Car-Studded Event

From minivans to muscle cars, more than 1,000 of the wickedest sets of wheels take the spotlight this year for the 81st annual Cleveland Auto Show at the I-X Center. With record-high gas prices hitting Northeast Ohio drivers in the nozzle, the fest also makes room for hybrid and eco-friendly rides, like the new natural-gas-fueled Honda built at the Marysville plant. For horsepower fans, the displays include the new Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers. And Chrysler, Jeep, and Toyota reps will be on hand to help spectators "test-sit" their new models.If you like to drool over cars you can't afford, you can check out LeBron James' 2007 Mercedes-Benz S63 and Maybach 57S. Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards has also loaned his supercharged 2007 Range Rover for the nine-day show. The latest makes with custom paint jobs and blare-if-you-dare stereo systems add to the ogling. "I think I still sit in pretty much every car that comes to the auto show," says Gary Adams, president of the Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association. "Whether it's the technology or the engineering, they're getting better every year." Rev it up from noon to 10 today through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, February 29, and Saturday, March 1, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the I-X Center, 6200 Riverside Drive. Tickets are $12.25 to $14.75. Visit www.clevelandautoshow.com.
Feb. 25-28, 12-10 p.m.; Feb. 29-March 1, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., March 2, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., 2008