2016 Detroit Autorama: Radical '39 Olds takes the Ridler, plus the 'Great 8' finalists

From a cool Graham sharknose to the Double Bubble Chevy, we’re starting to get this Ridler thing

We used to think that the entrants for Detroit Autorama’s Ridler Award were love-it-or-hate-it propositions. Either you loved the hyper-polished custom builds, or you sulked off to Autorama Extreme to drown your disapproval for the six-figure paint jobs and billet wheels in PBR with the other rat-rodders. Maybe we’re maturing. The Ridler Award cars still aren’t quite our particular style, but we’re not going to be driving home in one of them anyway — and we can’t help but appreciate the incredible imagination, effort and resources (both human and monetary) that went into each and every one of these builds.

The Ridler Award honors Don Ridler, the promoter who turned a fledgling Detroit Autorama into one of the nation’s most important hot rod and custom shows. To be eligible for the award, Detroit Autorama must represent your car’s first public showing, so this is all-new stuff; also, it must be “minimally operable,” which means that you should be able to start, stop and turn the thing (the more capable your car is, however, the more favorably it is likely to be judged).

This year, the “Great 8” finalists for the hotly contested trophy were as follows:

-1937 Ford Deluxe coupe
-1938 Graham 97 “Shark”
-1939 Oldsmobile Model 60 convertible “Olds Cool”
-1940 Willys Coupe “Full Throttle”
-1941 Ford pickup “Mirage”
-1952 Mercedes-Benz 170S
-1961 Chevrolet Impala “Double Bubble”
-1976 Ford XB Falcon “XBoss”

Each car was impressive in its own way, with an attention to detail and jewel-like fit and finish that we like to think even Ettore Bugatti would have respected. The more you studied each build, and the more you knew about the cars that each custom was based on, the more you appreciated the final result. The Graham 97, for example, lost the stock car’s awkward bustle back and now wears sleek coupe lines that better complement its famous art deco nose. It’s an extensive reimagining of the stock starting point, but you might not realize it at first glance — it just looks right.

Likewise, the “Double Bubble” Impala actually combines bits and pieces from two Chevy Bubbletop coupes to create one radical wagon. The blenderization has been done so cleanly that a casual onlooker might mistake it for an actual GM product.

Ultimately, only one car can take home the Ridler; this year it was Billy and Debbie Thomas’ 1939 Oldsmobile Model 60 convertible, “Olds Cool.” Though it still packs Olds power, a 455 V8 has displaced the stock inline-six — and absolutely nothing else on this drop-top is stock, either. Built by Customs and Hot Rods of Andice, Texas, everything from the wheels to the sheetmetal is one-of-a-kind.

Congratulations to the winners, and congrats to the other entrants for their worthy efforts — check them all out in the gallery above.

Graham Kozak

– Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they’re doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too. Read more »

See more by this author»