2014 Detroit Autorama preview: All the Ridler Award winners, 1964-2013

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2013 Ron Cizek 1940 Ford Coupe Checkered PastThe Detroit Autorama, America’s great indoor hot rod show, happens this weekend. As a warmup for the event, Mac’s Motor City Garage presents all the Ridler Award winners in history, 1964 through 2013. 

 

 

You know the story of Don Ridler and the Ridler Award. As the promotions and marketing wizard for the Detroit Autorama, Ridler helped to bring the show into national prominence, but then tragically passed away at the age of 54. By way of thanks and to keep his memory alive, the Ridler Award was created, which each year honors the show’s best new car. This weekend will mark the 51st year for the prize, which many regard as America’s top hot rod award.

In what we hope to make an annual tradition, here we present a photo gallery of all the Ridler Award winners from 1964 to present. (And each year we hope to provide new and better photos when possible.) Some of the cars in this group are now famous, others nearly forgotten, but they’re all worthy of a look.

See you at Autorama, and stay tuned to Mac’s Motor City Garage for full coverage of the show, including this year’s Great 8 and the 2014 Ridler Award winner.

62nd Annual Meguiar’s Detroit Autorama; Cobo Center, 1 Washington Blvd., Detroit, MI; Fri 12 PM-10 PM, Sat 9 AM-10 PM, Sun 10 AM-8 PM. 

 

3 thoughts on “2014 Detroit Autorama preview: All the Ridler Award winners, 1964-2013”

  1. I’m really looking forward to attending this great event over the weekend and picking my favorite from the Great 8. Somehow, my choice and the judge’s choice are never the same. I encourage every car enthusiast to go at least once because it is truly one of the world’s great events for rods and customs. When you’re there, don’t miss my favorite part, Autorama Extreme.

  2. They keep saying that the drugs are more powerful now than in the Seventies, but I think this feature offers irrefutable proof that they are wrong. Many of these rods are too ostentatious for me, but the newer ones are more to my liking.

    I appreciate the classic lines of the ’32 Ford, but I’d like to see more of what can be done with a recent production car. Customizers were more creative in their choice of vehicles back in the Fifties, Japan is active in customs of current vehicles, but psychedelic mushrooms are legal there and it shows.

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