Detroit Autorama
[7] It featured only 40 cars, and was hosted by members of the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA), which was created only a year before to "organize small local clubs into one unified body that could raise the money needed to pull drag racing off the streets and into a safe environment".
[11] For the fourth event in 1956, the MHRA hired a local band and sporting-event promoter Don Ridler to help the show reach a broader audience.
[13] During these early years at Cobo, the event began to attract industry names from outside the Motor City, including George Barris, Darryl Starbird, Carl Casper, and "Big Daddy" Ed Roth.
Celebrities including Wolf Man Jack, Adam West, Mark Hamill, and Lou Ferringo all made autograph appearances at Autorama during the 70's.
[22] Builder Jerry Pennington's rear-engine Corvette (Scorpion) and hand-built custom street rod (Devilfish) with their velvet interiors and sharp body lines rank among the most over-the-top and iconic Ridler cars ever built.
[6] Fueling growth was a next generation of professional builders and renowned car owners who began to make their way to Cobo every winter in hopes of capturing the Ridler.
With the influx of new talent in custom car building, the show started to gain national press, with annual coverage in Hot Rod and Street Rodder magazines.
Though the Alexander Brothers and others continued to build local cars for the show (including a Great-8 competitor in 2012), as of 2023, Dave Emery's 1997-winning Ford Roadster ( Revolver) was the last Michigan-built entry to capture the Ridler.
Wes Rydell's '35 Chevy Grand Master became the first built by designer and TV personality Chip Foose to win the award in 2002.
Foose would snap his own record yet again ten years later, when his '65 Chevy Impala (Imposter, built for Don and Elma Voth) captured his unprecedented fourth Ridler in 2015.
In 2002, the Detroit Autorama celebrated its 50th anniversary with special promotions from Murray's Auto Parts, and inducted an honorary list of "50 People Who Made a Difference".
Past "Builders of the Year" include the Alexander Brothers (2002), Blackie Gejeian (2004), Ed Roth (2006), So-Cal Speed Shop (2007), Gene Winfield (2008), Darryl Starbird (2009), Bobby Alloway (2011), and Troy Trepanier (2014).
[31] To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ridler Award in 2013, the 61st annual Detroit Autorama "Builder of the Year" exhibit was replaced with the largest gathering of former Ridler-winning cars ever assembled.
During the 2010s and '20's, recognition for the Detroit Autorama among car builders has continued to grow, with contenders traveling as far as Western Australian with hopes of capturing the prestigious Ridler Award.
[32] The growing recognition also led to an expansion of Autorama EXTREME, a special portion of the show featuring traditional Rat Rods, customs, and other patinaed vehicles.
[35] The Detroit Autorama has been organized in-collaboration between the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) and Championship Auto Shows (CASI) since 1961.
The ISCA has since become the leading governing body of show car events and competitions in North America, with its own rulebook, classification, and points system.
[38] CASI and ISCA combine to promote and judge shows in sixteen states and four provinces, with events running from Thanksgiving weekend through mid-April.
