COLOSSAL COLUMBUS
July 11, 2007
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
The Crown Jewels: Meet the Top 6 Winners of the 2025 Triple Crown of Rodding
When it comes to prestige in the custom car and truck world, nothing shines brighter than the Triple Crown of Rodding. With over 50 state-of-the-art billet-machined aluminum and show-chrome-plated trophies on the line, the competition is fierce. But at the top of the heap are six elite titles—the ones every builder dreams about, the ones that truly define “best of the best.”
One Good Turn
The automotive world became a different place when Chevrolet introduced the new ’55. Prior to that time there were many Chevy buyers, but after the ’55s were released there were newborn Chevy enthusiasts. The new Chevys were not only great-looking, but they were also powered with what would become one the finest V-8 engines available anywhere. There was an instant attraction to the ’55, and the interest continued to grow once the ’56 and ’57 were introduced. Fortunately, all three model years became extremely popular, so Chevy enthusiasts took care of them, and many nice examples remain today.
Grumpy’s Toy
Jim Batson from Deltona, Florida, is a retired Navy man and a veteran’s employment representative for the state of Florida. New to the truck scene at age 57, this is his first custom, and he did most of the work himself, learning as he went. Inspiration for the project came after seeing a friend’s custom truck. He liked the looks and, since friends told him that trucks were easier for the first-time builder, he jumped in with both feet, deciding it would make the perfect retirement project. The undertaking began in April 1999 and wasn’t completed until March 2005. Looking back, Jim confesses to having some second thoughts about that ease-of-construction notion, and he tells us that somehow along the way he picked up the nickname Grumpy!
Spotlighter
Detroit Riddles
A Look Back at The 2006 Detroit Autorama
Author
Josh Mishler
Words & Photography
The Ridler Award for 2006 went to Kevin and Karen Alstott of Fort Dodge, Iowa, with their one-off ’35 Ford roadster. Roger Burman of Lakeside Rods and Rides in Rockwell City, Iowa, built this one-of-a-kind ’35 based off an original ’35 roadster. The body is steel and Marcels Custom Metal handcrafted it from scratch. All aspects of the ’35 came together to create one beautiful roadster.
Why We Build Top-End Hot Rods… for Awards and Attention
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 award at a show every once in awhile. Many hot rodders and builders create their cars to win major awards, which gives your custom creation or your shop “pedigree,” in much the same way the right wins give a racehorse pedigree.
The Dominance of Pre-’49 Cars in Major Hot Rod Awards
For years now, many of the major awards out there have been directed at and dominated by pre-’49 hot rods. America’s Most Beautiful Roadster has always been an award presented to a ’37-and-older car, which is understandable since ’37 was the last year that Ford built a roadster. There are many other awards for pre-’49 hot rods, including Street Rod of the Year, America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod and the Ridler Award. Of those, the Ridler Award is the only one that any year of car can win, making it one of the few awards that a late-model car can win to gain a little pedigree. Today the Ridler Award is considered the definitive win, and only the finest cars in the country will have a chance at this coveted prize.
The Ridler Award and Late-Model Cars at Detroit Autorama
However, the Michigan Hot Rod Association has been presenting the Don Ridler Memorial Award for 42 years at the Detroit Autorama, and of the 42 winners, only 10 have gone to cars built after 1948. The whole show world has been a street-rod-dominated production for a long time, and only in the last 10-15 years have there been late-model cars built to the level of a street rod. In fact, the last time a car built after 1948 won the Ridler Award was 2001, when Chris Williams’ M-80 Chevy coupe won, but it was only a ’49. So when will a ’50s car win the Ridler Award? For that matter, when will a ’60s car win?
The Future of Late-Model Cars Competing for the Ridler Award
The 54th annual Detroit Autorama was held this past March (2006), and the field of cars was just amazing. This year the quality was as high as ever, and those competing for the Ridler Award were more evenly matched than in the past. It was said that approximately 32 cars registered at the Detroit Autorama to compete for the Ridler Award. Surprisingly, a large number of the cars at the show were built after 1948. Even though the quality of late-model cars is getting better, only two of the eight finalists qualified to compete for the Ridler Award were late-models. Nevertheless, that is still one more than last year, and with a little luck, in the next couple of years we may see more than half the finalists be late-model cars. So who will be the next, great late-model champion? Only time will tell.
The Rest of the Great 8
Known as the SR61, Pro-Rides designed and built this ’61 Ford Starliner that has custom one-of-a-kind pieces from front to rear. Sitting on a custom Art Morrison tube chassis, the SR61 gets up and goes thanks to a 600ci all-aluminum big-block Ford motor.
The closest anyone has come to creating a hot rod that truly looks like a Muscle Machines diecast car is this ’33 Ford coupe called the Defibrillator. Tom and Ellen Hentschell own the uniquely disproportioned coupe that has an NOS system which purges a 5-foot spray out of the skull’s nose on top of the motor.
Don Hardin and Cindy Frey own this Steve Stanford-designed ’51 Plymouth Suburban wagon that is powered by a Ray Barton super-stock 426 Hemi. Santini Paint did the flawless paintwork, and if you think the side trim is real, guess again—it is actually airbrushed on.
Have you ever wondered what was the first car to win the Ridler Award? Well, look no further than Al Bergler’s ’64 dragster that was sponsored by Gratiot Auto Supply and was the ’66 NHRA world champion runnerup. The ’64 dragster is powered by 480ci Chrysler Hemi engine and is still owned by Bergler himself.
Performance Restorations in Mundelein, Illinois, built this wild ’66 pro touring Corvette for Brent Jarvis. The slick ’66 has a 555ci, 800-horsepower Donovan motor with a Richmond six-speed behind it, which is just one of many things that helps propel this ’66 to a top speed of 200 mph.
Here comes the judge! Motor City Steel did this beautiful resto mod on a ’69 Pontiac GTO Judge for Roger Poirier, who has owned the car for more than 30 years. Done in a pro touring style, Poirier’s GTO is equipped with modern suspension, along with the best steering and braking available.
Designed by Pfaff Designs, Poison Dart is an aluminum 528 Chrysler Hemi-powered ’68 Dodge Dart that has more than 100 custom modifications, including trim removal and a custom carbon fiber grille. Imagine Motorsports was in charge of the build and did an excellent job of making Pfaff’s design come to life.
You had to really study Kevin Anderson’s ’63 Buick Riviera to truly realize all that had been done to it. Built by Cruisin’ Customs in Holland, Michigan, Anderson’s ’63 Riviera has been chopped 2-1/2 inches and has a reworked rear with filled taillights and a ’65 bumper.
Everyone noticed Denny Miller’s slick red ’69 Camaro SS convertible, which features a ZL1 aluminum 427 Chevy motor with 600 horsepower and a Hilborn fuel injection that has been converted to EFI. After all, it’s hard to pass up a Camaro convertible with big Budnik wheels and a low stance.
Known as the SR61, Pro-Rides designed and built this ’61 Ford Starliner that has custom one-of-a-kind pieces from front to rear. Sitting on a custom Art Morrison tube chassis, the SR61 gets up and goes thanks to a 600ci all-aluminum big-block Ford motor.
Everyone noticed Denny Miller’s slick red ’69 Camaro SS convertible, which features a ZL1 aluminum 427 Chevy motor with 600 horsepower and a Hilborn fuel injection that has been converted to EFI. After all, it’s hard to pass up a Camaro convertible with big Budnik wheels and a low stance.
Don Hardin and Cindy Frey own this Steve Stanford-designed ’51 Plymouth Suburban wagon that is powered by a Ray Barton super-stock 426 Hemi. Santini Paint did the flawless paintwork, and if you think the side trim is real, guess again—it is actually airbrushed on.
Here comes the judge! Motor City Steel did this beautiful resto mod on a ’69 Pontiac GTO Judge for Roger Poirier, who has owned the car for more than 30 years. Done in a pro touring style, Poirier’s GTO is equipped with modern suspension, along with the best steering and braking available.
Performance Restorations in Mundelein, Illinois, built this wild ’66 pro touring Corvette for Brent Jarvis. The slick ’66 has a 555ci, 800-horsepower Donovan motor with a Richmond six-speed behind it, which is just one of many things that helps propel this ’66 to a top speed of 200 mph.
Have you ever wondered what was the first car to win the Ridler Award? Well, look no further than Al Bergler’s ’64 dragster that was sponsored by Gratiot Auto Supply and was the ’66 NHRA world champion runnerup. The ’64 dragster is powered by 480ci Chrysler Hemi engine and is still owned by Bergler himself.
You had to really study Kevin Anderson’s ’63 Buick Riviera to truly realize all that had been done to it. Built by Cruisin’ Customs in Holland, Michigan, Anderson’s ’63 Riviera has been chopped 2-1/2 inches and has a reworked rear with filled taillights and a ’65 bumper.
Designed by Pfaff Designs, Poison Dart is an aluminum 528 Chrysler Hemi-powered ’68 Dodge Dart that has more than 100 custom modifications, including trim removal and a custom carbon fiber grille. Imagine Motorsports was in charge of the build and did an excellent job of making Pfaff’s design come to life.
The closest anyone has come to creating a hot rod that truly looks like a Muscle Machines diecast car is this ’33 Ford coupe called the Defibrillator. Tom and Ellen Hentschell own the uniquely disproportioned coupe that has an NOS system which purges a 5-foot spray out of the skull’s nose on top of the motor.
BONUS: Never Published Detroit Autorama 2006 Photos from The Archives
Nothing says genuine classic more than a ’57 Chevy Bel Air convertible. This yellow and flamed ’57 owned by Steve Milic has had the body smoothed and shaved, bumpers filled and narrowed and has hand-fabricated, flame-rolled inner fenders and rollpan. A 405hp LS6 motor gets this cool convertible cruiser moving down the road.
Early ’70s Chevelles have always been popular but have gained popularity and value over the last couple of years. This smooth ’70 Chevelle convertible belongs to Gary McCowan and shows that all the classic lines needed was a low stance and a set of Boyd wheels to enhance the cool factor.
Subtle yet attention grabbing was this ’67 Chevy Nova droptop that was just one of many cars owned by Jon Hall at the Autorama this year. Everyone would agree that the butter yellow paint and big Americans, along with the tan top and interior, created one dynamite look.
Greg Zahodne owns this’69 Camaro drag car that just says hardcore racing. Zahodne’s ’69 is painted to look like a rare Yenko and is engineered to the extreme with a chromoly tube chassis, carbon fiber wheel tubs and a 540cid to launch the yellow screamer down the track.
All you needed to do was look around to realize that this was the year of the tri-five Chevy. CCR Technologies built this super-clean ‘55 Bel Air for Valerie Curotte, which had a 502 backed by a 700R4 under the hood. The House of Kolor candy and pearl paint was just one of many items that made this ’55 a true standout.
Originally debuting at the Buffalo, New York, auto show in February 1966, this ‘66 Plymouth Barracuda was built by famed Detroit car builders the Alexander brothers under contract from Chrysler. Mike Alexander found the car in 2001 and, as you can see, it has been restored to its original condition.
One of the best-looking ’68 Chevelles around belongs to Mike and Toni Bayham of Dallas, Texas. The Bayhams’ ’68 is highly detailed inside and out and has a 396 for power, Air Ride suspension and large-diameter billet wheels that all come together for one great look.
Factory-built racecars are always attention-getters, and how could anyone walk by this ’65 Dodge Hemi Cornett? In 1965, Dodge built six factory altered-wheel-base cars that had the front wheels moved forward 10 inches, and this particular ’65 was built for “The Dodge Boys” team and was the only four-speed version. Steve Atwell found the ’65 and restored it to original race condition.
Here the head Buckaroo himself, John Dianna, presents Lew Winters with the Super Rod award for his wicked orange ’55 Chevy post. Built by Janow’s Custom Rods, Winters’ ’55 has a 548 Merlin motor backed by a Turbo 400 and a really nice interior stitched up by Hot Rod Interiors by Chuck.
This ’55 Chevy belonging to Brian Bakers is one car that you would not want to come up against at a stoplight.
You see, Bakers’ ’55 is Hemi powered—no, not Chrysler Hemi powered; Chevy Hemi powered. The vintage platinum Chevy has a 468-cubic-inch Chevy motor with Arias Hemi cylinder heads.
This rare ’55 Chrysler 300 may look like a stock car, but closer inspection will reveal larger-diameter wire wheels and, instead of the stock 331ci Hemi, it has a new injected 528ci Hemi under the hood. Alan Kalter owns the cool Chrysler that was built by Hot Rod and Custom Stuff in Escondido, California.
A definite super rod is the best way to describe this gorgeous silver ’55 Chevy droptop. Designed and built by Richard Ruiter, his ’55 sits on a custom round-tube chassis with C5 Corvette suspension front and rear to handle all the horsepower from the 32-valve LT5 Corvette motor.
Dan Wickett at Hot Rod Construction in Piedmont, South Carolina, has built many wild rides, and this ’67 Chevelle for Brad Jenkins is the latest to roll out of his shop. You can bet that Jenkins’ Chevelle will get up and scoot since it does have an LT5 with twin turbochargers under the hood.
Sniks Rod and Custom in Manly, Iowa, did the paint-, body- and chassiswork on this stunning ’57 Chevy Bel Air for Daniel Swisher III. Swisher’s ’57 has an amazing plated and polished fuel injection unit that sets atop the 283 Chevy motor backed by a four-speed tranny, which sends mega power to the Jaguar rearend.
Steve Stanford and the Penfound Design teamed up to create one unique looking ’63 Chevy Impala. Built for Jack Matia, the ’63 Sportsroof has the roof from a ’60 Plymouth grafted onto the original Impala body. Everyone will agree that the Sportsroof looks as though it could have rolled off the assembly line in ’63.
Randy and Vern Pettit finished this blown Hemi-powered ’66 Plymouth Satellite started by their brother Paul, who unfortunately passed away before he could finish the car. Their bad-to-the-bone Satellite was Paul’s labor of love, and it was their goal to finish it and have at the show this year to honor him.
You don’t see very many Mercury Comets, especially ones that are as tough as this ’64 owned by Dominic Palazzolo. A fuel-injected 347 is hiding under the hood, which explains why there are big disc brakes on all four corners, and topping off this cool look is a nice set of 18-inch rims.
It is nice to see someone build a Ford Falcon every now and then. This ’64 Falcon Futura, owned by Dave and Patti Boghosian, has multiple body mods, four-wheel Wilwood disc brakes, Air Ride suspension and a 375-horsepower Holbrook 302, making this one bad Ford.
At one time no one wanted to own a station wagon, but for the last 10 years they have skyrocketed in popularity. Just looking at Al Engel’s ’61 Chrysler Newport hardtop wagon, it’s easy to see why they are so cool. Engel’s slick black ’61 is powered by a 392 Hemi with two-fours, and it is one cool, finned cruiser.
Dave Reinhold owns this ’29 Model A roadster pickup that has had a lot of metal reshaped to create this one-of-a-kind look. Most noticeable is the unique, hand-formed steel removable top. A highly polished and detailed 4.6-liter Ford motor provides a large amount of get up and go for the little pickup.
This ’54 Chevy post rides on a chassis equipped with C5 Corvette suspension and Air Ride. Bill and Sandy Baron are the proud owners of the LS1-powered ’54, which was built by O’Connell Specialties Inc., the builder of the ’04 Ridler winner.
