I'm going to complain about the Kansas City Monster Jam event, then tell you how good it is

I've never really understood why Kansas City needed the Sprint Center. Well, maybe it just wasn't what I expected. My favorite indoor stadium event each year was usually the monster truck show, and Kemper Arena managed to handle it for a long time. I was hoping the Sprint Center would be much bigger, like the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, and they would be able to host large-scale Monster Jam events worthy of SPEED TV coverage. But the Sprint Center seems to be the same size as Kemper. And it's harder to park. And the Quick Trip store inside was out of food.

At any rate, the small size of the Sprint Center will forever hamper the quality of participants Kansas City's Monster Jam event will attract, and it will always hold back the amount of action the drivers can present.

That being said, I still go every year. The constant complaining doesn't stop us from spending ridiculous amounts of money on tickets and concessions. These events cause long-term hearing damage and carbon monoxide poisoning, so you can bet I'll be there.

2011 Kansas City World of Wheels car show from Bartle Hall. Stories, coverage, and one epic photo slideshow

Finally--a big room full of old cars to look at! It has been a long winter, and if the 2011 World of Wheels hadn't come along when it did, I'm pretty sure I would have gnawed my arm off from boredom.

Once again, Kansas City's Bartle Hall was filled with shiny things (and not-so shiny things, which we'll get to in a moment). Beneath the neon tube lights, there was one of the most diverse collections of cars and trucks in the shows history.

The term "diverse" is sort of a curse and a blessing. When I anticipate the World of Wheels, I get jazzed about all the vintage hot rods and customs, and have learned to appreciate the sophisticated modern works of art that sparkle amid mirrored displays. And to that end, there are lots of things to hold my attention.

See famous movie mobiles at Universal Studios Hollywood

In case you couldn’t tell, I kind of like cars. I’m also a TV and movie junkie. So TV and movie cars have always been of particular interest.

While a blizzard hammered Kansas City during the week of February 1, I was in Los Angeles taking in some sun. And my favorite stop was Universal Studios. Sure, the fake floods, King Kong attacks, and earthquakes were cool, and the Jurassic Park water ride was OK, but the things that held my attention the most were the authentic movie and TV cars that were on display around the theme park.

If you haven’t been to Universal Studios Hollywood, let me give you an idea what it’s like. First of all, it isn’t Disneyland. Nothing is quite as polished, the kids they have running the concession stands don’t dazzle you with their friendly personalities. Rides and walls are unpolished, unpainted, and generally skuzzy looking.

CARMMERCIALS! The best 2011 Super Bowl car commercials

They say lots of people watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials.  And then there's the car nuts, who just watch for the car commercials.  Well, this is for you.

Here are some of the funniest, most creative car ads that will air on the 2011 Super Bowl.  Heck, you don't even have to watch the game to see these if you don't want--they're right here!

2012 Ford Focus test drive review. New focus for the Focus

"This is not your pizza delivery guy's car."

That was one of the first things Ford Marketing Manager K.C. Dallia said during his presentation of the all-new 2012 Ford Focus during the Guidebook Publisher's ride and drive event in sunny Los Angeles earlier this week.

And it's hard to argue with that statement. Gone are the days of Ford's tinny econo-box. This new entry into the highly competitive C-car segment is richer, smarter, and more technologically advanced than many cars costing twice as much. The 2012 Ford Focus is actually a car that many people would want to own; not just a car they have to own based on price.

The history of our 1963 Chevy truck, the history of your 1963 Chevy truck, and some 1963 Chevy truck pictures

I’ve mentioned in this column before about our old truck “Mater”. It’s a ’63 Chevrolet C-10 Short Bed Fleetside, and we have a great time tooling around in the old beater, taking it to car cruises, hauling junk to the dump, and dreaming about how nice it could be if we won the lottery.

Whenever I stop to get gas or have the old truck out and about, I usually run into somebody who had one like it, or knew someone that had one like it, or had a family member that had one like it. Lots of people have stories about this style of truck.

Let's take a look-see that the Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum of America

In the never-ending quest to bring you coverage of car places, today I present my visit to the Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum.

Located in downtown Detroit, Mich., the Motorsports Hall of Fame brings you a small collection of racing vehicles and memorabilia to help scratch that winter racing itch. 

Would I make a special trip from Kansas City to go see this place?  Probably not.  The museum itself really seems like an afterthought.  It is sort of squeezed in with the Detroit Science Center, which is one of those kid-friendly educational places.  Some signage posted here and there indicates that this may not even be the permanent location for this display.

The Kennedy ambulance at Barrett-Jackson may or may not have been real, but Kennedy's limousine is without question



Kennedy Ambulance-the real deal?

 If you've been following the Barrett-Jackson auction coverage from Scottsdale, Ariz., this weekend, you no doubt caught all the hoopla about the 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Ambulance that purportedly carried John F. Kennedy's casket through Washington D.C.

The controversy stems because the consigner and Barrett-Jackson claimed the ambulance was the real deal, then Internet sleuths learned that the official ambulance had been destroyed by government order, then the auction basically said, "you're buying the mystery surrounding this car."

Kennedy limo-no doubt about it.

The auction had a long-winded "explanation" before the sale about how the VIN plates matched the records for the actual car, but one was screwed on instead of riveted, so they dug further, etc. Whatever. There are photos of the original one being crushed, although it's hard to understand why that was even necessary.

My guess is that the real one was in fact crushed, but this one, which was probably scheduled for the same fate at the same junkyard, was fitted with some of the serial number and VIN plates from the crushed one. Who knows, though. There's always some new mystery surrounding the Kennedy assassination--why should this be any different.