Autorama
Encyclopedia
The Detroit Autorama is a large showcase of custom-built cars held each year at Cobo Hall
in Detroit, Michigan
. It is put on by the Michigan Hot Rod Association
and is held every year in March. As of 2006, the show has been in existence for 54 years.
show that would raise enough funds to build a dragstrip
for the MHRA. The first Autorama was held at the University of Detroit Field House in January 1953. Around 1,500 people attended the inaugural event.
In 1954, the MHRA decided it needed a larger space to hold the show in, so they chose to hold the show at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. In 1955, the show moved again to the Detroit Artillery Armory, before moving back to the Fairgrounds in 1956. The first Autorama to be held at Cobo Hall
was in 1961.
and The Big Bopper
helped gain attendance at the show. Ridler died an untimely death in 1963. The Ridler Award was established in 1964 in his honor.
and creations from Ed Roth
and George Barris
, but also bands, television personalities, and Playboy Playmates.
Some of the bands to play Autorama include Bobby Rydell
, Bo Diddley
, Brownsville Station
, Mitch Ryder
, The Turtles
, Chubby Checker
, The Big Bopper
, Alice Cooper
, and The Amboy Dukes
with Ted Nugent
.
Some of the featured celebrities to appear at Autorama are Mark Hamill
, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Leonard Nimoy
, Robo Cop, Mario Lopez
, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
, Adam West
and Burt Ward
, John Stamos
, William Shatner
, Mini Me, radio and television personalities Wolfman Jack
and Count Scary
, wrestlers Lou Albano
, King Kong Bundy
, Sgt. Slaughter
, Tito Santana
and Sable
. Racing personalities like Bobby Allison
, Richard Petty
, Don Garlits
, John Force
, Danica Patrick
and Tony Pedregon
have also appeared at Autorama. Members of the Detroit Tigers
and Detroit Red Wings
have also appeared at the show.
Featured cars include most forms of the Batmobile
, the Monkeemobile
, Greased Lightning
, General Lee
, the Red Baron, ZZ Top
's Eliminator, the A-Team van, the Munster Koach
, the Hot Wheels
Twin Mill, and more recently, Lightning McQueen
and Mater
from the movie Cars.
Cobo Hall
Gavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present complex contains of exhibition...
in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is put on by the Michigan Hot Rod Association
Michigan Hot Rod Association
The Michigan Hot Rod Association is an association of 7 smaller clubs in Michigan. The association puts on the Autorama car show held every year in March at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan...
and is held every year in March. As of 2006, the show has been in existence for 54 years.
History
The Detroit Autorama started off as a hot rodHot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
show that would raise enough funds to build a dragstrip
Dragstrip
A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile tracks...
for the MHRA. The first Autorama was held at the University of Detroit Field House in January 1953. Around 1,500 people attended the inaugural event.
In 1954, the MHRA decided it needed a larger space to hold the show in, so they chose to hold the show at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. In 1955, the show moved again to the Detroit Artillery Armory, before moving back to the Fairgrounds in 1956. The first Autorama to be held at Cobo Hall
Cobo Hall
Gavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present complex contains of exhibition...
was in 1961.
Don Ridler
In 1957, the MHRA hired Don Ridler as promotions agent and publicist for the show. Ridler booked bands that were popular at the time to play at Autorama. Popular acts like Duane EddyDuane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
and The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
helped gain attendance at the show. Ridler died an untimely death in 1963. The Ridler Award was established in 1964 in his honor.
The 70s, 80s and 90s
Autorama continued to expand throughout the late 60s and early 70s. In the 70s, Autorama was the highest paying car show in the country, with $500 and the trophy going to the Ridler winners. Autorama was the place to be in the 70s featuring not only the feature cars such as the MonkeemobileMonkeemobile
The Monkeemobile is a modified Pontiac GTO that was designed and built by designer Dean Jeffries for The Monkees, a pop-rock band and television program...
and creations from Ed Roth
Ed Roth
"Big Daddy" Ed Roth was an artist, cartoonist, custom car painter, and pinstriper who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other extreme characters. As a custom car builder, Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 50's and 1960's...
and George Barris
George Barris (auto customizer)
George Barris is a designer of custom cars.-Early history:George and his brother Sam were born in Chicago in the 1920s. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Roseville, California as children to live with relatives. Both were good students, interested in drama, music, and design...
, but also bands, television personalities, and Playboy Playmates.
Some of the bands to play Autorama include Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a so-called "teen idol"...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Brownsville Station
Brownsville Station (band)
Brownsville Station was a rock band from Michigan that was popular in the 1970s. Original members included Cub Koda , Mike Lutz , T.J. Cronley , and Tony Driggins...
, Mitch Ryder
Mitch Ryder
William S. Levise, Jr , better known by his stage name Mitch Ryder, is an American musician who has recorded over two dozen albums in more than four decades.-Career:...
, The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
, Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
, The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, and The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were an American rock music band of the late 1960s and early 1970s from Detroit, Michigan, best remembered for their hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and for launching the career of Ted Nugent...
with Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
.
Some of the featured celebrities to appear at Autorama are Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, Robo Cop, Mario Lopez
Mario López
Mario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr. is an American actor and model. Born in Italy and raised in the U.S., Sabàto first became known as a Calvin Klein model and for his role on the soap opera General Hospital. He continued appearing in films and television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life:Sabàto...
, Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
and Burt Ward
Burt Ward
Burt Ward is an American television actor and activist. He is best known for his portrayal of Robin in the television series Batman and its theatrical film spin-off.-Early life:...
, John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
, William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
, Mini Me, radio and television personalities Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
and Count Scary
Count Scary
Count Scary was a character who hosted monthly specials presenting B movie horror films with comedy skits on Detroit television station WDIV from 1982 to the early 1990s....
, wrestlers Lou Albano
Lou Albano
Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995....
, King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
, Sgt. Slaughter
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
, Tito Santana
Tito Santana
Merced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
and Sable
Sable
The sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, in northern Mongolia and China and on Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia...
. Racing personalities like Bobby Allison
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
, Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
, Don Garlits
Don Garlits
Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag-racing, he, with the help of T.C...
, John Force
John Force
John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories...
, Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...
and Tony Pedregon
Tony Pedregon
Tony Pedregon is a 2-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car Champion from Torrance, California. He is also the youngest of the Pedregon brothers. His brother Cruz Pedregon is the 1992 NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car Champion.-Early Days:In 1993 Pedregon qualified for his first...
have also appeared at Autorama. Members of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
have also appeared at the show.
Featured cars include most forms of the Batmobile
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
, the Monkeemobile
Monkeemobile
The Monkeemobile is a modified Pontiac GTO that was designed and built by designer Dean Jeffries for The Monkees, a pop-rock band and television program...
, Greased Lightning
Greased Lightning
Greased Lightning is a 1977 American biographical film, starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, and Pam Grier, and directed by Michael Schultz. Greased Lightning is a film loosely based on the true life story of Wendell Scott, the first African American stock car racing champion in the United States...
, General Lee
The General Lee
The General Lee is the modified Dodge Charger driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. It is known for the chases and stunts, especially high jumps, in almost every episode, and for having the doors welded shut, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out...
, the Red Baron, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's Eliminator, the A-Team van, the Munster Koach
Munster Koach
The Munster Koach was the family car that was used in the television series, The Munsters. The show's producers contracted George Barristo provide the Koach. Barris asked Tom Daniel to design the car, and had it built at Barris Kustoms, First by Tex Smith, but finished by Dick Dean, his shop...
, the Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
Twin Mill, and more recently, Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, and occasionally called "Stickers" by his girlfriend Sally , is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars, and the deuteragonist of its sequel Cars 2...
and Mater
Mater (Cars)
Sir Tow Mater or better known as Mater is the deuteragonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars and the main protagonist in its sequel...
from the movie Cars.
Ridler Award
Essentially Autorama's "best in show" award, the Ridler Award is named after Don Ridler. The winners of the prestigious Ridler, judged "most outstanding from among cars cars being shown for the first time", are shown below:| Year | Vehicle | Name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Al Bergler | AA Comp Bantam coupe | Aggravation |
| 1965 | Bob Massaron | 1956 Chevrolet Custom | Venturian |
| 1966 | Maynard Rupp | 1966 Chevy Malibu SS 396 Funny Car Funny Car Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'... |
Chevoom |
| 1967 | Mike Alexander | 1966 Dodge Pickup | Deora Deora (custom car) Deora is a custom car built in the late 1960s. It was based on a Dodge A100 van truck. After winning many awards, including the highly-prestigious Ridler in 1967, it became a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit... |
| 1968 | Chuck Miller | Hand-built fire truck | "Fire Truck" |
| 1969 | Larry Alexander | Ford T roadster | Top Banana |
| 1970 | Jan Bergel | 1966 Dodge Hemi Charger | Electro Charger |
| 1971 | John Greer | "C" Cab truck | Brinks Express |
| 1972 | Jerry Pennington | Rear-engined Corvette | Scorpion |
| 1973 | Jerry Pennington | Hand-built street rod Street Rod Street Rod is a racing video game developed by P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group and Logical Design Works, based on an original concept by Magic Partners and published by California Dreams for Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and DOS... |
Devilfish |
| 1974 | Don Campbell | 1927 Ford T sedan | Tartan T |
| 1975 | Bob Gutzke | 1927 Model T Altered rod coupe | |
| 1976 | Robert Sweatt | 1923 Ford AA/FA roadster | El Toro |
| 1977 | Frank Camden | 1926 Ford T sedan | Frigid T |
| 1978 | Bob Anzalone | 1923 Ford T roadster | Black Diamond |
| 1979 | Frank Morabito | 1923 Ford T touring | Garagefather |
| 1980 | Everett Rezendes | 1928 Ford sedan delivery Sedan delivery A sedan delivery, commonly called a delivery in American English and a car derived van in British English, is a two-door station wagon with a driver or driver and front passenger seats, and steel sheet-metal panels in place of rear side windows... |
The Cranberry Delivery |
| 1981 | Bob Tiano | 1934 Ford 3-window coupe | |
| 1982 | John Pappert | 1934 Ford Model Y Ford Model Y The Model Y is the first Ford specifically designed for markets outside the United States of America, replacing the Model A in Europe. The car was powered by a 933 cc, 8 hp Ford Sidevalve engine, and was in production in England from 1932 until September 1937, in France from 1932 to 1934... |
|
| 1983 | Ron Barnum | 1929 Ford 3-door sedan delivery Sedan delivery A sedan delivery, commonly called a delivery in American English and a car derived van in British English, is a two-door station wagon with a driver or driver and front passenger seats, and steel sheet-metal panels in place of rear side windows... |
Renaissance Delivery |
| 1984 | Bob Reed | 1934 Ford Altered street coupe | The Khrome Shoppe Special |
| 1985 | Bobby Alloway | 1933 Ford Victoria Altered street sedan | |
| 1986 | Dale Hunt | 1986 Pontiac Grand Am Pro Stock Pro Stock Pro Stock Drag Racing is a class of drag racing featuring 'Factory Hot-Rods'. The class can be known as "all motor," as the cars cannot use artificial induction such as turbocharging, supercharging, or nitrous oxide, and there are very strict rules governing the modifications allowed to the... |
special thanks to Dewayne White for his hard work to complete this car |
| 1987 | John Kolbusz | 1934 Ford Altered street roadster | |
| 1988 | Mal Kieswetter | 1932 Ford 3-window coupe | The Gambler |
| 1989 | Mike Baliestiero | 1934 Ford cabriolet Altered street roadster | |
| 1990 | Dan Webb | 1932 Ford Altered street roadster | |
| 1991 | Tony Carlini | 1933 Ford Altered street roadster | |
| 1992 | Jimmy Stewart | 1932 Ford sedan | |
| 1993 | Dave Stitzer | 1940 Ford coupe | |
| 1994 | Fred Warren | 1937 Ford coupe | Aero Coupe |
| 1995 | Bob Rizzoli | 1992 Mercedes 560 SEC | |
| 1996 | George Poteet | 1937 Ford roadster | |
| 1997 | Dave Emery | 1932 Ford roadster | |
| 1998 | Eric Peratt & Ken Reister | 1933 Ford roadster | 21st Century Comet |
| 1999 | Bob Young | 1932 Ford 3-window coupe | |
| 2000 | Paul Atkins | 1933 Ford speedster coupe (phantom) | |
| 2001 | Chris Williams | 1949 Chevy Coupe | M-80 |
| 2002 | Wesley & Bob Rydell | 1935 Chevy | Grand Master |
| 2003 | Ron Whiteside | 1934 Mercury | The Stallion |
| 2004 | Al Brockly | 1937 Willys coupe | |
| 2005 | Ken Reister | 1936 Ford hardtop convertible | Impression |
| 2006 | Kevin & Karen Alstott | 1935 Ford | |
| 2007 | Ross Myers | 1936 Ford | First Love |
| 2008 | Mike Warn | 1960 Nash Rambler | Ferrambo |
| 2009 | Doug Cooper | 1932 Ford B400 | Deucenberg |
| 2010 | Tammy Ray | 1933 Ford Phaeton | Gold Digger |