Damn Great, but Not Great 8 – Detroit Autorama’s Best
February 25, 2012 by pikesan · 13 Comments
2012 Detroit Autorama Not Ridler Contenders?
I took alota pictures at the Detroit Autorama. I had too… at first, as I mentioned in the Great 8 Ridler Contender story, I didn’t know which of the MANY fine rides at the show were actually in the running for the big award, the Ridler. So… I snapped away. No harm done cause that gives me a great reason to highlight the Autorama’s “Not Great 8″ hot rods and customs and let you decide if they shoulda been included. That’d mean one of the chosen Great 8 cars would have to go, so you decide… Did the judges pick the right cars? Leave a comment if you have an opinion.
Keep in mind, if any of these cars have been shown before, they’re automatically out of the Ridler competition. If anyone knows specifically why one of the following weren’t included, please let me know. (I’ll speculate too)
As always, click to see the full-size photo.
Not Great 8 – 2012 Detroit Autorama’s Best
This 1933 Ford coupe owned by Gregg and Jodi Blackford was built, coincidentally, by Hot Rods by Greg (one g). I’m pretty sure this car was intended to be a Ridler contender from Greg’s website that says, “Caliber” is “Going for the Ridler Award in 2012.” No idea why it wasn’t a finalist, really… the only thing I could say is that the engine compartment wasn’t as mind-blowing as other contenders and maybe the judges were tired of this display. You’ll see it in three other cars featured in this story.
Dave Leisinger’s 1971 Chevy Camaro may be my favorite of the show. That’s strange for me cause I’m not a huge 2nd gen Camaro fan… But this pro-touring style, massive tire tucking bad-ass is too cool! Why didn’t it get picked? In another wave of total speculation, check out the engine compartment. I’m wondering if the judges take points/look down on a massive engine cover? I’m also submitting this tire/wheel combo to my “Top Wheels and Tires” story coming soon.
This trick 1962 Chevy Impala is called, “Last Date”. No idea why… where do the car’s names come from? Dig all the custom billet parts on this. I can hear the billet-haters now, but folks… no matter what’s your first love, don’tcha have to at least tip the cap to craftsmanship and innovation? Check out the interior and grille area parts. They’re all custom! Add to that a blown 502 with a push button 400 trans riding on air and what looks like one-off 17′s. Ridler?
Check out hot rod and custom car rockstar, George Poteet’s 1956 Chevy. I just featured his 57 Chevy from GNRS, then he rolls out this? Design, fabrication and paint was handled by Kemp’s Rod & Restoration and the fine interior comes from my buddies at Rad Rides by Troy. The only reason this car wasn’t a Ridler contender is George didn’t want it. He’s already won the Ridler in 1996 with his 1937 Roadster, so this car was on display in Pomona at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show.
When’s the last time you saw a customized 1934 Hupmobile Cabriolet? According to the show card, “As of 2007, this is the only remaining Model K421. There were 1,066 of this model manufactured at the original price of $995. Far from it’s origins now, owner/builders Butch and Donna Downs of Colona, IL stuffed a 5.7L Hemi hooked to a 5-speed automatic to motivate the old Hup-ster. Congrats on taking an ultra rare car and turning it into a hot rod! Why no Ridler? Maybe a lack of trick display? Got me…
Ron Hall’s Z “O” 55 sat proudly in the front row of the Detroit Autorama. The trick dash and custom grille treatment were outstanding and the colors worked perfectly together. You barely notice the shaved handles and extended fender flange trying to take the whole car in. Why no Ridler? The engine’s covered on this one, and it’s a fairly common LS-1. Compare that to the ZL-1 big block riding in the 55 Chevy the judges did select for the Ridler. Points from me though for hammering gears through a 6-speed Tremec. Hot Rods gotta row gears!
I don’t know much about Gary Zaborowski’s 1932 Ford Coupe. Score points for insane paint and color. I also thumbs up for the name: “Boogie Man’s Candy Coupe”. Why no Ridler nod?
By now, I’m jamming my own, hot rod focused, opinion into the cars I’m showing here. It was a toss up between a 1932 Ford Phaeton and this, somewhat simple looking, 1934 Ford Coupe with a little old 1942 Flathead V8. I’m also saving this engine for my “Best Engine” story cause if I hadn’t read the show card, I wouldn’t have known this is a twin turbo flathead making 300+ horsepower while looking only slightly warmed-over. The turbos are completely outa-sight, but push air into the bottom air cleaner just as tidy as could be. Jack Stirnemann calls this three window black-beauty “Flat Earth”. Even without the crazy detail of the Ridler cars, this coupe does have a super unique engine setup and makes my list… where as the phaeton had a SBC or maybe an Olds motor…
For those of you scoring at home, this is #9. Since it’s 2AM and I’m running this site, I say show Gary and Flo Garman’s 1955 Chevy pickup. The pale green paint coupled with the bright red interior does kinda bring a watermelon flavor to the palette, but under the hood is where the true treat is…
Now you know why Flo’s smiling in the shot above and why every other man, woman and child did the same as they caught a glimpse of the sweetened small block. Except for not being seedless, this shoulda been a Ridler contender!
Agree, disagree… your opinion counts! You don’t have to be a member to comment, so let me hear it! Downstairs is next… Best of 2012 Detroit Autorama Basement
It’s the Great 8 – Ridler Award Contenders 2012
February 24, 2012 by pikesan · 32 Comments
2012 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award Contenders
More fun than the republican primary! Vote for your favorite below.
Can’t get enough of the Autorama? Check out these other stories:
– Here’s the winner! Skip ahead and see the Ridler Winner
– Damn Great, but Not Great 8 – Detroit Autorama’s Best
– Going Down – Basement Best at 2012 Detroit Autorama
It’s about time. I’ve been grabbing photos from friends for long enough. It’s time for a personal account of the hot rods and custom cars that make up the Detroit Autorama, especially the best of the best, the Ridler cars. For the 60th Anniversary of the Detroit Autorama, the competition is extra tough… Fact is, I couldn’t figure out what cars were the “Great 8″!
Rules for the Ridler are pretty simple: The cars should show: Creativity, Engineering and Workmanship. (What they don’t mention is that the winner typically shows all three of these in a way, most likely, never seen before or done in a way that’ll cause mouths to hit the floor) Just a few other rules, the Ridler contenders must be showing for the very first time and must run, drive and stop in a basic way.
What’s not in the Rilder Rules? Body style, year or anything specifying what kind of car it is… Love that! So let’s mix it up here and see if we vote the same as the judges for the 2012 Ridler Award:
Enjoy the pictures and for any shot, click to see the full-size photo.
Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #1 ~ 1967 Shelby GT500
If you’ve ever seen me at a show, I’m runnin! Media gets in at 9AM so I’m shooting everything I can before the crowds pour in. My plan? Shoot the Ridler contenders first. No problem except the “openess” of the Ridler rules allow a bunch of cars to enter. With so many cars to review, the official Great 8 cars aren’t announced until noon. Still, I had my eye on a few and shot’m up right…
First up is the 1967 Shelby GT500 of Carol and Gordon Phillips rolling in from Quesnel, BC, Canada. I’m going on record now: This is my pick for the Ridler Award.
Built by JF Kustoms, this Mustang has every detail imaginable nailed. After JF Launier nailed it, he chromed it and polished it! The list of one-off details on this car starts with the wheels and the steering wheel, but dig that grille! “Kardiac 500″ is custom machined in by Mike Curtis, designer and fabricator of the billet goodies. Why Kardiac? Part of it is how Gord’s gen-u-ine Shelby gives purists heart palpitations, but the rest? You’ll have to read my feature article coming soon…
Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #2 ~ 1955 Ford Thunderbird
Like the Shelby above, I was drawn to this 55 Thunderbird. Why not? The lines on 55-57 ‘bird are pure sex. I shot a few pics and nearly kept going until I saw the engine. Twin Turbos anyone? Listed only as a 1150 HP Gale Banks Engineering 6.0 liter, I gotta know what this thing sounds like… I’d also recommend some titanium “oh shit” handles since this car can’t weigh much more than it’s stock 3200 lbs. This is one of the few super-cars in Detroit I saw connected to an automatic trans.
Owned by Dwayne Peace and built and designed by Johnathan Peace, it sounds like a family affair. Greening Auto Company kicked in on the build too and handled the paint work and some machining duties. Execution on this car is fantastic. Check the bottom right shot for the way everything fits together. This 55 T’bird’s another winner.
Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #3 ~ 1933 Ford Roadster
The owners of this American Speed bodied 1933 Roadster are no strangers to the Detroit Autorama or the Ridler Award. The “A Bros” as listed on the license plate refers to Larry and Mike Alexander. In this Custom Rodder Article, they’re called “Custom Car Legends” and with good reason. They’ve won two previous Ridler Awards, one for the original 69′er and another for the Deora that we all know from Hot Wheels fame. (Where they allegedly got no credit.) They also built the “Silver Saphire” better known as the Beach Boys’ Little Deuce Coupe. This hot rod’s got a pedigree!
Looking at “Vision 33″ the custom touches are everywhere and overall the Chip Foose penned concept flows one to the next. The rear end treatment shown and the custom, LED lit wheels centers are two of the best example of how this hot rod shows the Alexander Bros haven’t lost their custom touch.
Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #4 ~ 1932 Ford Coupe
Wicked stance. That and tons of “XS Cash” are what it takes to build a 1932 Ford Coupe to Ridler standards. This sinister stanced 1932 highboy is owned and built by Dave and Joyce Emery of Rochester Hills, MI. I flipped through the build book and found more custom details than imaginable. Try over 300 custom fasteners and covers to make even the spark plugs shine and dazzle! Then, four unique hundred dollar bills were used on the custom gauge faces by Classic Instrument. This deuce is definitely a contender!
If you’ve already selected your favorite, vote now, otherwise…
4 More Great 8 rides are on the next page… Page 2 below the poll…
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Amazing Photo Rocks Hetfield’s Zephyr
February 16, 2012 by pikesan · 5 Comments
James Hetfield’s 1937 Lincoln Zephyr
Speechless.
Hetfield showed two amazing rides at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show. This is one. Unlike the photos I usually take, when I review them, I’m not moved like I was seeing the car first hand. Not, NOT true with this piece from photographer Tim Sutton with finishing by Coby Gewertz (of Church fame). Even more amazing? They were giving these away! Did you get one?
So I asked Coby about the poster and how it was made. (Alert! Learning opportunity here…)
Here’s what Coby told me…
Transforming a Hot Rod Photo:
Rick Dore called and said he needed someone to design a poster for James’ Zephyr in a hurry. I agreed to do it after hours from my day job under the condition that he had decent photography. It needed to be done in 3 days so they would have time to get it printed in time for the GNRS.
He sent me 3 pics Tim Sutton had taken for Rod and Custom and away I went. I retouched all the reflections out of the car, added a new one, changed the sky, the horizon line, added ground and did some type. It was super classy (I thought) to go with the tastefulness of the car. Rick LOVED it….
But… James had a different vision. He wanted it darker, more sinister and with fire coming up from the bottom. It sounded pretty lame, and I didn’t want my name attached to a cheezy poster.
I decided to take one crack at it using James’ suggestions, but doing it with my sensibilities. If they didn’t like it, then perhaps I wasn’t the guy for the job. I emailed them a version, James was a happy camper and I sent it to the printer. I’ve never seen the printed piece.
I’m guessing James was happy because he asked me to do another poster for his 53 buick. They should be available at the Sacramento show this weekend. In the end, I was very happy with the outcome despite my initial hesitation to James’ comments.
Here’s the finished piece again. He nailed it.
Guys, where can we get one of these posters?
More hot rod photography… click here
1951 Chevy Custom’s Only a Minor Threat
January 3, 2012 by Pete Schow · 2 Comments
51 Chevy Custom SoCal Cruiser
Two staples of Southern California are its top notch custom car scene and its abundance of sun-drenched females with golden hair. So what better way to showcase one of SoCal’s most recognizable custom Chevys, Ian Berky’s Minor Threat, than with quintessential SoCal Beauty Tara Studinger.
With several famous early 50′s Chevys produced in SoCal where the culture’s roots spawned, owner/builder Ian Berky has managed to redefine what was possible and raise the bar for any post-war era Chevys that follow. Even more impressive, this was Ian’s first crack at it! Imagine what any future builds may have in store…
The Chevy was a Christmas gift from Ian’s wife, proof that yes, there are still good ones out there to help fill the garage, not complain about whats in it. When she bought the car the roof had already been chopped, but Ian would soon learn the chop was a hack job and the work that lay ahead would have caused most to throw in the towel. Eventually coming to the realization the top just was not replaceable, Ian tracked down a few parts cars in Whittier and bought a complete ’49 Chevy top to replace the mangled iron on his ’51.
With no shortage of metal work on his hands to put a new twist on an old classic, Ian enrolled in a metal working class hosted by none other than custom car legend Gene Winfield. Not only would the knowledge prove vital on molding in the fenders, rounding the edges of the grill opening and fabricating a custom grille, but along the way he established a friendship with one of the culture’s originators. Since this was a radical build plan in the making, Ian made sure all the traditional modifications had been addressed; shaved handles, nosed front, decked rear, and frenched headlights before he would send the car half way across the country for some beauty tips.
Eighteen months went by before the metal and bodywork was complete. Then Ian sent the rolling metal canvas to Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, Kansas. The plum color was mixed and shot by shop owner and Beatnik C.C. member Jeff Myers. If the name sounds familiar it’s because Jeff’s work has adorned some of the most award-winning customs of today. Look closely and you’ll catch a glimpse of the subtle, purple metal flake scallops running the length of the top of the front fenders. Then, you’ll truly recognize Jeff’s talent .
If you can take your eyes off Tara long enough… in the interior you’ll notice white and paint matched tuck and roll across the front bench and custom rear bucket seats. The theme carries across the headliner as well with purple piping trimming the seats and roofline.
Under the hood a SBC dressed with finned valve covers, finned breather and chrome alternator keep the engine as aesthetically pleasing as the shapely exterior. Performance enhancements such as an Edelbrock intake manifold and 4bbl carb dismiss any misconceptions that the 51 may be all show and no go. No shortcuts were taken with this build so why start in the engine bay?
Since Ian’s plans for the Chevy never called for long trips strapped to a trailer, the suspension was upgraded with a Mustang II kit up front and Gambino taildraggers for the rear. A shortened 9 inch Ford rearend offers additional reliability for cruises or road trips and the wide whites (at least what you can see of them) tuck nicely into the front fender wells and are completely hidden out back when the skirts are on and the Chevy’s laid out.
Since building the ’51, Ian’s had no shortage of requests from friends and new customers to apply his touch to their rides. After taking one look at Ian’s Chevy, can you blame them? I was fortunate enough to see Ian’s ‘51 first hand at Texas’ increasingly popular custom show the Lone Star Round Up back and April. It looked right at home next to several already famous customs from various Beatniks C.C. chapters; quite an accomplishment for a customizer that truly honed his skills during the build.
Ian hails from Burbank, a city most famous for its movie studio lots where some of today’s most popular young stars can often be spotted. However, there’s an older one running the streets of Burbank now, 60 years old to be exact, that’s sure to steal the spotlight from any of them without ever saying a word.
Photos by Trent Sherrill
Model Tara Studinger
Hot Rod Photos from Chuck Vranas – He’s Like That
Hot Rod & Custom Car Photography
Jeff Norwell’s perfect hot rod pickup at the Moody Mile in Syracuse
Whether your building your first hot rod or a website about hot rods, it’s best to have a little help. The most generous people you meet help when really, there’s nothing in it for them. They’re just, “Like that”. That’s the case for this featured photographer, Chuck Vranas.
I met Chuck at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA. He was floating around shooting here and there, but didn’t look overly busy and rushed (like me), so I asked who he shoots for. At the time, he was shooting for Source Interlink powerhouse Street Rodder Magazine. Chuck shoots and writes feature car and tech stories for Street Rodder quite a bit, especially lately. Check out the newest issues and you’ll see stories Chuck did. It’s almost like seeing someone you know on TV! (but totally different)
Chuck is the real deal when it comes to hot rods too. Doesn’t it kinda show when a photographer really likes what he’s shooting? Ansel Adams can shoot some landscapes like nobody’s business, but does he see the beauty in a salty lake bed filled with hot rod coupes like this? I guess not my friends…
With the help of his Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop buddies, in 2008, Chuck grabbed his rookie license in a Flathead V-8 powered ’32 Ford roadster to the tune of 117 mph. That might not sound like much, but what a thrill! I’ve bumped into Chuck a couple times on the salt and it’s no wonder some of his favorites photos are also mine from Bonneville Salt Flats.
Chuck’s also a car owner and driver whenever his photography lands him back at home. I saw first hand what Chuck and his wife Kim can do building a hot rod! (OK, it was mostly Kim) I called the story “Lady’s Choice” because most of the key decisions were Kim’s and she got it dead on with her 27 Ford Touring Hot Rod that competed for the AMBR award in 2009.
So look for Chuck at a show near you. If you see him… he’ll most likely be the relaxed, on-pace guy I first met at GNRS. Yea, I found out why… he’d been at the show almost all night. With his hook ups, he can shoot at night, with no people walking around and… AND with none of those ropes and barriers in his pictures. Jealous? YES!! But that’s what hard work and being, “Like that” will get’cha in the end.
Chuck’s got his own book he’s working on along with a the books he’s collaborated on. “Great American Hot Rods: A Full Throttle Chronicle of Custom Cars from the Street, Show and Strip” on KP Books, and the children’s book “Custom Cars (Motor Mania Series),” with Lerner Publishing.
I liked so many of Chuck’s photos, instead of jamming them all into this story, I made an “Event” called Chuck’s Hot Rod Photo Fantabuli. It’s full of some choice shots from around the hot rod and custom world.
Thanks for everything Chuck!
