Here’s more great stuff from the basement show at the 2013 Detroit Autorama, properly known as Autorama Extreme.
As reported earlier, Autorama Extreme is far more laid back than the formal Autorama upstairs. The vibe is more like an outdoor hot rod show: trad-rod oriented vendors, rockabilly bands.
One MCG reader noted, “Many of the cars upstairs were amazing but the basement was where the action was. Cool cars and cooler people. Everyone was having a great time. If I ever go back to the Autorama, I’m going to spend a whole lot more time in the basement.”
A few of MCG’s favorites in this gallery:
+ The Hilton family’s black model A coupe: expert 6-inch chop, sedan doors to lengthen the look and provide more legroom, Desoto hemi power
+ Joe Ramsey’s ’32 Ford Deluxe Coupe: competition orange, daisy-spoke American Racing 200S wheels, looking like it just drove in out of a 1968 issue of Rod & Custom.
+ Thom Metz’s ’27 Ford track roadster: Whippet grille shell, turtle deck with a lid full of louvers, circle-jerk nerf bars
+ Walt Herman’s ’53 Ford Victoria: all the trick ’50s kustom mods, including ’55 Mercury doortop trim, ’56 Olds headlamps, ’53 Buick sweepspears, DeSoto grille, ’56 Packard taillamps
…and many more. Sincere apologies to everyone we didn’t cover in photos this year. So many cars, so little time. Thanks to the Autorama Extreme organizers, Rudy Ruedisueli and Dennis Scott, for another great show.
Thanks for sharing the pics of these great rides. The ’53 Ford Victoria, the ’37 Studebaker Coupe Express and Gene Winfield’s ’62 Econoline wonderfully exemplify the amazing variety and quality of the cars at Autorama Extreme. About the only downer for me was the realization that George Lusk and I share the same tailor.
I really liked the ’53 Vicky because it’s the real deal — the owner is 87 years old and he built in all the great “little book” custom pieces.