Official poster for the 42nd Annual Detroit Autorama in 1994
The Detroit Autorama, also known as America's Greatest Hot Rod Show, is a showcase of custom cars and hot rods held each year at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, in either late February or early March.
It is promoted by Championship Auto Shows Incorporated (CASI) and hosted by Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA). It is part of the International Show Car Association (ISCA) schedule for the Summit Racing Equipment Show Car Series, which includes other prestigious show car events such as the Chicago World of Wheels and Houston Autorama.[1] The show features a selected group of 800 custom and restored vehicles[2] from across the world[3] and more than 140,000 spectators annually.[4]
Detroit's Autorama is best known as home to the Don Ridler Memorial Award,[5] considered the "Nobel Prize of Hot Rodding". It's presented to the "best in show" at each year's event, and has been won by many well-known car designers and builders, such as Chip Foose, Jerry Pennington, Troy Trepanier, Jerry Pennington, and Dave Kindig.
Together, the Detroit Autorama and Ridler Award are considered among the two "Crown Jewel" competitions and awards for professional show car builders in North America, alongside the Grand National Roadster Show and its America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award.[6]
History
The first Detroit Autorama was held at the University of Detroit Memorial Building on January 31 and February 1, 1953.[7] It featured only 40 cars, and was hosted by members of the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA), which was created only a year before to "organize small local clubs into one unified body that could raise the money needed to pull drag racing off the streets and into a safe environment".[8] Eventually, the MHRA grew to also include clubs from the customizing and hot rodding scene, such as the Motor City Modifieds, Bearing Burners[9] and Spark Plugs,[7] who combined efforts to pull-off the first event, along with other Detroit car clubs such as The Road Kings,[10] Shifters,[10] and Milwinders.[10]
For the second show, activities were moved to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Colosseum, where it was held from 1954 to 1960.[11] For the fourth event in 1956, the MHRA hired a local band and sporting-event promoter Don Ridler to help the show reach a broader audience.[11] Ridler served as the show's first true promoter until his death in 1963. The following year, the MHRA created a "best in show" award for Autorama, named after the man who made the biggest impact on the show during its infancy.
With increased membership and the success of the first four shows, the MHRA had the necessary capital to build its dragstrip. Motor City Dragway, located in Fair Haven, Michigan, opened in 1957 as the first dragstrip in Metro Detroit.[12] The MHRA would continue to manage both the Detroit Autorama and Motor City Dragway until the track's closure in 1978.[6]
The 9th Annual Detroit Autorama was the first to be held at the new Cobo Hall. That year featured a new-record 230 cars competing, and filled all 10,000sqft (930m2) of Cobo's lower-level basement. The 1961 show's last day also broke the event attendance record by drawing a crowd of approximately 35,000 people.[13] During these early years at Cobo, the event began to attract industry names from outside the Motor City, including George Barris, Darryl Starbird, Carl Casper, and "Big Daddy" Ed Roth.[14] And as part of Ford Motor Company's "Ford Custom Car Caravan", the show also generated attention from other big name customizers, including Bill Cushenbery, Jack Florence, Dean Jeffries, and Gene Winfield.[15]
In 1964, the MHRA created the Don Ridler Memorial Award to recognize the most "outstanding car shown for the first time ever".[16] The inaugural Ridler Award went to Macomb's Al Bergler, with an Alcohol slingshotdragster.[17]
Following Bergler's win in 1964, the next ten years saw growth both in the number of exhibitors,[6] as well as the number of professional custom car builders competing for the show's new top prize. Early Ridler-winning entries included vehicles built by Larry and Mike Alexander, Jerry Pennington, and George Busti.[18]
Artwork for the 21st Annual Autorama, held the weekend of January 20, 1973
Builder Jerry Pennington's rear-engine Corvette (Scorpion) and hand-built custom street rod (Devilfish) with their velvet interiors and sharp body lines rank among the most over-the-top and iconic Ridler cars ever built.[23] 1974's event was a first for Autorama, as Wimauma, Florida's Don Campbell and his '27 Ford became the first out-of-state entry to capture the Ridler Award.[24] The decade was then capped-off with a series of six Ford T-bucket Ridler winners.[24] The roadster trend continued throughout the 1980s, with nine of the next ten Ridler winners being '29 through '34 Fords. The first non-roadster to win the Ridler since 1973 was Dale Hunt's late-model Pro Stock Pontiac Grand Am at the 34th annual Detroit Autorama in 1986. Hunt's Grand Am remains one of only two Pro Stock cars to have won the Ridler (the other being Bob Rizzoli's '92 Mercedes 560 SEC).
Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the Autorama continued to grow into one of the most prestigious car shows in the country.[6] Fueling growth was a next generation of professional builders and renowned car owners who began to make their way to Cobo every winter in hopes of capturing the Ridler. Among this next generation were California's Bobby Alloway and Boyd Coddington, Memphis' George Poteet, Ohio's Don Pilkenton, and others. With the influx of new talent in custom car building, the show started to gain national press, with annual coverage in Hot Rod and Street Rodder magazines. The only downside to the growing national attention was felt by local Michigan entries. As exhibitors started traveling from across the country, many local Detroit and Michigan customizers became less competitive against those from out-of-state. Though the Alexander Brothers and others continued to build local cars for the show (including a Great-8 competitor in 2012), as of 2023, Dave Emery's 1997-winning Ford Roadster ( Revolver) was the last Michigan-built entry to capture the Ridler.[25]
Example of the turnout for the 52nd Annual Autorama in 2004
The new millennium brought a freshly redesigned Ridler Award trophy, and the creation of the "Great 8" finalist. It also brought a third generation of professional car builders. Wes Rydell's '35 Chevy Grand Master became the first built by designer and TV personality Chip Foose to win the award in 2002. Foose returned again the following year with a '34 Ford, Stallion, for Arizona's Ron Whiteside, which made him only the third builder in the show's history, and the first since Jerry Pennington, to win the award two consecutive years.[26]
Foose returned again in 2005 with a '36 Ford (Impression), built for Littleton, Colorado's Ken Reister. It was with Impression Foose set a record, joining Don Pilkenton as only builders to win three Ridler Awards, with Foose being the quickest to accomplish that feat in only a four-year span. Foose would snap his own record yet again ten years later, when his '65 Chevy Impala (Imposter, built for Don and Elma Voth) captured his unprecedented fourth Ridler in 2015.
Following the success of Foose Designs, most Ridler contenders transitioned from individual to professional builds. Ross and Beth Myer's '36 Ford (First Love) was the first Ridler-winner to be built by "Rad Rides By Troy" (Trepanier).[27] The transition to professional builders continued with T&T Customs (2010), Torq'd Design Lab (2012), Cal Customs (2013), Super Rides By Jordan (2019), and Pro Comp Shop (2022 and '23).[28]
Since 2008, the roadster trend has begun to fade with only six of the last fifteen Ridler winners being pre-'39 Roadsters.[29] Most Great 8 Contenders and Ridler winners today are professionally build for clients, with J.F Launier's '64 Buick Riviera as the only owner/builder to capture the award since 1998.
Designer/Builder Chip Foose stands by his 2015 Ridler Winning '65 Impala Imposter during the first night of the 63rd Annual Detroit Autorama.
In 2002, the Detroit Autorama celebrated its 50th anniversary with special promotions from Murray's Auto Parts, and inducted an honorary list of "50 People Who Made a Difference". A hall of fame, entitled "The Autorama: Circle of Champions", was also introduced and has inducted at least one member every year since 1997. Inductees include George Barris (1999), Ed Roth (2000), Crain Communications' Keith Crain (2003), Street Rodder's Brian Brennan (2010), Chip Foose (2013), and Hurst Shifter girl Linda Vaughn (2014).[30] Autorama also introduced for their 50th anniversary a special "Builder of the Year" award to honor past Ridler-winning or major show contributors. Past "Builders of the Year" include the Alexander Brothers (2002), Blackie Gejeian (2004), Ed Roth (2006), So-Cal Speed Shop (2007), Gene Winfield (2008), Darryl Starbird (2009), Bobby Alloway (2011), and Troy Trepanier (2014).[31]
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ridler Award in 2013, the 61st annual Detroit Autorama "Builder of the Year" exhibit was replaced with the largest gathering of former Ridler-winning cars ever assembled. To cap-off the celebration, the winners of the 50th Ridler Award (Rob & Deb Cizek & their 1940 Ford "Checkered Past") were presented with the first-ever Gold Ridler Award.
During the 2010s and '20's, recognition for the Detroit Autorama among car builders has continued to grow, with contenders traveling as far as Western Australian with hopes of capturing the prestigious Ridler Award.[32] The growing recognition also led to an expansion of Autorama EXTREME, a special portion of the show featuring traditional Rat Rods, customs, and other patinaed vehicles.[33] In 2023, the Detroit Autorama celebrated its 70th anniversary with more than 800 vehicle entries,[2] over 240 different class awards,[34] and an estimated 149,000 visitors through the weekend.[4]
Out of shared competition and history, the Detroit Autorama has become one of the two "Crown Jewels" of professional show car competitions, often sharing cars and builders with the other "Jewel", the Grand National Roadster Show.[6] Both Autorama's Ridler Award and the GNRS' "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" Award have been awarded annually for over 50 years, both are presented to vehicles being shown for the first time, and both have been won by the likes of Foose, Trepanier, and Alloway.[35]
Championship Auto Shows Inc.
This 1950 Mercury called Maximus was the second consecutive Ridler winner professionally built by Pro Comp Customs.
The Detroit Autorama has been organized in-collaboration between the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) and Championship Auto Shows (CASI) since 1961. In 1963, CASI President Bob Larivee Sr. and fellow CASI showrunners formed a new governing body for indoor show car events, titled the International Show Car Association (ISCA). The ISCA has since become the leading governing body of show car events and competitions in North America, with its own rulebook, classification, and points system. Along with CASI (now "North America's largest producer of indoor hot rod shows"[5]) they co-promote and judge events from coast-to-coast.
The most events ever on an ISCA schedule was 99, set during the 1982–83 season.[37] The current schedule features 21 long-running indoor events under the "Autorama" and "World of Wheels" banner, including those in Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburg, Houston, and the ISCA Championship Finals, which are currently held in Cincinnati.[38] CASI and ISCA combine to promote and judge shows in sixteen states and four provinces, with events running from Thanksgiving weekend through mid-April.[38]
All ISCA events have a series of "Outstanding Awards" for more than three-dozen classes. Each one counts as a single point in the ISCA standings, which is split into four overall classes: Rod, Custom, Truck, and Bike.[39][40] If at the end of a season, a single contributor has four Outstanding Awards in a single category, they are locked-into the ISCA Championship Finals.[41] Many Ridler Winners and Great-8 cars have gone-on to tour the CASI/ISCA event circuit to win an overall Class Championship.[40]
Ridler Award
Autorama's "best in show" award is the Don Ridler Memorial Award, named after Don Ridler, a former Michigan State Football Player, Lawrence Tech Basketball and Football Coach and athletic director, and Autorama's first promoter from 1956 to 1963.
It was presented for the first time at the 12th annual Autorama in 1964, and has been awarded annually since.
The "Great 8"
Before even entering competition for the Great 8, an applicant must check the box that says "Ridler Contender", so the promotional staff knows where to both place the car, and set its time for Move-In.
The Ridler Award winner is selected out of a pre-determined group of eight cars, known as "The Great 8".
On the application for Autorama, a box is to be checked to indicate to the promotional staff if the submitted entry is a Ridler contender. Once entered, each vehicle must meet two specific guidelines in order to qualify for the Great 8, and thus, the Ridler. The entered vehicle must be making its public debut with "limited media exposure", and must be in "minimally operable" condition.[42]
Richard Broyle's customized 1941 Ford Pickup was among the 2016 "Great 8" contenders.
Once a "Contender" vehicle has met those requirements, it inspected by ISCA judges, who then determine the "Great 8" finalist out of the contender pool.
An entire staff of ISCA Judges are assigned solely to the Great 8 cars, and go through each one before deciding on "the best in show". After a decision is made, the winner is announced alongside more than 240 other vehicle classes[34] on Sunday Night.
2023 "Great 8" Contender: a 1955 Chevy Convertible owned and built by the Snodgrass Brothers of Melbourne, Florida
The Ridler Award Trophy, designed by Larry Erickson,[44] is presented to the vehicle's owner, who is also given an embroidered jacket and a $10,000 check.[42] Along with receiving a personal Ridler Award, the owner's name is also engraved among the list of past recipients on the full-scale Ridler trophy, which is kept at GM Performance's Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.[5]
The 60 recipients and/or builders of the Don Ridler Memorial Award are shown below:[45]
1985 Ridler Recipient, Bobby Alloway's 1934 Ford (bottom left corner), on display alongside over 300 other cars during the 33rd Annual Detroit Autorama.2010 Ridler Recipient: Tammy Ray's 1934 Ford Phaeton Gold Digger2012 Ridler Recipient: Dwayne Peace's 1955 Thunderbird2015 Ridler Recipient: Don & Elma Voth's 1965 Impala Imposter2016 Ridler Recipient: Billy & Debbie Thomas' 1939 Oldsmobile Convertible2022 Ridler Recipient: Rick and Paddy Bird's 1931 Chevy
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s.
American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on TLC and Discovery Channel. The series followed car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and custom vehicles at his wheel and car shop in La Habra, California. The show was known for its frequent rows and bust-ups, and a high staff turnover rate. Some crew members went to work for Overhaulin's Chip Foose, a former partner of Coddington's, for a more relaxed environment; even Coddington's own son could not work there for long.
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British usage, according to Collins English Dictionary, is built to the buyer's own specifications.
Boyd Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.
Douglas Sam "Chip" Foose is an American automobile designer, artist, and star designer of the car-customization reality television series Overhaulin'.
The Michigan Hot Rod Association is an association of 7 smaller automotive enthusiast clubs in Michigan; Shifters, Millwinders, Spark Plugs, Road Knights, Bearing Burners, Motor City Modified, and Competition Specialists.
Dick Dean, born Richard Dean Sawitskas [Sa-WITS-kas], was an American automobile designer and builder of custom cars.
Gene Winfield is an American automotive customizer and fabricator. In the mid-1960s, his designs caught the attention of the film community, resulting in a large body of his work appearing on screen, including in the iconic 1982 film Blade Runner.
The Deora is a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was heavily customized by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama. Harry Bentley Bradley designed the Deora and helped with the build process. After winning many awards, including the Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit. It was sold at auction in 2009 for US$324,500.
Troy Ladd is an American designer and builder of custom cars and hot rods from Burbank, CA known for building traditional styled vehicles. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Business from Vanguard University, Troy formulated a business plan for Hollywood Hot Rods, taking into account location, size of the building and equipment. In 2002 Headquarters for Hollywood Hot Rods were set up in Burbank, CA. Industry magazines took notice of the cars being built at Hollywood Hot Rods and titles such as Street Rodder Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine and Rod & Custom were responsible for getting the word out about Troy Ladd’s shop.
The Grand National Roadster Show, is a showcase of custom cars and hot rods held each year at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, in either late January or early February.
Michael "Blackie" Gejeian was an American race car driver, race car builder, and hot rod enthusiast. Considered an "Industry Legend", Gejeian was the organizer of the Autorama, one of the largest custom car shows in North America, held annually in Fresno, California.
"America’s Most Beautiful Roadster" or (AMBR) is an award presented annually at the Grand National Roadster Show. It was created by promoter Al Slonaker to recognize the best roadster in-show. The winner's name is engraved on a 9-foot "mega-trophy" that is maintain by the event's promoter, Rod Shows Inc. At that time of its creation, the AMBR Award trophy was the biggest in the world.
Bill Cushenbery was an American car customizer, show car builder, and model kit designer. Cushenbery was a major influence on the look of custom cars and the customizing industry in general. In addition to building his own designs, he is noted for having helped George Barris create the Batmobile car featured in the 1966–1968 Batman television series.
Impact is a custom-built 1934 Ford roadster built by Richard Berg. It won the 2001 America's Most Beautiful Roadster award.
The Stallion is a customized 1934 Ford 3-window built by Chip Foose for Ron Whiteside. It won the Ridler Award at the 2003 Detroit Autorama.
The Reactor is a custom car built by Gene Winfield. The low slung car featured height adjustable suspension, front wheel drive, and a powerful engine, and appeared in episodes of four TV series: Bewitched, Star Trek, Batman, and Mission: Impossible.
George Poteet was an American Memphis-based land speed racer and winner of the 1996 Ridler Award.
Don Pilkenton is a car customizer based in Ohio, United States. He has built three cars to win the Ridler Award, in 1993, 1996 and 1999. He was the first builder to win the award three times.
Sam Foose was an American automotive customizer and fabricator known for his custom metalwork as well as his paint jobs on car customizations in the 1970s and 1980s.
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