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Meguiar’s 59th Annual Detroit Autorama - 120+ Web Exclusive Images!Presented by O’Reilly’s Auto Parts From the July, 2011 issue of Street Rodder By Eric Geisert
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It’s true Detroit has been kicked around a lot these past few years but, after witnessing the latest installment in the nearly six-decade-old institution known as the Detroit Autorama, gearheads and hot rodders should rejoice in the fact there are still many extremely talented car builders out there who are continuing to push the boundaries and show us something new. Perhaps one of the most creative... Perhaps one of the most creative examples of hot rodding was right inside the front doors of Cobo Center with Steve Grimes’ rear-steer, front-drive roadster. Grimes, who has created several unique (and driveable) art pieces in the past few years (a couple of which have been featured in Street Rodder), went all out with this one. A ’48 straight-eight Buick sits in the rear of the vehicle, with the driveshaft running forward to a quick-change up front. Grimes picked up the Best Engineered award, and we’ll be seeing more of this car in a few months to check out how it drives. The 59th Autorama, sponsored by Meguiar’s and presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts, was again responsible for filling the 700,000 square feet of Cobo Center in downtown Detroit to its edges with hot cars and thousands of spectators. In addition, another 100,000 square feet of basement area was used to house the Autorama Extreme, which is devoted to traditional-styled rods, customs, and motorcycles and, for the first time this year, these folks didn’t have to share floor space with the Japanese tuner cars—a fact the hard-core rodders really enjoyed. A show within a show, the downstairs group still had awards presentations and bands playing, but the type of car entered would be something you might have seen prior to 1960, and many of them were covered in flat or satin paints rather than the gloss you’d find upstairs in the “regular” car show. Check out the four-door Imperial... Check out the four-door Imperial behemoth in the background. That’s what Murray Pfaff started with to create what he calls his ’59 Imperial Speedster. Though it would take Chrysler until 1992 to make a two-seater (the Viper), Murray thought, “What if they’d done it in 1959?” Although there is a 425-horse SRT Hemi underhood and Viper independent suspension, the radically altered exterior still carries many pre-’60s design elements to make it believable. Another unique aspect of the Detroit show is not a lot of other hot rod events can boast about the fact the Big Three have booths at their shows. Factory Ford, GM, and Mopar teams displayed their most recent cars, and the facility was ringed with aftermarket vendors. Back in the corner of the room (covering roughly 30,000 square feet) was the 19th annual Toy-A-Rama, which not only highlights collectible scale-model cars of every description but also racing memorabilia, custom bicycles, and pedal cars. Show organizers also set aside special areas for the Builder of the Year, Bobby Alloway (see more of his display on page 54), the Cavalcade of Customs honoring ’50s- and ’60s-eras cars (and organized by customizer Chuck Miller), Artist Alley (where folks could purchase original and limited-edition pieces of automotive-related artwork), a model car contest, Drag City USA (for a look back at vintage drag racing and the cars that made it so exciting), and the Motor City Auto Art Mavens’ Pinstriper’s Panel Jam and charity auction (where onlookers could have something pinstriped while they waited or bid on artwork created at the show). RPM of Warrendale, PA, built... RPM of Warrendale, PA, built this ’62 Chevy Bel Air for Danny Johnson of Moss Pointe, MS. With 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels, a fuel-injected 502 underhood, and Corvette C6 calipers and rotors make this hardtop run as well as it looks. But most of the upstairs space was devoted to more than 600 rods and rides of all sorts, with the bulk of them being what most people would call a real hot rod (not a lot of tuner cars or ’95 Mustangs). We’re talking Nomads and GTOs, Chevelles, and Barracudas, and lots of cars with numbers in the name such as 442, F-100, and Boss 429. Performance and styling have always been at the forefront of what most rodders are looking for, and the owners of some of the best vehicles with those qualifications have their eyes fixed on the show’s grand prize: the Don Ridler Memorial Award. Presented to a car with “first time shown” status, the ride has to be innovative in its design, too, which is something some hopeful car owners fail to produce. Nice-looking cars aside, this is the Ridler award, and therefore it has to be exceptional. Of the hopefuls who believe they have a chance to win, eight finalists (called the Pirelli Great 8) are named and just one of them will be the recipient of the Ridler. Pirelli sponsors the Great 8 and, just for being named to that exclusive list you receive $1,000 and a commemorative jacket. The Pirelli Great 8 list is usually announced after the first day and those named have to wait until Sunday afternoon to find out who wins.  An ultra-rare Olds J-2 motor...  An ultra-rare Olds J-2 motor was fitted into Mike Tarquino’s custom Zephyr roadster, which was built to emulate what a high-end Ford product could have looked like if Edsel Ford would have had complete control of the company in 1932. Hundreds of custom one-off pieces make this roadster unique.  In a tribute to customizer...  In a tribute to customizer Gene Winfield, VooDoo Larry Kustoms created the “Voodoo Idol”—a chopped, channeled, sectioned, widened, and lengthened ’46 Ford for its owner: Larry Grobe from Elk Grove Village, IL.  Bert Bernardi’s all-steel...  Bert Bernardi’s all-steel ’32 Ford sedan had all the right components (a six-carb induction system, steelies ’n’ caps, gloss black paint) as well as some trick parts, such as the long side nerf bar bolted to the chassis and the camshaft spreader bar.  Canada has always supplied...  Canada has always supplied its fair share of great-looking cars to the Detroit Autorama, and Ron Limbrick, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, carried on the tradition with his “Ghostrider” ’27—his tribute to roadster builders of days gone by. The ’32 B-motor with the Riley two-port conversion was pretty cool, too.  For the past several years...  For the past several years the organizers of the Autorama give free space for a charity auction, which was organized by the Motor City Auto Art Mavens. Not only could you watch live as pinstripers performed their craft (such as Hot Rod Bob Magyarosi working on a custom trophy) but you could then bid on special pieces created just for the show, with all proceeds (this year totaling more than $38,000) benefiting the Leader Dogs for the Blind non-profit organization.  Rob Green’s ’32 Ford roadster...  Rob Green’s ’32 Ford roadster rolled in from Rochester, NY. The chrome on the 454 Chevy contrasts the Chrysler electric blue pearl paint as does the white top and wide whites on the Supreme U.S. wheels. Ron picked up a Street Rodder magazine award for his efforts.  Drag City USA was a special...  Drag City USA was a special section of the show devoted to vintage race cars and nostalgia drag racing, and Tim Timoszyk’s all-steel ’42 Willys coupe looked like it was ready to face off in the finals. A 6:71 GMC blower topped a 370 small-block Chevy, which is mated to a Jerico four-speed. Best elapsed time? How about 10.18 at 135.35 mph?  Veteran car builder Chuck...  Veteran car builder Chuck Miller hosted the Cavalcade of Customs, an annual exhibit honoring cars of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Jody Miller’s “Royal Pain” ’52 Chevrolet features a slant chop (5 inches up front, 6 in the rear), ’55 Olds headlights, and House of Kolor Royal Blue Flake paint with alabaster white scallops.  Mike Lethert owns this phantom...  Mike Lethert owns this phantom ’39 Ford convertible, and cruised in from Roseville, MN. The paint is PPG Violet Metallic, and the motor is a 5.7L LS1. The body features molded fenders, a one-piece front end, and many other smaller additions.  A crowd favorite was Bruce...  A crowd favorite was Bruce Milyard’s ’62 Corvette, which had a polished 427 LS7 motor under a custom engine cover. All of the body lines were peaked, wheel openings opened, bumpers removed, and a molded interior all added to the effect.  Jim Marciniak’s ’63 Buick...  Jim Marciniak’s ’63 Buick Riviera was originally listed in the Radical Hardtop class, but was bumped up to the Pirelli Great 8 division. In from Andover, MN, the Rivi features a slippery body, two-tone paint, and a well-detailed Nailhead engine equipped with a triple Edelbrock carb setup.  The only truck in this year’s...  The only truck in this year’s competition was the ’47 Chevy owned by Tim Gunsalus. Built and painted by Gonzo Kustoms, the hauler boasts over 180 body mods, including suicide doors, the cab channeled 4 inches, and cherry wood in the bed.  Kenneth Tallent, from McKinney,...  Kenneth Tallent, from McKinney, TX, made a hardtop out of his ’40 Ford coupe. Built and chopped 2 inches by J & J Rod and Custom, the copper coupe gets its go from a Roush 402 SR V-8 coupled to a TCI Automotive–prepped C-6.  Red and chrome always makes...  Red and chrome always makes a big impact, as did Kenny Frederic’s ’57 Chevy from Dutchtown, LA. Sitting on an Art Morrison chassis and powered by a GMPP Ram Jet 502 backed to a fully polished Tremec TKO 600, the car rolls on 20- and 19-inch Budnik wheels. Lots of work in Derick Samson’s... Lots of work in Derick Samson’s ’51 Business coupe from Marshall, MO. Samson is the designer, builder, and owner of his Ford, which is seamless in the body, bumpers, and floorpans. It rolls on 18- and 20-inch five-spokes, and is powered by a 355 that has had its block smoothed out. This year Bruce Ricks, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, picked up the top prize with his ’56 Ford convertible nicknamed “Suncammer.” Built by Steve Cook Creations in Oklahoma City the smoky silver ragtop was stunning top to bottom, and featured a 427-cammer motor under the modified hood (with a one-off intake manifold with the Ford logo cast in place). Subtle body mods were also made (extending the front fenders downward, A-pillar leaned back) and it sits on a longer wheelbase. Nickel plating was subtle, and both the interior and top were stitched by Gabe’s Street Rod Upholstery. Even in tough economic times, the Autorama didn’t disappoint. But when one of the big anniversary shows are held, it seems that all the stops are pulled out, and next year’s show will celebrate 60 years of the Autorama, so you know it will be an extravaganza! For more photos of this event, be sure to check out www.streetrodder.com.  Pirelli is the sponsor for...  Pirelli is the sponsor for the Great 8 finalists—the group of owners who are in contention for the Don Ridler Memorial Award each year. Seven of the eight owners were present at an awards presentation including (from left) Mike Lethert, Tim Gunsalus, Bruce Milyard, Bruce Ricks, Kenny Frederic, Kenneth Tallent, and Derick Samson. Not present was Jim Marciniak.  Jim Campbell, a vice president...  Jim Campbell, a vice president at GM (second from right), and members of the GM Performance Parts team (sponsors of the Ridler Award) present Bruce Ricks (third from right) with the oversize check for $10,000. Jim Campbell, a vice president... Jim Campbell, a vice president at GM (second from right), and members of the GM Performance Parts team (sponsors of the Ridler Award) present Bruce Ricks (third from right) with the oversize check for $10,000.  [2011 Don Ridler Memorial...  [2011 Don Ridler Memorial Award Winner] Bruce Ricks’ ’56 Ford Sunliner was renamed “Suncammer” due to the 427 SOHC motor under the reshaped hood. Steve Cook Creations can take credit for this build, which features a wedge channel job, softened side reveals, a spine added to the trunk, and a full belly pan. The plating isn’t chrome, it’s nickel, expertly applied by Jon Wright’s Customchrome Plating. Gabe Lopez fabbed both the interior and the top.
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