It’s almost here! The 2013 Detroit Autorama takes place this coming weekend, March 8-10, at Cobo Center. Naturally, Mac’s Motor City Garage will be there to cover the event from wall to wall.  

The Detroit Autorama is the biggest and most important indoor hot rod show in America. Autorama is also the home of the Ridler Award, hot rodding’s greatest indoor show car prize. The winner of the Ridler, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, is selected from a group of finalists known as the Pirelli Great 8.

Earning a Great 8 slot is a top honor in itself, while the Ridler is the absolute top of the heap in the world of high-end show rods. Cars built to this level of near-perfection can represent an investment of $5 million or more.

Pictured above is the most recent Ridler Award winner, Dwayne Peace’s 1955 Ford Thunderbird. In the gallery below you can see all the Pirelli Great 8 finalists for 2012.

Other Autorama attractions include the alternative rodding show in the Cobo Center basement, Autorama Extreme, the big main-floor display with hundreds of world-class rods and customs, and manufacturer displays from Chevrolet Performance, Ford Racing, Chrysler and Mopar.

Mac’s Motor City Garage will be covering the entire scene—including live tweets reporting the Great 8 finalists and Ridler Award winner as they are announced. So if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for MCG’s twitter feed so you can get all the news in real time.

You can find official Autorama info, including show hours, ticket prices, and the full list of attractions, at the event website.