The Detroit Autorama, a dazzling showcase of automotive excellence, made its grand debut in 1953. Since its inception, the event has earned a reputation for attracting the most innovative and finely crafted custom vehicles from across the nation. The crowning jewel of the Autorama is the prestigious Don Ridler Memorial Award, named in honor of Don Ridler, a key figure in the show’s early history. This award is the ultimate accolade for custom car builders, celebrating the highest standards of creativity, engineering, and design. Winning the Ridler Award is a testament to unparalleled craftsmanship and imaginative vision, marking the recipient as a true master in the world of custom automobiles. The Detroit Autorama continues to be a beacon of prestige and a platform for showcasing the best of the best in automotive artistry.
Every winter the custom car world makes a pilgrimage to the Motor City for one of the most legendary indoor shows on the planet: the Detroit Autorama. Held inside the massive Huntington Place, the 2026 edition once again packed the halls with hundreds of wild customs, Ridler contenders, hot rods, and trucks that refuse to
For more than 70 years, Detroit Autorama has been the proving ground where the world’s most ambitious custom cars, hot rods, and coachbuilt masterpieces step into the spotlight. What started back in 1953 as a humble fundraiser to build a drag strip has grown into a full-blown celebration of automotive craftsmanship, creativity, and hot rod
It was once said, “To aspire to perfection is the goal of all who create, as anything less confines us to conformity,” and never has this been more apparent than in the numerous rodding creations being shaped today. Never before has so much time, effort and expense been lavished on vehicles that were once pushed
Why is it we build top-end hot rods? We all have many different reasons, but the underlying one will always be to get a little attention. Even though it may not be your sole intent, there is a part of you that wants people to tell you “nice car” or, better yet, to win an
Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality of the cars that show
We’ve been road-tripping all year long through the Fab’d Four of Auto Shows, chasing the best builds, the wildest debuts, and the kind of iron that makes you stop mid-sentence just to stare. Three shows in, we’ve already seen cars that melted minds and trucks that had crowds three-deep around them.
A Celebration of Automotive Passion Author Walking into the Madness Step through the doors, and bam—you’re hit with row after row of mind-blowing builds. Right off the bat, Barbie’s pink Cadillac Convertible was stealing the show, proving that even a toy-inspired cruiser can have serious presence. Then there was the Mega Morph Giant Transforming Robot
If you weren’t at the 2025 Detroit Autorama, you missed out on a pure, unfiltered dose of horsepower, chrome, and custom car insanity. From February 28 to March 2, Huntington Place (yeah, the old Cobo Hall) became ground zero for everything loud, fast, and meticulously built. And smack in the middle of it all? The
The Detroit Autorama—America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show—once again delivered the goods, and this year, the Detroit Foxbody Car Club rolled in strong. If you were there, you know. If you weren’t, well, you missed one hell of a display from a crew that knows how to build, drive, and talk Fox Bodies like nobody else.
We were back in the Motor City for the 72nd Detroit Autorama, held from February 28 to March 2, 2025, at Huntington Place. Over 800 custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles filled the halls, showcasing everything from high-dollar, jaw-dropping builds to gritty, backyard-bred machines. But the biggest prize? The Don Ridler Memorial Award, aka the Ridler,
Every winter the custom car world makes a pilgrimage to the Motor City for one of the most legendary indoor shows on the planet: the Detroit Autorama. Held inside the massive Huntington Place, the 2026 edition once again packed the halls with hundreds of wild customs, Ridler contenders, hot rods, and trucks that refuse to
For more than 70 years, Detroit Autorama has been the proving ground where the world’s most ambitious custom cars, hot rods, and coachbuilt masterpieces step into the spotlight. What started back in 1953 as a humble fundraiser to build a drag strip has grown into a full-blown celebration of automotive craftsmanship, creativity, and hot rod
It was once said, “To aspire to perfection is the goal of all who create, as anything less confines us to conformity,” and never has this been more apparent than in the numerous rodding creations being shaped today. Never before has so much time, effort and expense been lavished on vehicles that were once pushed
Why is it we build top-end hot rods? We all have many different reasons, but the underlying one will always be to get a little attention. Even though it may not be your sole intent, there is a part of you that wants people to tell you “nice car” or, better yet, to win an
Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality of the cars that show
We’ve been road-tripping all year long through the Fab’d Four of Auto Shows, chasing the best builds, the wildest debuts, and the kind of iron that makes you stop mid-sentence just to stare. Three shows in, we’ve already seen cars that melted minds and trucks that had crowds three-deep around them.
A Celebration of Automotive Passion Author Walking into the Madness Step through the doors, and bam—you’re hit with row after row of mind-blowing builds. Right off the bat, Barbie’s pink Cadillac Convertible was stealing the show, proving that even a toy-inspired cruiser can have serious presence. Then there was the Mega Morph Giant Transforming Robot
If you weren’t at the 2025 Detroit Autorama, you missed out on a pure, unfiltered dose of horsepower, chrome, and custom car insanity. From February 28 to March 2, Huntington Place (yeah, the old Cobo Hall) became ground zero for everything loud, fast, and meticulously built. And smack in the middle of it all? The
The Detroit Autorama—America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show—once again delivered the goods, and this year, the Detroit Foxbody Car Club rolled in strong. If you were there, you know. If you weren’t, well, you missed one hell of a display from a crew that knows how to build, drive, and talk Fox Bodies like nobody else.
We were back in the Motor City for the 72nd Detroit Autorama, held from February 28 to March 2, 2025, at Huntington Place. Over 800 custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles filled the halls, showcasing everything from high-dollar, jaw-dropping builds to gritty, backyard-bred machines. But the biggest prize? The Don Ridler Memorial Award, aka the Ridler,
