JASON MULLIGAN May 26, 2022 All Feature Vehicles
started out as a memorial award to honor Don Ridler (who passed away in 1963) has turned into one of the most sought after and difficult awards to achieve.
Don Ridler was a highly competitive athlete and promoter who helped grow the Detroit Autorama. He always had an eye for creativity, especially when it came to car shows. Because of this, the award that bears his name honors builders who demonstrate a unique creativity in their builds. Initially the award was handed out to the best vehicle of the show, but it has since evolved to award forward thinking, engineering, creativity and workmanship. The rules stipulate that the vehicle must be shown in public for the first time at the Detroit Autorama to be eligible; prior to that only individual components in process can be displayed. Of course, the vehicle must be fully functional and start, stop and turn under its own power.
Before the Ridler Award is announced, the top eight contenders, or Pirelli Great 8, are announced during the Ridler’s Ball on Friday evening. These finalists showcase the highest levels of quality and innovation and being selected for the Great 8 is an honor in and of itself.
At the 2014 Detroit Autorama, if one had to pinpoint an overall theme or style of the Great 8 selection, it was equal parts variety and innovation. While the award has traditionally been handed down to some of the most innovative builds featuring scratch-built, one-off components, the application of these tricks to muscle cars and classics, as well as hot rods, is what stood out in particular this year.
The winner of the 2014 Ridler Award is the 1964 Buick Riviera built by JF Kustoms. The shop has had several Great 8 contender builds throughout the years and took home the top prize with a custom Riviera that hit all of the points that the Ridler judges seek. The boat tail rear of the car was grafted from a 1971 Riviera and features an intricate custom turbo setup. Custom-machined pieces throughout highlight the build team’s innovation and engineering skills.
Naturally the Great 8 and Ridler Award are only a portion of the Detroit Autorama, which is held at the Cobo Center in the heart of downtown Motor City, Detroit. The basement of the center features the traditional hot rods and customs as well as pinup models and memorabilia. Here’s a sampling of the hottest rods, muscle cars, kustoms and trucks from the show.
Grand National Roadster Show, the Granddaddy of Them All
It all started when Al and Mary Slonaker promoted the Oakland Roadster Show in 1949 at the Oakland Exhibit Hall in Oakland, California. The following year, Bill Neikamp’s 1929 Ford roadster was awarded the first America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award at the Oakland Roadster Show. The original 8 ½-foot tall AMBR trophy was constructed by the Granat Brothers from San Francisco in 1950. Later, another 6-inch nameplate tier was added, making the massive trophy 9 feet tall.
The show’s name has since been changed to the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS), and this year marked its 65th iteration. The event took place at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, California, its home since promoter John Buck moved it there in 2004. Twelve AMBR contestants were judged; all must be pre-1937 roadsters and the GNRS must be its first public show appearance.
Unfortunately, just before the show, while one of the contestants was driving his roadster towards the judges’ viewing platform, the throttle stuck and the car struck GNRS judging chairman Vic Cunnyngham. Luckily, he was not seriously injured and the show went on as planned.
This year’s GNRS extravaganza filled each of the buildings to capacity. Building 4 showcased the 2014 AMBR contestants, assorted hot rods, street rods, customs and muscle cars, along with major aftermarket vendors. Other buildings were packed with incredibly cool custom cars and trucks. Building 9 was dedicated to the Century of Speed where more than 60 vehicles that participated in land speed events on the dry lakes and Bonneville throughout the past 100 years were displayed. Building 3 housed a blast from drag racing’s past with gassers, dragsters and doorslammers that raced at SoCal drag strips during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Building 10, known as the Suede Palace, had a great collection of vintage hot rods, rat rods, customs and lead sleds. There was live music, and lifestyle vendors selling artwork and memorabilia lined the aisles. Hundreds of enthusiasts also participated in the drive-in segment on Saturday where gearheads drove in and displayed their custom rides outside between the exhibit buildings. The GNRS winds down on Sunday evening with an awards banquet and AMBR trophy presentation.
The 2014 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Winner was a 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton Black Bow Tie owned by Wes Rydell. The Phaeton masterpiece was designed by Chip Foose and built by Rad Rides by Troy with help from several companies including AM Hot Rod Glass, Curtis Speed Shop and others.
The 2014 GNRS Custom Car Builder of the Year was Steve Cook of Steve Cook Creations from Oklahoma City. Steve has built incredible hot rods throughout the years, including the 2011 Ridler winner, the ’56 Ford Suncammer, owned by Bruce Ricks; Theron Cook’s ’69 Camaro and Gil Losi’s ’61 Impala Under Pressure.
one of the AMBR contestants was a ’31 Ford roadster pickup from Roseville, Michigan. The owner, Paul Tregembo, a shop teacher at Roseville High School, headed up the ’31 Ford pickup project that was a combined effort with 10 high schools in the district, shop teachers, students, parents and professionals. The pickup was discovered in a barn in Ohio and was completed in just four months before its unveiling at the GNRS.
One hundred forty students worked on the pickup, along with parents, teachers and other volunteers. The GNRS wasn’t the first event for the ’31 Ford pickup. It was shown earlier at the Detroit Autorama, ISCA Nationals in Houston, Milwaukee and Indianapolis.
The program, called DRIVE-ONE, began in 1973 and they’ve been restoring and showing cars at events for more than 50 years. Mark O’Brien, who owns a local Ford dealership, was a main sponsor of the project. Many parents, teachers, volunteers and members of the local Methodist church also donated their time. The instructors, parents and volunteers who made the trip include: Paul Tregembo Sr., Paul Tregembo Jr., Kevin Parrinello, Mike Marsiglio and Dale Strubank. Mike is an electrician and welder. Kevin and Paul Jr. and Sr. are shop instructors. Dale is the machinist for the group projects. The students who participated are: Angeline Kurtti, Kyle Malone, Dan Fraser, Chelsea Daniels, Ryan Vincent, John Solgot, Brian Salenik, Justin Salenik, Dillon Capshaw, Bryan Noce, Jacob Collins, Joe Tregembo, Darien Blaszkowski, Shelby Gilliam and Brandon Tregembo, who was responsible for all of the painting and pinstriping.
Once they graduate the students who participate in the DRIVE-ONE program can find jobs through a network of employers who support the program or who once were students themselves and are now self-employed in automotive-related businesses.
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