Sacramento Autorama event returns this weekend

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- The Sacramento Autorama is back.

Dating back more than seven decades, the event celebrating the area's rich history of car customization was a victim of COVID last year. Consequently, organizers expect large crowds Friday through Sunday at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., as Sacramento-area gearheads are longing to see the latest automotive creations.

The event, presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts, will feature more than 500 custom hot rods, muscle cars, trucks, lowriders and motorcycles from across the country competing to win numerous awards.

Major awards honor world-famous customizers from the Sacramento area, including Joe "Candy Apple Red" Bailon, Dick Bertolucci and Sam Barris.  The top award is the Harold Bagdasarian Memorial World's Most Beautiful Custom trophy.

About 400 additional vehicles are expected to participate in the 14th Annual Sacramento Autorama Drive-In, featuring pre-1987 cars and trucks.

Other special events on-site include the Lowrider Showcase hosted by Raj Reddy and Jay Walding, featuring more than 250 custom lowriders; the Club House display with more than 25 car clubs showing off their prize wheels; and a special display marking the 90th anniversary of the classic 1932 Ford.

General admission tickets for ages 13 and older are $20. Tickets for ages 6 to 12 are $10; children ages 5 and younger are admitted free.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://hotrodshows.com/sacramento-autorama or at the event. Discount tickets are available at local O'Reilly Auto Parts stores. Parking on the Cal Expo grounds is $10.

Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, when major awards will be handed out.

More information can be found at www.rodshows.com.

Modern Maverick: pickup pleasure in small package

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- For the record, I like the latest Ford Maverick much more than the original.

Perhaps you remember the compact Maverick passenger car produced from 1970-77.  For its time, it was quite popular, even outpacing Ford Mustang sales at one point.  I confess I preferred the Mustang back then.

My, how the Maverick has evolved!

Now, it's an all-new compact pickup truck -- very attractive, highly functional and generously equipped.  And the tester's hybrid engine produced more bonus points -- 37 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving.

How much for this 2022 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid FWD 4X2? A very reasonable $27,660.

Power is provided by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder aluminum block engine working in concert with a permanent-magnet electric motor.  They combine for a horsepower equivalent of nearly 200.

That was more than adequate to move the little pickup around with gusto.  Most of the time, I was oblivious to the fact that I was wheeling a pickup truck, because it handled and steered with the precise qualities of a finely engineered midsize sedan.

It looks good in profile ... what some might call cute.  And while the bed of the truck is not what you see at work sites, it's big enough to do numerous chores that other cars and SUVs cannot. For the record, there's a 4.5-foot bed and a 1,500-pound payload rating.

Besides its functionality and engineered-for-comfort feel, the modern amenities in the 2022 pickup separate it significantly from the Maverick of the 1970s.  My pickup included a multi-function tailgate, a power sliding rear window, power exterior mirrors, ambient lighting and LEDs. And let's face it, the safety technology in today's Maverick is light years better than what went into the 1970s model.

In sum, it's an ideal pickup for truck buyers who don't necessarily want a pickup the approximate size of a cruise ship, and priced like one.

Need a feisty little pickup that won't crush your wallet?  This Maverick might round out your herd.

Racing stripes entirely appropriate on Durango SUV

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- You know your full-size sport-utility vehicle test drive experience is going to be different when the big brute shows up wearing racing stripes.

Meet the Dodge Durango SRT 392 AWD, a three-row sport-ute with the soul of a Dodge Charger.

Under the hood is finely crafted 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 rated at 475 horsepower. And oh, what it can do!  For starters, it makes the zero-to-60-mph run in 4.1 seconds.

But that's just a small part of the story.

The power plant on the tester was so robust that I had to get used to the idea that it was propelling a big-shouldered SUV around like it was an overloaded muscle car.  "Should I really be going this fast in a vehicle this size?," I kept asking myself.

I felt like I was thumbing my nose at nature, and physics.

What took me even longer to get used to was learning to go from a standing start without bolting forward like a bucking bronco.  Whoa, boy!

Honestly, the eight-speed transmission hookup was like a hair trigger, and several times I lurched away from intersections looking like a 16-year-old getting his first minutes behind the wheel of an old-school Corvette.

Once settled down, I was able to appreciate the fact that I was riding in the lap of luxury.

The base price on this hot rod SUV was $65,877, but the bottom line on my sticker read a lofty $82,757.  Was it loaded?  Yeah, like the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons.

Besides the long list of state-of-the-art safety technology and driver-assist features, the opulent interior included suede touches, a wireless charging pad, a power liftgate, a rear seat video system and carbon fiber interior accents.

For me, all this added up to a serious family-geared vehicle, with plentiful room for cargo and multiple entertainment options for kids young and old.  You could take this Durango on the road for weeks and feel right at home ... make that comfortably at home.

You will need to pay for gas, however, and the tester's fuel mileage ratings of just 13 miles per gallon in the city and 19 mpg on the highway require careful calculation, given today's fuel prices.

This Durango is for motorists who have major money to spend. It buys them a luxurious experience and a high-performance rush. And I'm betting those buyers will not feel short-changed.

Toyota's sultry Supra returns ... badder than ever

This review first appeared in the December 2021 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

To subscribe to the Cruisin' News, visit www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440.

Sacramento, California ­– I was overjoyed with the return of the Toyota Supra sports car in March 2019.  Seventeen years without the Supra was enough, as my week in the 2020 Supra proved.

Its spectacular styling drew flash mobs of spectators.  Its rumble shook the neighborhood.  I even had a fellow motorist beg me from his cockpit to pull over so he could snap a photo of the car.

Not my usual test drive experience.

So, what's new in 2022?  Well, there's more to like.

Specifically, the tested 2022 Toyota GR Supra Premium 3.0 sport coupe's V-6 now sports 382 horsepower, up from 335 just two years ago. (Photo by Charles Glover)

Can you feel the difference?  Oh my, yes.

For me, there are various measuring sticks for performance, and one of the most significant is closing speed.  We've all been there: you're trailing three 18-wheel trucks, and your exit is just a half-mile ahead.  Ordinarily, you just have to ride it out and squeeze your way onto the exit ramp.

In the Supra, you have time to cancel that order.

Hitting the gas propels you to another level, with the trucks appearing to stand still as you blaze past, turn on your turn signal and hit the exit ramp with plenty of room to spare.  The whole thing seems to occur in five seconds. (FYI, the 3.0 goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds.)

The fact that it does so with a deep, pavement-shaking rumble from the twin exhausts makes it so much more enjoyable.

By the way, the car looks fantastic.  Put a number on the hood and the doors, and it could pass for a beautiful, purpose-built race car.  Just parking it in the driveway raises the value of a home by 10-grand.

For all of the Supra 3.0's power, fuel mileage is a respectable 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.  But please note, premium fuel is required.

Other primo touches are first class and reflected in the bottom line of the vehicle's nearly $55,000 starting price.  Those perks include top-flight Michelin tires and Brembo ventilated disc brakes.

Interior appointments are well-placed and classy, but this is a classic two-seater.  Some larger folks might start to fidget an hour or more into a Supra outing.  And no, you can't fit a steamer trunk into the back of this Supra.

What you can do is unwind it on a clear stretch of twisty road and enjoy the rumble and monorail-like handling characteristics of one of the best sports cars on the market.

Award-winning SUV reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2022 Genesis GV70 AWD 3.5T Sport Prestige sport-utility vehicle in the latest, April 2022, edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news and marketplace."

The "Hot Laps" reviews, along with my "Oil Drips" observations on anything with wheels, appear monthly in the publication.

To subscribe to the Cruisin' News, visit www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440.