{"id":19394,"date":"2012-03-06T05:55:04","date_gmt":"2012-03-06T12:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/"},"modified":"2013-03-02T22:29:02","modified_gmt":"2013-03-03T05:29:02","slug":"2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/","title":{"rendered":"2012 Ridler Winner &#8211; Family Peace 55 Thunderbird"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2F2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird%2F&amp;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F02%2F2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-2.jpg&amp;description=2012+Ridler+Winner+%E2%80%93+Family+Peace+55+Thunderbird\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" data-text=\"2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird\" data-desc=\"2012 Ridler Winning 1955 Ford Thunderbird The Results are in! The 2012 Detroit Autorama's highest award (and the $10k!) goes to the Peace Family for a 1955 Ford Thunderbird that bested the Great 8 at a show where there could have easily been a \"Great 12 or 15\". The competition was TOUGH! To catch up\" data-image=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-2.jpg\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><h2>2012 Ridler Winning 1955 Ford Thunderbird<\/h2>\n<p><em><strong>The Results are in!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"..\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-2.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"margin: 4px 2px; border: 1px solid black;\" title=\"2012 Great 8 Contender for Ridler Award - 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-2.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Great 8, 2012 Ridler Award, 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" width=\"575\" height=\"382\" border=\"1\" hspace=\"2\" vspace=\"4\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The 2012 Detroit Autorama&#8217;s highest award (and the $10k!) goes to the Peace Family for a 1955 Ford Thunderbird that bested the Great 8 at a show where there could have easily been a &#8220;Great 12 or 15&#8221;. The competition was TOUGH!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>To catch up on photos and info from the show, check these out:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8212; <a title=\"It\u2019s the Great 8 \u2013 Ridler Award Contenders 2012\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-great-8-ridler-award\/\" target=\"_blank\">Toughest field of custom cars I&#8217;ve seen: Rilder&#8217;s Great 8 Contenders<\/a><br \/>\n&#8212; <a title=\"Damn Great, but Not Great 8 \u2013 Detroit Autorama\u2019s Best\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-not-great-8-detroit-autorama\/\" target=\"_blank\">Damn Great, but Not Great 8 \u2013 Detroit Autorama\u2019s Best<\/a><br \/>\n&#8212; <a title=\"Going Down \u2013 Basement Best at 2012 Detroit Autorama\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/basement-best-2012-detroit-autorama\/\" target=\"_blank\">Going Down \u2013 Basement Best at 2012 Detroit Autorama<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The reasons why this subtly beautiful &#8216;bird won the Ridler may not be apparent in pictures. Heck, I saw it myself and while &#8220;blown&#8221; away from the super-sano twin turbo hold&#8217;n engine compartment, gleaming chrome and dead nuts fit, I thought this was top three in the Ridler&#8217;s Great 8. I really didn&#8217;t know who&#8217;d win&#8230; (who ever does &#8216;cept the judges) So rather than guess why the Bird won, I went to the source. The Peace Family and Greening Auto Company.<\/p>\n<p>Now this makes sense&#8230; and I should admit, I missed alot at the show.<\/p>\n<p>I found Matt Peace through the <a title=\"Torq'd Design Lab fan page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/torqd\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Torq&#8217;d Design Lab Facebook page<\/a> to get the inside scoop on the build. You&#8217;ll hear everyone talking about the tech details, but I had to know more&#8230; in Matt&#8217;s words.<br \/>\n(Click on any pic to see it full size)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why this car? Why pick a 1955 T-bird for a build like this?<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Original-1955-Ford-thunderbird.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19404 alignright\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Original 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Original-1955-Ford-thunderbird.jpg\" alt=\"1955 Ford Thunderbird, unrestored 1955 Thunderbird\" width=\"213\" height=\"159\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Original-1955-Ford-thunderbird.jpg 213w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Original-1955-Ford-thunderbird-150x111.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThe reason we picked to street rod a 1955 Thunderbird is because it\u00a0has been in the family for about 20 years.\u00a0 My mom gave my dad, Dwayne Peace, the ultimatum of either selling it or restoring it.\u00a0 My dad put an ad in the paper and after one week of not selling\u00a0he took the ad down.\u00a0 (Matt later revealed that dad Dwayne had way over-priced the car. He didn&#8217;t want to sell it&#8230; Sorry mom!)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Was the original concept for the car a &#8220;Ridler winner&#8221; or did it somehow evolve\/change or get out of control!?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe car was a numbers matching Thunderbird that had an earlier restoration.\u00a0\u00a0My dad told me he wanted to restore it and I told him we were building a one-off show car out of it.\u00a0\u00a0I said &#8220;If you&#8217;ve seen one restored Thunderbird, you have seen them all.&#8221;\u00a0 He chuckled and said &#8220;OK&#8230;&#8221; thinking in the back of his head, &#8220;Yeah right!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who was involved with the build, and what&#8217;d they do?<\/strong><br \/>\nTo start out, my brother, Jonathan Peace and I stripped the car down and had it dipped.\u00a0 It had little to no rust in the shell.\u00a0 We put the body on a frame table and from the get-go my brother and I\u00a0had it in our\u00a0minds that\u00a0we were going to build a Ridler car. We set out on that mission from the start: October 18, 2008.\u00a0 As\u00a0with most projects the car evolved into something more elegant and radical than we could have ever imagined. We built an &#8220;organic flowing&#8221; frame to which a heavily modified Gale Banks Twin Turbo motor, a Bowler 4L80E transmission, and a Ford 9 inch rear end were all mated.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-1.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19005 alignnone\" style=\"margin: 4px 2px; border: 1px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Ford Thunderbird - Gale Banks twin turbo engine\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-1.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Ridler Winner, 1955 Thunderbird\" width=\"575\" height=\"382\" border=\"1\" hspace=\"2\" vspace=\"4\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19406\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"2012 Ridler Winner - Engine Under Construction\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Ridler Winner, gale banks twin turbo, detroit autorama\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine-575x385.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19405\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Gale Banks Twin Turbo for the 55 Thunderbird\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2.jpg\" alt=\"Twin Turbo engine, 2012 Ridler Winner pictures\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-engine2-575x383.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19411\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird custom frame -Ridler Winner\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame.jpg\" alt=\"1955 Thunderbird, 2012 Ridler Winner, Autorama\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-frame-575x383.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19410\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird Custom underside details\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly.jpg\" alt=\"55 Thunderbird, Ridler Award Winner, 2012 Detroit Autorama\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-underbelly-575x386.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jonathan and I built the custom chassis, internal (hidden) roll cage, flooring, and executed hundreds of body modifications. Subtle yet elegant was the theme behind this build. Jonathan re-built the front hood scoop to extend it and make it look natural, changed the wheel well openings, extended the wheel base, basically re-skinned most of the car, tucked the bumpers, built the headers and full exhaust system, and the full interior sheet metal panels and dash. All of the modifications were finished and buttoned up at our shop, Torq&#8217;d Design Lab in Tyler, TX.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan is a third year student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA (Editor&#8217;s Note: Same school as Chip Foose) and he completely designed the car to make it look like a modern representation of what the Thunderbird should look like if it was built today. Johnathan even built a 1:5 scale clay model to experiment with trim and proportions.\u00a0 He wanted to introduce a more European-exotic styling to the car.\u00a0 Every single panel was re-sculpted and re-shaped to\u00a0enhance the overall effect\u00a0and enhance the looks of the Thunderbird, while still retaining the &#8220;Thunderbird look&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-3.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-19005 alignleft\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 1px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird custom interior by Paul Atkins Interiors\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-3.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Detroit Autorama, 2012 Ridler Award, 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" width=\"575\" border=\"1\" hspace=\"2\" vspace=\"4\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19414\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Custom Steering Wheel deisgn drawing\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel.jpg\" alt=\"concept drawing, hot rod drawing, 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" width=\"575\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel.jpg 932w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel-150x78.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-steering-wheel-575x302.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19413\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird custom interior construction\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash.jpg\" alt=\"1955 Ford Thunderbird, 2012 Ridler Winner\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-dash-575x385.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19412\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird custom hood scoop\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop.jpg\" alt=\"Custom bodywork, custom 1955 Ford thunderbird, ridler winner\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-hood-scoop-575x385.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From this point on we enlisted Jesse and Jeff Greening of <a title=\"Hot Rods and Custom cars &amp; parts\" href=\"http:\/\/www.greeningautocompany.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Greening Auto Company<\/a> of Nashville, TN to bodywork the smooth metal, fit and gap the panels perfectly,\u00a0machine custom one-off trim and parts, paint the car, custom build the wheels and steering wheel, and do the wiring.\u00a0 The interior was designed by Jonathan Peace at Torq&#8217;d Design Lab and was stitched and wrapped by Paul Atkins of Cullman, AL.\u00a0 All of the chrome plating was done\u00a0by Steve Tracy of Advanced Plating in Nashville, TN.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19402\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"2012 Ridler Award Winner - The Peace's 1955 Ford Thunderbird\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Ridler Winner, 1955 Ford Thunderbird, 2012 detroit autorama\" width=\"575\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-Detroit-Autorama-Ridler-1955-Thunderbird-4-575x381.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19417\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Re-made or re-done trim pieces\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces.jpg\" alt=\"Custom 1955 thunderbird, ford thunderbird trim, ridler winner\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-rear-trim-pieces-575x382.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19416\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird - custom made and fit windshield trim\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim.jpg\" alt=\"custom ford thunderbird, ridler award, 2012 detroit autorama\" width=\"278\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-custom-trim-575x382.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n(I gotta jump in here. Who would have guess all this was either custom made -windshield frame- or re-done and re-fit for total perfection? You can&#8217;t pick that stuff up just walking by.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>What was the most challenging part of the build?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe most challenging part of the build\u00a0was\u00a0most likely\u00a0the construction of the chassis,\u00a0sheeting the underside of the car and wheel wells, and\u00a0certainly the engine bay.\u00a0It\u00a0is also very difficult to keep the overall look of the Thunderbird with that many modifications, but we feel that it was done very well and tastefully.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19418\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1955 Thunderbird -custom underside - all hand built\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside.jpg\" alt=\"1955 Thunderbird, custom thunderbird, 2012 Ridler Winner\" width=\"575\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside.jpg 963w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/1955-Thunderbird-Ridler-winner-Underside-575x382.jpg 575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>What was it like weeks or days before the Autorama? Did you have anyone really step up?<br \/>\n<\/strong>As with any Ridler contender the final\u00a0few months\u00a0are\u00a0a &#8220;complete\u00a0give it your all&#8221; to make the deadline.\u00a0 Everyone\u00a0from every shop mentioned played a huge part in getting the car to where it needed to be to go to Detroit and compete.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-wheel-caliper-closeup-cool2.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[19394]\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19419\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Custom wheel, custom caliper close-up\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/custom-wheel-caliper-closeup-cool2.jpg\" alt=\"2012 Ridler winner\" width=\"575\" border=\"2\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nLove this photo! &#8211; Thanks to the Peace Family and <a title=\"Hot Rods and Custom cars &amp; parts\" href=\"http:\/\/www.greeningautocompany.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Greening Auto Company<\/a> for the detail pictures.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said, I get it now. The car&#8217;s a work of art and no doubt deserving of the Ridler Award. Not to take anything away from the other cars, but in learning more about this one, it truly exemplifies the, &#8220;Creativity, Engineering and Workmanship&#8221; of a Ridler car.<\/p>\n<p>Matt told me&#8230;\u00a0 &#8220;Now, my mom is very excited about the fact that the car won and she actually wants my dad to take her out on a date night in it! haha Jonathan and I quickly replied &#8220;NO!!&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0My dad&#8217;s whole intention, unbenounced to my mom, was to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span> sell the car.&#8221; Smarts and talent run deep in the Peace family!<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;m know you like the car in a comment below.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2F2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird%2F&amp;media=&amp;description=2012+Ridler+Winner+%E2%80%93+Family+Peace+55+Thunderbird\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/2012-ridler-winner-1955-thunderbird\/\" data-text=\"2012 Ridler Winner \u2013 Family Peace 55 Thunderbird\" data-desc=\"2012 Ridler Winning 1955 Ford Thunderbird The Results are in! The 2012 Detroit Autorama's highest award (and the $10k!) goes to the Peace Family for a 1955 Ford Thunderbird that bested the Great 8 at a show where there could have easily been a \"Great 12 or 15\". The competition was TOUGH! To catch up\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p>Email 2012 Ridler Winning 1955 Ford Thunderbird The Results are in! The 2012 Detroit Autorama&#8217;s highest award (and the $10k!) goes to the Peace Family for a 1955 Ford Thunderbird that bested the Great 8 at a show where there could have easily been a &#8220;Great 12 or 15&#8221;. The competition was TOUGH! To catch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[384,378],"tags":[1808,2520,2524,2566,2513,1246],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19394"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19394"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19427,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19394\/revisions\/19427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}