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60-554: 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

120-787: A $ 10,000 check. 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 . The 60 recipients and/or builders of the Don Ridler Memorial Award are shown below: *The 2021 show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic . Custom car Custom cars are not to be confused with coachbuilt automobiles, historically rolling chassis fitted with luxury bodywork by specialty auto body builders. Some of

180-585: A common modification involving taking the engine from one car and putting it into another, often one that did not initially come with that engine. A few of the most common engines swapped into other vehicles include the BMW M54 , Chevy small block , Chevy LS , Chrysler Hemi , Cummins B Series , Ford Barra , Ford Coyote , Ford flathead V8 , Honda B , Honda K , Mazda 13B , Nissan RB , Nissan SR , Subaru EJ , Toyota JZ , Toyota UZ , Toyota S , and Volkswagen VR6 . Completing an engine swap typically requires

240-418: A growth in the popularity of off-roading as a hobby. Starting in the early 1940s, some US car customizers began to modify cars with a stronger emphasis on looks and self-expression. This led to styles of modification such as lowriders , kustoms and lead sleds emerging and growing. 1950s kustom car builders would often swap trim and panels from other cars, cut through the sheet metal and remove bits to make

300-424: A high level of modification and fabrication to fit the engine and connect it to the host vehicle's body, transmission, and electrics. Many companies sell kits for common engine swaps that include adapter plates for the transmission, K member, engine mounts, front subframe, and more, depending on what ss required for the particular swap. Some engine swaps will use the vehicle's original transmission, while others opt for

360-465: A predecessor to the hot rod. Hot rods gained popularity after World War II , particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training. Many cars were "hopped up" with engine modifications such as adding additional carburetors, high compression heads, and dual exhausts. The suspension was often altered, and engine swaps were to install the most powerful engine in

420-601: A single point in the ISCA standings, which is split into four overall classes: Rod, Custom, Truck, and Bike. 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. Many Ridler Winners and Great-8 cars have gone-on to tour the CASI/ISCA event circuit to win an overall Class Championship. Autorama's "best in show" award

480-622: 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). To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ridler Award in 2013, the 61st annual Detroit Autorama "Builder of

540-469: A special camp, where he was laid on a board in the sun all day for seven months, returning over the course of two and a half years; it helped relieve the unusual curvature. Soon after Hines was initially released from hospital, his father died of tuberculosis. Hines' mother moved to Detroit, Michigan to work, while her children were sent to be raised by their grandmother in Jackson, Tennessee . In 1932,

600-549: A stock lid. He went on to build and race a midget powered by a 60 hp (45 kW) flathead. In the late 1940s, Hines did bodywork and painting for Vick Sawitskas' Nash dealership in Wyandotte, Michigan . Hines finally opened his own dedicated custom shop in Lincoln Park early in the 1950s. It was there in 1957 he built Lil' Bat , a 1950 Ford with a 6 in (150 mm) chop , frenched headlights,

660-519: A year later, in 1951 the National Hot Rod Association was formed. In the following years, more drag strips were built across the country, leading to a rise in the popularity of drag racing among both amateurs and professionals. In the post- World War II era, Japan's automotive industry grew, eventually leading to the country becoming the world's largest vehicle producer. This led to a unique car customization culture within

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720-445: 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 Ridler Award winner is selected out of a pre-determined group of eight cars, known as "The Great 8". On

780-525: 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. 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

840-976: The Detroit Autorama since 1964 in honor of show promoter Don Ridler. With one of the most unusual car show entry requirements, the Ridler Award winners are selected as the most outstanding among cars being shown for the first time. This prompts builders of many high-end roadsters to enter Autorama first and then the Grand National show to have the chance to win top honors at both shows. Few cars and owners can claim this achievement. Some customs gained attention for winning awards at shows or for their outlandish styling. Some examples include Silhouette and Ed Roth 's Mysterion . Some notable custom cars have been turned into Hot Wheels cars or other scale models, such as The Red Baron . Other custom cars became notable for appearances in film (such as Ala Kart {1958}, The California Kid three-window {1973},

900-588: The Summit Racing Equipment Show Car Series, which includes other prestigious show car events such as the Chicago World of Wheels and Houston Autorama. The show features a selected group of 800 custom and restored vehicles from across the world and more than 140,000 spectators annually. Detroit's Autorama is best known as home to the Don Ridler Memorial Award, considered the "Nobel Prize of Hot Rodding". It's presented to

960-568: The customizing and hot rodding scene, such as the Motor City Modifieds , Bearing Burners and Spark Plugs, who combined efforts to pull-off the first event, along with other Detroit car clubs such as The Road Kings, Shifters, and Milwinders. For the second show, activities were moved to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Colosseum , where it was held from 1954 to 1960. For the fourth event in 1956,

1020-565: 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. CASI and ISCA combine to promote and judge shows in sixteen states and four provinces, with events running from Thanksgiving weekend through mid-April. All ISCA events have a series of "Outstanding Awards" for more than three-dozen classes. Each one counts as

1080-487: 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 on Sunday Night. The Ridler Award Trophy, designed by Larry Erickson, is presented to the vehicle's owner, who is also given an embroidered jacket and

1140-711: 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. The first Detroit Autorama

1200-414: The 1960s. These took many coats to produce a brilliant effect – which tended to flake off in hot climates. This process and style of paint job were invented by Joe Bailon , a customizer from Northern California. Painting has become such a part of the custom car scene that in many custom car competitions, awards for custom paint are as highly sought after as awards for the cars themselves. Engine swaps are

1260-764: The 2016 America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) trophy with a custom Deuce) Harry Westergaard , Dave Stuckey , Dean Jeffries , Barry Lobeck , Phil Cool (who won the 1978 AMBR trophy with a bright orange Deuce, cover car for the July 1978 issue of Hot Rod ), Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods , Doane Spencer (builder of a 1940s Deuce considered the template for the hiboy), "Posie" , Ron Clark and Bob Kaiser (of Clarkaiser Customs ), Joe Bailon (inventor of candy apple paint), Gene Winfield , Rick Dore Joe Wilhelm , "Magoo" , Chip Foose , and Pete Chapouris . Others, such as Von Dutch , are best known as custom painters. Several customizers have become famous beyond

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1320-465: 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 . 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

1380-603: The Hines children went to Detroit. In high school, Hines preferred art and shop classes to academics, and 1941, while in Grade 11, dropped out to rent a garage in Ecorse, Michigan , where he set up a custom shop. It was there he began working with lead body filler. His first project was a 1934 Ford, fitted with a flathead V8 with milled heads. He opened a gas station in Lincoln Park, Michigan , with an attached custom shop later

1440-597: The MHRA created the Don Ridler Memorial Award to recognize the most "outstanding car shown for the first time ever". The inaugural Ridler Award went to Macomb 's Al Bergler, with an Alcohol slingshot dragster . Following Bergler's win in 1964, the next ten years saw growth both in the number of exhibitors, 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. Starting in

1500-662: 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. The MHRA would continue to manage both the Detroit Autorama and Motor City Dragway until the track's closure in 1978. 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 10,000 sq ft (930 m) of Cobo's lower-level basement. The 1961 show's last day also broke

1560-405: The MHRA hired a local band and sporting-event promoter Don Ridler to help the show reach a broader audience. 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,

1620-560: 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. 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

1680-471: 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

1740-491: 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. Once a "Contender" vehicle has met those requirements, it inspected by ISCA judges, who then determine

1800-413: The automobile community, including Barris, Jeffries, and Coddington, thanks to their proximity to Hollywood ; Barris designed TV's Batmobile , while Chapouris built the flamed '34 three-window coupé in the eponymous telefilm " The California Kid ". Another Barris creation, Ala Kart (a '29 Ford Model A roadster pickup), made numerous appearances in film after taking two AMBR wins in a row. One of

1860-471: The car and painting inside them, painting over lace , overlaying gold leaf , and more. Some customizers will also opt for vinyl wraps , vinyl decals, or plastidip in place of a traditional paint job. In addition to paint, individual parts of a car may also be chromed, gold plated, or engraved. Transparent but wildly colored candy-apple paint, applied atop a metallic undercoat, and metalflake paint, with aluminum glitter within candy-apple paint, appeared in

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1920-551: The car lower, weld it back together, and add lead to make the resulting form smooth. They would also chop the roof to make it lower, section the body to make it thinner from top to bottom, and channel the body by cutting notches in the floorpan where the body touches the frame to lower the whole body. The first drag strip in the United States opened in 1950 on an airfield in Southern California, and

1980-440: The continued popularity of highway racing. Japan also embraced American customization styles, importing and building their muscle cars, lowriders, minitrucks, and more. Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles. These similarities may be unintentional. Some of

2040-444: The earliest examples of modified cars were cars modified for racing or off-roading . The coachbuilding industry is considered part of custom car history, as companies and individuals built custom bodies to be fitted to early cars and inspired later customizers. Hot rods were an early type of custom car first popularized in the United States, considered to be one of the earliest defined car customization movements. The origins of

2100-463: The early 70's. Mitch Ryder , Alice Cooper , Bo Diddley , and Chubby Checker also performed during show weekends in the 1970's. 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. 1974's event was a first for Autorama, as Wimauma, Florida 's Don Campbell and his '27 Ford became

2160-493: The early 70s, the MHRA began to incorporate other exhibitions and attractions to Autorama. This included Soap Box Derbies , an MPC Model Car Contest, and the Miss Autorama Contest. The show also began incorporating live acts. Celebrities including Wolf Man Jack , Adam West , Mark Hamill , and Lou Ferringo all made autograph appearances at Autorama during the 70's. Bob Seger performed at three Autoramas in

2220-551: The event attendance record by drawing a crowd of approximately 35,000 people. 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 . 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 . In 1964,

2280-645: The film ("Runnin' Wild"), it is one of the most iconic 1950s customs. The same year, Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop built Polynesian for Jack Stewart, starting with a 1950 Holiday 88 sedan . Polynesian made the cover of Hot Rod in August, and saw 54 pages of construction details in Motor Trend Custom Car Annual in 1954. Alexander Brothers (auto customizers) William Chandler Hines (23 March 1922 - 20 May 2016), also known as "The Leadslinger",

2340-439: 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. Foose returned again in 2005 with a '36 Ford ( Impression ), built for Littleton, Colorado 's Ken Reister. It

2400-496: The first hot rods are typically considered to be early race cars built to race on dirt tracks and dry lake beds, often stripped down Ford Model Ts , Model As , and other pre- World War II cars made into speedsters and "gow jobs". The "gow job" morphed into the hot rod in the 1940s to 1950s. The modified cars used in the Prohibition era by bootleggers to evade revenue agents and other law enforcement are also considered

2460-687: The first hydraulic lift systems on Tats Gotanda's Candy blue 1959 Chevrolet Impala ; this became known as the Buddah Buggy , and was Hines' most famous custom project. Hines also collaborated with Joe Bailon to produce the Panthermobile in 1969. Hines worked without drawing plans, able to, for instance, construct a custom working convertible top from scratch without them. He also fabricated hydraulic systems. While living in Garden Grove, California , in 2015, Hines suffered

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2520-482: The first out-of-state entry to capture the Ridler Award. The decade was then capped-off with a series of six Ford T-bucket Ridler winners. 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

2580-458: The grille bar from a 1951 Ford Meteor, and large fins fitted with taillights from a 1956 Ford. The car made its debut at the 1959 Detroit Autorama , and was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom Magazine in March 1959. When he visited George Barris ' shop driving this car in 1958, Barris' shop manager, Gene Simmons (not to be confused with the artist), hired him immediately on the strength of

2640-459: 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

2700-421: 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") 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. The current schedule features 21 long-running indoor events under

2760-471: The lightest possible frame and body combination. Another example of early automobile customization were the first off-road vehicles . Some of the earliest dedicated offroad vehicles were made using the Kégresse track system, starting in the late 1910s, which affixed tracks to an ordinary car in place of the rear wheels for improved off-road traction. After World War II , the surplus of army Jeeps led to

2820-485: The likes of Foose, Trepanier, and Alloway. 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

2880-469: The many different styles and visual influences to car modification are: Custom paint jobs play an essential role in the culture around customized cars. Builders will often use special painting techniques to produce unique finishes, including the use of candy paint, metalflake , and color shifting paint. Additionally, builders will often create paint jobs with intricate designs or patterns by pinstriping, painting by hand, airbrushing , taping out patterns on

2940-668: The most coveted awards for American customizers is the AMBR ( America's Most Beautiful Roadster ) trophy, presented annually at the Grand National Roadster Show since 1948 (also known within the customizer community as the Oakland Roadster Show until it was moved to Southern California in 2003). This competition has produced famous and radical customs. Another is the Ridler Award , presented at

3000-470: The nation. Some of the early custom cars in Japan, starting in the late 1970s through the 1980s, included Kaido Racers, Japanese cars modified with homemade parts to look like racecars of the time; imported and modified American and European cars; cars modified for top-speed and highway racing; and Dekotora decorated trucks. The 1990s saw the rise of cars modified for drifting , VIP style luxury sedans, and

3060-710: The only owner/builder to capture the award since 1998. 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). Autorama also introduced for their 50th anniversary

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3120-430: The prestigious Ridler Award. 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. In 2023, the Detroit Autorama celebrated its 70th anniversary with more than 800 vehicle entries, over 240 different class awards, and an estimated 149,000 visitors through the weekend. Out of shared competition and history,

3180-437: The same year. His first custom, built in 1941, was a 1941 Buick , with molded fenders, widened rocker panels, cut-down doors (a Hines trademark), fender skirts, Appleton spotlight, and single-bar flipper hubcaps; he repainted the original turquoise to red, claiming every custom should be red with a white interior. He would later add a tailfin in the center of the trunklid, a feature earning so much ridicule, he changed back to

3240-487: The transmission from the donor car, or a different transmission entirely. Solid axle swap (SAS): replacing independent front suspension (IFS) with solid axle . Examples of notable American customizers include George Barris , Vini Bergeman , Bill Cushenbery , the Alexander Brothers , Bo Huff , Gil Ayala , Darryl Starbird, Roy Brizio , Troy Trepanier (of Rad Rides by Troy ), Boyd Coddington , Darryl Hollenbeck (working out of at Vintage Color Studios; winner of

3300-657: The work. Hines moved back to Detroit just before Christmas 1959,. setting up shop where he did several custom jobs and specialized in candy paint jobs. He also hired the Alexander brothers. He served as mentor to customizers Richard Sawitskas, better known as Dick Dean , and Detroit's Alexander Brothers . Hines returned to California in October 1960, setting up Bill Hines Kustom Auto in Lynwood , next door to Eddie Martinez's shop. In 1962, Hines installed one of

3360-659: The yellow deuce from " American Graffiti " {1973}, the Batmobiles from Batman, the Pursuit Special from Mad Max , and more) or television (such as The Monkeemobile from the "Munsters" , and KITT from Knight Rider ). Other notable customs exemplified a trend. One of these is the 1951 Merc built by the Barris brothers for Bob Hirohata in 1953, known as the Hirohata Merc . Even without an appearance in

3420-478: Was an American custom car builder. Hines was born in Erie, Pennsylvania , to Edward and Willie (Chandler) Hines. He had a twin brother, Edward, and a sister Elizabeth. Born with a severely deformed spine, the result of spinal kyphosis , he was unable to stand completely upright. At age two, he was sent to an Erie hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove two vertebrae . The hospital recommended he be sent to

3480-492: Was held at the University of Detroit Memorial Building on January 31 and February 1, 1953. 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". Eventually, the MHRA grew to also include clubs from

3540-518: Was the first Ridler-winner to be built by "Rad Rides By Troy" ( Trepanier ). 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). Since 2008, the roadster trend has begun to fade with only six of the last fifteen Ridler winners being pre-'39 Roadsters. Most Great 8 Contenders and Ridler winners today are professionally build for clients, with J.F Launier's '64 Buick Riviera as

3600-534: 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 )

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