some of these creative tags. After all, it's one thing to cruise Woodward Avenue in a PT Cruiser with wood paneling and flame decals, but having a vanity plate that reads "HOTWOOD" really completes the package.

We found all sorts of interesting letter combinations at this year's cruise, which you can see for yourselves in the high-res gallery below.



Photos Copyright ©2010 Autoblog Staff / AOL

Toyota's MC platform supports a range of the company's models from the Corolla to the Venza, and it also does duty under the Scion tC. With Scion having just introduced the new 2011 tC, it looks like the company might also want to do more with it. Scion vice president Jack Hollis told Ward's Automotive that a Tc with five doors is "possible."

It would make sense to provide a Tc with more doors. After all, Scion is designed to be a feeder brand that encourages owners to eventually move into Toyotas. The tC coupe is important, because it draws customers with Scion's youngest average age: 26. Giving them another point of entry into the brand, and offering those with bigger needs a sporty four-door (neither the xB nor xD fit that description) would not be a bad thing.

At this point it's all merely talk, but it's talk that makes sense. And if Scion isn't going to daringly style its way to a new customer base, more doors on a proven, flexible platform might be the next best thing.



Photos copyright ©2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
[Source: Ward's Auto]

Not everything that trawls the potholes of Woodward Ave. during the Dream Cruise was made in America. A lot of the cars aren't from around here; they're imports. We're not just talking about Japanese cars, either. The imports at Woodward often hail from Europe, and are just as classic as anything that Detroit screwed together.

Truth be told, we didn't capture as many foreign cars as we would have liked between dodging raindrops and trying fill all of our other galleries. But we went ahead and built a high-res gallery with the shots we got because, well, we got some really good ones of classic Porsche 911s, and we figured the Porschephiles among you could use some new desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!



Photos Copyright ©2010 Autoblog Staff / AOL

It seems like every automaker wants to have a "four-door coupe" in its lineup these days. Hyundai has its rakish new Sonata, Volkswagen has the stylish CC and BMW has reportedly given its Gran Coupe concept the go-ahead for production. This is certainly one of the hottest automotive design trends of recent memory, but we must remember that it all started with the Mercedes-Benz CLS back in 2004. The folks from Stuttgart told us that coupes can have more than two doors (though we're still not 100 percent behind that idea), and the CLS quickly became one of the most stylish four-door vehicles on the market. Even today, the original CLS bodystyle still looks fresh, modern and sexy.

Recently, we came across some leaked shots of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS, showing the stylish new design that will be unveiled at this year's Paris Motor Show. Now we have the official images direct from the manufacturer, and this car is even more beautiful in full high-res glory. The new headlight design is quite striking, and the CLS uses a full-LED setup, with a total of 71 bulbs making up the main headlamps, running lamps, turn signals and side lamps. We're really anxious to see what this looks like in person with the sun below the horizon.

Inside, a new three-spoke sport steering wheel is on hand, and the CLS now uses a column-mounted gear selector similar to that in the higher-end CL and S-Class cars. The rest of the interior mixes luxurious appointments with modern style, and the end result is something that not only looks sporty and elegant, but immensely comfortable and cozy.

We don't have official word about powertrains, but expect the CLS to be offered with two different gas engines when it goes on sale in North America in mid-2011. An all-new direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 is anticipated to be the base engine in the CLS350, while CLS550 models will reportedly receive a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8 good for around 430 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Of course, a CLS AMG will come shortly thereafter, packing lordly amounts of power.

We'll have the official specs closer to the car's scheduled unveiling in Paris, but for now, you can read what Mercedes-Benz has to say about the CLS in the press release after the jump and scroll through the gallery below for a few high-res shots of the svelte new Benz.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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Thanks to Autoblog reader Jose Rosario, we can now put the speculation to rest – the 2011 Dodge Charger will indeed receive a new full-width taillamp treatment that echoes that of its two-door Challenger kin. Rosario informs us that these spy shots were taken in Puerto Rico on the set of The Fast and the Furious Five, the latest installment of the durable Vin Diesel street racing franchise.

According to Rosario, the filming appears to be using at least one prototype of the new Charger, "because it has the sides of the current model but has the new front and they added the new rear which light up all in LED lights." The film crew is also using more complete 2011 models, all of which are dressed up as police cars. The cars were used in a chase scene in which two current-model in a matte black finish pull a bank vault along the street, pursued by the Brazilian police cars (Even though the filming is taking place in Puerto Rico, the movie is set in Brazil). Rosario sadly reports that the last scene filmed the day these images were taken were of a current model Charger rear-ending a 2011 model.

Rosario managed to not only get shots of the new taillamps and well-integrated dual exhausts, but also some shots of the front end, which he says looks "more aggressive," including more snout-like grille, new hood, subtly but completely redone headlamps and a revised lower fascia.

As if that weren't enough, our man in PR also scored a shot of the 2011 model's interior, which reveals a much more cohesive look. A new three-spoke steering wheel with redundant audio controls beckons, as does what appears to be a start button. The gauge binnacle eschews the four nacelles of the current car for a more unified cluster that's marked out by a liberal helping of silvery trim and vertically oriented air vents bookend a new infotainment screen. Immediately below the screen, the Charger maintains its simple three-knob HVAC controls (albeit redone), and a step down from there is the CD slot. In the center console, a gated PRNDL surrounded by what looks like faux carbon-fiber trim. All-in-all, it looks like a massive improvement over the dour and workmanlike instrument panel of the outgoing Dodge.

What do you think – will the reborn Dodge Charger and its Chrysler 300 twin offer enough changes to rekindle your interest? Check out our images in the high-res gallery below, and then drop your fellow reader a line in Comments. Thanks for the pics, Rosario!

QuakeCon is an annual pilgrimage for gamers held near Dallas, Texas. Dubbed the Woodstock of gaming, QuakeCon's motto is "4 Days of Peace, Love and Rockets." At least one of this year's attendees won't be feeling so peaceful, though. QuakeCon sponsor Ventrilo held a raffle for the chance to win a 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 (two were up for grabs at the con). 100 tickets were awarded to attendees who won various tournaments and contests during the four-day fest.

One of said ticket holders was approached by another attendee a few minutes before the car drawing. For $200, he handed over his raffle ticket. It probably seemed like a great deal at the time. After all, it's easy money, and it's not as if he stood a chance of actually winning, right? Minutes later, the seller watched as the ticket he pawned off turned into a brand new Shelby GT500. But hey, at least he got a couple hundred bucks out of the deal - along with a story to tell and a heap of regrets. Bonus: everything is on video, including the fateful transaction. Follow the jump to see how it all unfolded. Thanks for the tip, Sean!

[Source: Vimeo]

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What do you do at the Woodward Dream Cruise when it's raining cats and dogs? Well, we were keeping dry up on the second floor of an office building looking through the windows at the few cruisers left when we finally found something worth posting on. It's a PT Cruiser. Not post-worthy in and of itself, but this plum beauty was smoking hot. Literally.

Just as we were debating whether or not to go back out in the wet for more pics, this PT Cruiser rolled to a stop in front of us – and our livestream – with its grill doing its best Larry King impression. Just as we were about to run down to help the downed PT, we saw a few guys, who coincidentally were dressed in clothes that matched the PT perfectly, jump out of the back seat to push the now defunct Chrysler off of Woodward Ave.

So instead we did the next best thing and took a bunch of pictures because we're bored. It was the least we could do. We're just disappointed this PT wasn't one of the 30 Chrysler Cruisers on Woodward with faux flame stickers on the sides.



Photos Copyright ©2010 Chris Shunk and John Neff / AOL

First thing we did after arriving at the 2010 Woodward Dream Cruise was head out to the various automaker displays on Woodward Avenue. And, as you can see, that includes Chrysler. Included amongst the normal and expected 300s, Wranglers and Ram Trucks, we spotted a couple gems that are well worth your consideration.

Take, for instance, this Ram-bodied monster truck. Naturally, it's crushing an import from the '80s... We also got a kick out of the little slot car racing track set up to keep the kiddies (and kiddies at heart) happy in spite of the rain. Speaking of which, sorry about all the drops on the cars... sadly, unavoidable.

We went ahead and assembled the best shots from Chrysler's officially confiscated parking lot. See the lot of 'em in our high-res image gallery below, and of course, stay tuned for lots more coverage from the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Check out our livestream for a live view of Woodward as the classics drive by.



Photos Copyright ©2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski

Ford always comes strong at the Woodward Dream Cruise, and this year the corner of 9 Mile and Woodward is a packed as ever. And of the dozens and dozens of vehicles on display, most every model was of the Mustang variety. Ford brought along plenty of GTs and GT500s, along with a few spanking new examples of the 2012 Boss Mustang Then of course there are the many legacy Mustangs of decades past, supplied by Ford, its employees and, we're presuming, a few Mustang fan clubs.

But while the Mustang is the heart of The Blue Oval's Woodward lineup, Ford brought along some of its newer models to show off, as well. On hand were the 2011 Edge Flex Titanium and the recently unveiled 2011 Explorer. Small cars were also on display, with a stickered-up Fiesta and a pair of totally hot lime green samples of the Focus RS. Jump into the gallery below to enjoy the view of Ford Motor Company at the 2010 Woodward Dream Cruise.



Photos Copyright ©2010 Steven J. Ewing and Chris Shunk / AOL

We may have gotten our first glimpse of the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 at this year's festivities in Monterey, but the Blue Oval folks quickly hot-footed the new 'Stang back home to Detroit for a showing at this year's Woodward Dream Cruise.

It may be raining at this year's Dream Cruise, but the Boss still looks like its ready to devour some pavement. It's certainly built to handle that task, what with a 440-horsepower version of Ford's 5.0-liter V8 under the hood. In both standard spec and special edition Laguna Seca trim, we're big fans of the Boss treatment, and it's certainly causing quite a stir here in gloomy metro Detroit.

Click through the gallery below to see high-res shots of a few different Boss Mustangs live from Woodward Avenue, and check out the dream cruise for yourself by visiting our livestream.



Photos Copyright ©2010 Steven J. Ewing and Chris Shunk / AOL