Refined sledgehammer. The Cadillac CTS-V coupe and sedan test drive review

Carmakers often try and tell you they have a sporty version of some mid-sized car, and for the most part, they’re just a tweaked version of a non-sporty car. There’s a compromise there, because that vehicle has to be all things to all people.

The CTS-V is an exception. First of all, a regular CTS is a world-beater in-and-of-itself. But when you add the massive suspension and brake tweaks, plus this engine, my God the engine, you’ll absolutely believe there were no compromises here.

Annual shows, final cruise nights, and Corvairs. The Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for September 30; October 1 - 2

Another beautiful fall weekend means another full schedule of Kansas City-area car shows, cruises, and races.

One of the bigger season-ending events comes from an unlikely source. The Basehor Project Grad Car Show at the high school packs in hundreds of cars each year.

Other big, annual shows are taking place in Lone Jack, Lawrence, and countless smaller communities all within a day’s drive of the KC Metro area. This is a busy time for these shows, and they tend to draw strong car counts every time. You can also go to Excelsior Springs and check out the big Corvair meet.

Where are you going to be this weekend? If you’re having trouble trying to decide, I am including the complete schedule of Kansas City car shows, car cruises, and car races below.

Southern invasion. The Belton Car Cuise brings in the big numbers

When some people think of Belton, Missouri, images of the big Quick Trip distribution center or the railroad depot may come to mind. But for area car enthusiasts, the monthly Belton car cruise is the first thing they think of.

This may very well be the biggest monthly cruise in Kansas City. I don’t have the official count from Saturday night, but I’d guess around 300 classic cars and trucks lined Belton’s historic downtown Main Street and various parking lots and side streets nearby. It was a very impressive display.

The 10th Annual Mid-America Chevelle/El Camino Show at the Great Mall was a showcase of big blocks and beautiful rides

Earlier this week, I visited the GM Fairfax Assembly Plant, where they build the current Chevrolet Malibu. So it seemed only appropriate that I explored the history of that nameplate this weekend when I checked out the 10th-Annual Aces Mid-America Chevelle/El Camino Show at the Great Mall of the Great Planes in Olathe.

While other car cruises are ending for the season, the Longbranch cruise keeps getting stronger

As many of the car cruises are starting to end around town, I decided to take the trek to Overland Park on Friday night to check out one of the latest-running cruises of the season at the Longbranch Steakhouse on Metcalf Avenue. Not only does this event run all the way until the end of October, but it happens every single Friday night.

The General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant open house reminds us how important the auto industry is to Kansas City

Some people don't realize how big of a car town Kansas City really is. I mean, you kind of get an idea of what kind of classic car scene we have here if you look at all the car show reviews on this website. But even more importantly, there are thousands of people that make their living in Kansas City's thriving automotive industry.

Nowhere was that more obvious than at the Fairfax Assembly Plant open house, which was held this week in the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Kan.

The Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-running nameplate ever produced. A history and pictorial review of Chevy's heavy hauler

When you think about what model of vehicle has been around longer than any other, several candidates might come to mind. Iconic nameplates like the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler 300, and the Ford Crown Victoria seem like they’ve been here forever—but they’re not the champs.

A little rain doesn't dampen spirits at the 25th Annual Ol' Marais River Run. 714 pictures from the big show in Ottawa

There are car shows, then there are car shows. And the 25th Annual Ol' Marais River Run in Ottawa, Kan., was a car show. This is always one of the biggest hot rod, custom, vintage, and muscle car events in the area.

How big? Well to give you an idea, consider that Saturday's forecast called for rain. Saturday's forecast proved to be correct from the moment the sun came up. And they still managed to draw in more than 1,300 entries.