automotive design
When a build needs to go from “cool idea” to “everyone’s talking about this,” the pros call Pyramid Optimized Design. They’re the team behind some of the most talked-about show cars on the planet — using custom automotive design services to transform raw ideas into fully engineered, show-winning, road-ready components. Pyramid doesn’t just make parts. They bring visions to life, concept to completion.
There’s no question that this ’68 Camaro pushes buttons, limits, and envelopes. This unique creation even pushes our understanding. It’s part nostalgia, part Blade Runner, brought together through a great deal of thought, creativity, and sheer talent.
The 75th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show, presented by Meguiar’s, went full throttle this year, bringing out some of the most insane custom cars the hot rod world has ever seen. Sure, the AMBR award gets all the press, but the real hardcore builders know that the Al Slonaker Memorial Award is where true engineering battles happen. This isn’t just about looking pretty—this is about pushing the limits of fabrication, design, and flat-out mechanical genius.
It occurred rather quickly—in just a decade or so, the Ridler award has risen to the top of the list of awards for hot rods. Sure, it all started more than 60 years ago, but back in the 2000’s, the competition intensified for this coveted award. The Auto Builder was intrigued by the award’s newfound popularity, and we did everything in our power to bring proper recognition to these grand automobiles. We also dedicated ourselves to help popularize “The Great Eight,” which each car must win to qualify for Ridler competition. Being selected in the Great Eight is a feat in its own right, but the road to winning the Ridler is as mysterious as the final award itself.
While Ferrari, Corvette and other historic vehicles may come to mind upon seeing these bodylines, the GDT Speedster stands alone as a prime example of advanced engineering, creativity and, most of all, individuality. Constructed of fiberglass over a steel frame/chassis structure, the fit and finish is as good as it gets, as it shows the real-world functionality of this one-of-a-kind machine.
The Triple Crown of Rodding isn’t just an event—it’s a battleground where the world’s finest muscle cars and custom rods come to claim their place among legends. In 2024, this showcase of horsepower and craftsmanship cemented itself as a must-hit for anyone who eats, sleeps, and breathes the rumble of a V8. If you’re obsessed with torque and tire smoke, this was the event of the year.
Long before the automotive world was familiar with the name Chip Foose, he had already honed his skills working with his father, custom car builder Sam Foose, at Sam’s Goleta, California, shop since he was a mere seven years old. Armed with this hands-on knowledge of the mechanics of hot rods, Chip enrolled at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Every creative endeavor, from fine art to mechanical invention, requires some type of high-wire act—a unique and delicate balance between vision, creativity and capability. When the cogs align, and the elusive look rises to the forefront, there’s no questioning the purity of its origin.
EFIJY… It’s the show car that has taken the world by storm. Everyone from hot rodders to corporate leaders is reveling in the execution of this great design exercise. The only sad part is, this car will not see production, because it was truly an exercise in design, an effort from the car-loving designers who by day create fully functional and very popular Holden automobiles for the Australian motoring public, and who by night lust for the curvaceous lines of times past and tinker away on hot rods in their home garages. Yes, the design team at Holden is laced with true car enthusiasts, and it shows in their daily work. Even more so, it shows in the EFIJY show car they created in a mere eight months.
It’s been said that in a perfect world creativity would flourish without criticism. Most attempts to reach a certain artistic understanding are generally met by some degree of judgment, and sometimes offhanded ridicule. Call it a misunderstanding, envy even, but the bottom line comes down to outrageous personal expression, whether some understand the need for it or not.
