The Detroit Autorama

There were a number of great customizers in the Detroit area, but it would be hard to find one more famous than the A-Brothers—Mike and Larry Alexander. Their “Deora,” which started life as a Dodge A100 pickup, was designed by Harry Bradley and featured a unique front entry. The truck won the Ridler award for the A-Brothers in 1967.

Bringing entertainment into the car show setting was one of the best ideas promoter Don Ridler had ever come up with. (He’s quoted as saying to Bob Larivee Sr., “Make your shows appealing to the whole family—and then you’ve got it made.”) Over the years the Autorama has seen Playboy Playmates, movie stars, rock ’n’ roll stars, and TV personalities such as Batman and Robin, who were a popular draw.

Artists, pinstripers, and painters have always been a big part of the Autorama, and Stanley Mouse (seen here at the 50th Autorama in 2002) and his “weird monster pictures” was an integral part of the ’60s-era shows as the hot rodding sub-culture welcomed his airbrushed T-shirt drawings with open arms; Mouse always drew big crowds.

The crazy show cars of the ’60s, built on a concept of a hearse, pool table, Coke machine, popcorn machine, or anything else you could dream up that helped bring car enthusiasts into the show. One of the most well known of these was the “Red Baron,” built by Chuck Miller after the car had already been a model car for Monogram.

“The Impression,” formed in steel by Marcel’s Custom Metal and finished by Foose Design, won the Ridler award for its owner, Ken Reister, at the 2005 Detroit Autorama. Nowadays cars are being built and finished (some reportedly above the million-dollar mark) just so they can compete for the coveted award, and why the best builders and owners with the best cars in the country choose to debut their rides at the show.

One of the best facets of the Detroit Autorama is the Don Ridler Memorial Award, given to a first-time-shown vehicle every year since the award’s inception in 1964. At the top of most any rod owner’s choice of awards to receive, the prize will be celebrating its 50th year at the 2013 Detroit Autorama.