2012 GMC Terrain test drive review. The official small crossover of B.A. Baracus

If you are an American male between the ages of 35 and 45, GMC trucks should hold a special place in your subconscious. That’s because from the late 1970s through the mid-to-late 1980s, GMC executed the greatest product placement campaign targeted at seven-to-thirteen-year-old boys in the history of the world.

The onslaught of TV shows and movies that featured GMC vehicles jumping over construction sites, sliding around corners, and dodging bullets and explosives was nothing short of marketing brilliance. For your consideration: The A-Team van, The Fall Guy pickup, Rocky’s pickup in the Rockford Files, Hardcastle’s pickup in Hardcastle and McCormick, the “Robin 3” Jimmy in Magnum P.I., Hooper’s red stepside in the Burt Reynolds’ movie Hooper, Snowman’s rig in Smokey and the Bandit II, and the mobile repair semi in Knight Rider, just to name a few.

Clouds don't keep the cars away from the Liberty Cruise

How strong is the monthly Liberty Cruise?  As I headed up there at about 6:30 Saturday night, I would have sworn there would be no cars there.  The skies were cloudy and ominous, and there were spits and sprinkles all along the way.

But to my surprise, there were still better than 100-150 cars spanning the entire distance around the historic downtown square.  This may not have been the best car count for this cruise ever, but most any other monthly event would kill for this kind of turnout.

Adesa Corvette and Specialty Sale brings big-time collector cars to a big-time auction

Everybody knows when the big Mecum classic car auctions come to Bartle Hall, but that's not the only place in Kansas City where people bid on their favorite collectable cars.  The Adesa Auto Auction in Belton holds their Corvette and Specialty Car Sale a couple of times a year, and sellers and buyers from all over the country get together to swap a little vintage metal.

One-owner Cobra and vintage car crashes in this week's Thursday Drive-By

Week after week, there's just more neat stuff to see out on the Internet for the Thursday Drive-By.

This time, we've got an original, one-owner Shelby Cobra, vintage car crashes, and an amazing car-themed orthodontists office. What's the greatest V8 engine of all time? And what happens to an Enzo Ferrari when you abandon it in Dubai?

The answers to all of these questions can be found in these links below.

2012 Chevrolet Equinox test drive review. Warm cinnamon rolls and brown sugar

The Chevrolet Equinox. You see them everywhere. My mother-in-law has one. This is definitely not a controversial vehicle choice.

This week I had the opportunity to test out a new 2012 Equinox front-wheel-drive 2LT. And while I wouldn’t say it stirred me to my very soul, I can certainly see why this medium-small crossover has become so popular. The Equinox is not as cumbersome as a full-sized SUV, it’s more practical than a car, and it does it all in a neat little package that has a fit and finish that rivals luxury SUV’s costing much more.

From Belton to Liberty, and all points in between, the Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for April 27, 28, 29, 2012

Well it’s not like there isn’t anything to do this weekend. You can find huge cruises in Liberty and Belton, Weston and Overland Park. There are so many places to go look at old cars, you might get sick of them. OK, not really. But you can see a lot of them around town.

Meanwhile, check out the races at Lakeside or I-35 Speedways, or one of the many other great tracks around town. You got a taste of racing last week at Kansas Speedway—now it’s time for some real racing.

Need a little more inspiration? Check out the entire Kansas City-area car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule below.

Hamlin wins the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway

The NASCAR weekends at Kansas Speedway are among, if not the biggest events in the area.  I'm not just talking about car-related.  I mean biggest period.  The sheer number of people in attendance is staggering, and the number of people who are watching it via TV or Internet, or listening to it on the radio, is several times bigger than that yet.

Since the focus here is Kansas City car events, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about this weekend's STP 400 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and of course the SPF 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Trucks.

Outta' Control Hot Rods takes control of the April Platte City Cruise

In Kansas City, many people think of Platte City as the place where Sonny Hill used to sell cars, or maybe where you stop to grab a Whopper before you head up to St. Joseph.  Well, there is at least one more thing that is worth checking out in Platte City, and that's the Outta' Control Hot Rods Car Cruise in the Pizza Shoppe/Mr. Goodcents parking lot.

Last year, the hot rod club that organized this monthly event pulled out of it, so it was kind of left in limbo for awhile.  Larry Colstion was a big fan of the Platte City Cruise, though, and endeavored to make it thrive again.  Attendance was a little weak in 2011, but all of Larry and the crew's work from Outta' Control Hot Rods is finally paying off, because there were easily 100 cars there for the first one of the 2012 season.