A band of car thieves has been making off with some of Alabama's better rides. But this is no organized crime ring. Instead, auto dealers of the Deep South are being ripped off by cross-dressers hoping to make a splash when they pull up to the clubs hosting their beauty pageants.

There's no door jimmying or hotwiring for these ladies. The thieves visit dealerships asking to test drive a vehicle - or just hear it rev - and watch where the dealer keeps the car keys.

Then they keep the salesman busy while one guy nabs as many keys as he can carry.

"They go to these dealerships and basically just overwhelm a salesman. They dazzle him," explained Birmingham Police Sgt. D.P. Smith.

Cars have been found around three states, usually near gay bars. Authorities have made three arrests to date and recovered about a dozen vehicles and 20 sets of keys. They've also found make-up, women's clothing and pageant trophies.

» Scott Saxon