Jalopnik: Detroit Autorama

How To Awesome-Rig A Twin-Turbo Supercharger Setup

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:40:00 EST

Want to make your friends gag with jealousy and hate you for your backyard engineering skills? Emulate what Kent Hausauer has done with this Chevy 350 — run two turbos to a supercharger intake and get drunk on stupid power. More »

Detroit Autorama: First Woman Wins Ridler Award With Gold Digger

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST

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At this weekend's 2010 Detroit Autorama,Tammy Ray's 1933 Ford Phaeton dubbed Gold Digger took home the prestigious Ridler Award — the first ever female-owned vehicle to take the prize. The stunning long-runner intakes might have won the prize alone. More »

The Firebreather: The Pontiac Firebird That Could Have Been

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:45:00 EST

Michigan-based Exodus Films unveiled the hero-ride for their upcoming sci-fi flick, Jinn. It's "The Firebreather," a stylized take on what a new Pontiac Firebird might've been. Look familiar? It should. Better news? They're building 50 of them for public purchase. More »

Futuristic Dodge Deora Concept Up For Auction

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT

If you've played with Hot Wheels cars in the last forty years, you've seen the Dodge Deora concept. It was a one-off custom A100 Cabover concept loaded with far-out style. Now it's going to auction in real life. More »

2009 Detroit Autorama Wrap Up: Driving Out

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:45:00 EDT

A little secret about the Detroit Autorama is to go on the last day. You still see cars and the winners, but stay till the show closes and everybody fires up for the drive-out. More »

Roadchamp Coupe Does Justice To Knockoffs

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT

The Roadchamp Coupe defies categorization. It's a little bit of everything, and it adds up to a very clean, very cool hot rod we wish we could take home. More »

1924 Dodge Modified, Skinny-Tired Dirt-Racing Awesome

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EDT

We know absolutely nothing about this 1924 Dodge Modified owned by Clark Bates, but we're definitely going on record as wanting one. It's the coolest-ever field car. More »

1933 Ford Cabriolet, A Noble Great Eight Contender

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:45:00 EDT

Mainly because we like rusty old rods with the propensity to kill you, we haven't paid much attention to the Great Eight Ridler contenders. But Chris Conly's 1933 Ford Cabriolet is clean and darn cool. More »

You Want Crazy? Pro Comp 1930 Ford Coupe

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:30:00 EDT

Let's say you're interested in tearing a hole in the space-time continuum, the 2009 Detroit Autorama weapon of choice? Undoubtedly, it'd be this Pro Comp 1930 Ford Coupe. More »

A Tale Of Two KITTs

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EDT

This may be the first time we've seen the old n' trusted Trans Am-based KITT and the new n' busted Mustang GT500KR-based KITT together at the same time. Seems like it's PSA time. More »

Troy Trepanier's "Notorious" Will Steal Your Girlfriend

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Troy Trepanier took a Chevy Nova, added a 572 cubic inch V8, a Procharger supercharger, blacked out everything and called it Notorious. This car will happily beat you up and take your lunch money. More »

E.J. Potter's Bloody Mary To Dodge Tomahawk: Eat It!

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT

E.J. Potter was known as "The Michigan Madman" for a good reason, he liked putting engines in places they had no business being. Case in point — this Chevy 350 in a very tiny motorcycle. More »

Voodoo Curse: 40-Year-Old Inline-Six Gets A T3 Turbo

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Ed Tillrock is a plain-spoken guy. You'd never know he was mad enough to slap a 70mm Garrett T3 turbo onto a 230 cubic inch Chevy inline-six and called it the "Voodoo Curse." More »

2009 Detroit Autorama: Deucenberg Wins Ridler Award!

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:30:00 EDT

Just as we suspected Friday, the 2009 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award was given to the builders and owner of the super-slick maroon hot rod called "Duecenberg." More »

2009 Detroit Autorama: Dan Webb's Golden Submarine Debuts!

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EDT

We've followed progress on Dan Webb's unfaithful recreation of Barney Oldfield's Golden Submarine the past three Autoramas, and it's paid off as his hand-formed mastery machine is now physically complete. More »

1929 Ford Zephster Sports Breathtaking Lincoln V12, Tricks Up Sleeve

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST

Woody Smith likes to build cars that are slightly different. Instead of going with an old nailhead for his classic-style hot rod, he decided on a mighty Lincoln V12. More »

Cadillac VSR Hot Rod Concept

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:30:00 EST

GM Performance parts and Race Car Replicas have created a 400 HP V-Series-inspired hot rod concept called the Cadillac VSR. A Prowler-destroying menace built for SEMA but still terrorizing other auto shows. More »

2009 Detroit Autorama: The Duecenberg, A Ridler Contender For Sure

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EST

They don't announce the nominees for the 2009 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award until tomorrow, but judging by the attention to detail and gorgeous custom work from Johnson's Hot Rod Shop, the "Deucenberg" is a contender. More »

2009 Detroit Autorama: Vannin' Is Back!

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:30:00 EST

Tired of relentless Geneva Motor Show coverage? Us too! That's why we're here at the 2009 Detroit Autorama soaking up rad rods and cool customs. In an effort to be radically contrarian, it's custom vans! More »

2008 Detroit Autorama, We Hardly Knew Ye

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Well, the 2008 Detroit Autorama was a swell show this year, chock full of goodness for any hot rod persuasion. We saw all of the entrants for the Ridler award, a smattering of kit car action, and some very cool traditional hot rods. Hell, we even saw a Citroen 2CV stuffed with a small block Chevy mill. This show does nothing if not inspire its attendants to take on their own projects, push their own envelope, or build their personal dream car. Every year we go we see some new style take root, or a once dead branch sprout new growth - there's just so much good stuff here to see that we can't cover it all. And with that, we conclude this years coverage with a gallery of the things that got left on the cutting room floor. Full wrap up below the fold. More »

The Larson Engineering Special

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:15:00 EDT

What do you call a handmade car built by a 20 something name Bob Larson and old enough to have been in the original Detroit Autorama? You call it the Larson Engineering special and it is a treasure trove of clever ideas and hellish ergonomics. We're not implying anything, but if this is the car responsible for the whole scissor doors thing, we're way less excited by it. Still the way they operate is pretty clever, sort of a pivot on a carrier mounted to a parallelogram hinge and secured with a shot pin latch, not bad for 1953, but not even the tip of the iceberg for this car. More »

Newstalgia Wheels' Steampunk Chopper

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EDT

David Coker is an easy talking fellow from Tennessee with a passion for blending the old and the new. His company, Newstalgia Wheel, deals in all those classic style wheels you just gotta have for your hot rod. As a means of showing off those new old stock wheels, he's brought a just finished custom chopper up to the Autorama and it has a delicious steampunk style to it. More »

Return of the Bubble Tops: Vampyre

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EDT

We don't have much info on this crazy purple bubble top called Vampyre. The owner wasn't around and the placard didn't offer much in the way of details, but it's probably one of the more sleek cars of the genre we can recall. It seems to steal a little style from the extreme low riders with the exposed upper tire and the engine dragging on the ground. It's that low body work and exposed tire style that lead us to believe this car is the work of Jerry and Eldon Titus, who busted out a similar design in the "Voodoo Spyder" back in 2005. More »

Freakshow, The Custom Camino From Hello Kitty Hell

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Freakshow has our noodle in a bind. There's not much left of the original '64 Chevy C-10, but it definitely says "1964 Chevy Pickup" on the placard. By all rights it should be the absolute baddest truck/car in the show hands down with a blown 354 cubic inch hemi, six Stromberg 97 carbs, the sickest custom headers we've ever seen all running through a four speed Muncie to a 9 inch Ford rear with 4:11 gears. It has a beer keg and an in-cabin tap coming out a skull mounted under a gun rack. And yet here we are torn - the car is pink, with white fur everywhere, and has a pink telephone on the dash. What. The. Hell? More »

Return Of The Bubble Tops: Atomic Punk

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EDT

It's been a long, long time since bubble tops were popular in the hot rodding circles, but it seems as though they're beginning to make a comeback of sorts. With cars like Dave Shuten's "Astrosled" and Gary "Chopit" Fioto's "Beatnik", the genre is steadily gaining steam again, and the incredible creativity of the style is a welcomed respite from the sameness of the last decade. This car was built and is owned by Aaron Grote, who has dubbed it "Atomic Punk" and dragged it into the Detroit Autorama. The all new, all steel hot rod is based very loosely on 1959 Plymouth bits and really is a treat to see. More »

We Like To Call This The Puppy Crusher

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:20:00 EDT

We saw this mashup at Autorama in Detroit this weekend and immediately imagined a darker, more gory version of 101 Dalmatians. The villainess would beckon her automobile from its murky depths to carry on all manner of misdeed and the car would be known as Cruella's Puppy Crusher. We spent some time talking with the builder, one Mr. Brajkovich of Brajkovich Rods and Customs from Jonestown, PA. and found out some pretty neat stuff. First, even though it isn't quite done yet, what we do see came together in only 3 months of work. Everything in the car is some kind of special, instead of the common 235 straight six, the car has the bigger and nominally more powerful 300. The exhaust is routed 3 per side into the frame rails and is dumped out the back through the open rails More »

'32 Ford Hot Rod, Now in Creamsicle Flavor

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:20:00 EDT

Even though we tire of high dollar '32 Fords, a cleanly done and nicely finished one still catches our eye. This example of traditional hot rodding is way cooler than the megabux toys upstairs. The white and pearlescent satin orange finish really pop and the simple clean lines just beg for a good high speed run through a summer night. The ceramic coated four-into-one headers mount up to an SBC huffing and puffing through a four barrel Holley. More »

Golden Submarine Sees Progress, Body Panels

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:15:00 EDT

We saw the beginnings of the recreation of Barney Oldfield's Golden Submarine last year, but at this years' 2008 Detroit Autorama, some very noticeable progress has been made on the car. As you can see, the incredibly detailed, lightweight frame has been worked out and sheetmetal work has begun on the sleek little speeder. We were very impressed with the crazy amount of work evident in the drilled T-cross section body frame, it looks to us as though the T-section was cut as two pieces, then shaped and welded together - incredible. More »

"Rock Bottom" Is Biggest Hot Rod At Autorama

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EDT

We're not quite sure how to size this 1995 Peterbuilt up as a hot rod. It was fabricated for something call the "Big-Rig Build-Off" and it certainly lives up to it's name "Rock Bottom". How many of those Crosley Davidsons do you thing could fit on that massive deck? No wonder the world chromium supplies are so expensive, they all went into this truck. What does one ever do with one of these when done? Is it even usable any more? So many enormous questions, not enough enormous answers. More »

ViperVette Scratches Your Project Car Itch

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:45:00 EDT

So after all that high end craftsmanship and attention to detail, we're assuming you need the equivalent of a unicorn chaser. We thought what better to rid you of the perfection of the main show floor and the primed and polished perfection of the Great 8 than with the 1986 ViperVette. That's right, it's the guts of a 1986 C4 Corvette with the approximate body of a first gen RT/10 Dodge Viper overlaid. Take a wild guess at how we picked it out. More »

1940 Ford Coupe

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:45:00 EDT

Here's a clean 1940 Ford Coupe that was put up for the Ridler Award at the 2008 Detroit Autorama. Owned by David Walsh out of Macon Georgia, this Ford would have probably done better any other year, because it's nearly a dead ringer for the '41 Willys we saw earlier. Deep black with a red leather interior, this one replaces the high rise intake and supercharger with eight single barrel throttle bodies with matching velocity stacks. Very nice effect and we're sure it sounds mean at full snort. More »

1946 Chevrolet Custom Pickup

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Last but not least on our parade of the Great 8 is this extremely custom 1946 Chevrolet Pickup. Nearly every body panel on the thing is hand built, so calling it a '46 is an effort in suspended disbelief. We're betting it will light the tires pretty quickly too since the truck is sporting a 425 HP 6.1L Hemi with fuel injection plugged into the bottom of some really nice velocity stacks. Yeah, it's a nice truck, and probably fast, but too clean for us. All these snazzy Great 8 picks make us wonder what the other folks on the floor are showing. Perhaps when we're done with all of these cars, we start showing off the fun stuff. More »

1956 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Lots of wagons among this years Great 8, here's another and this one wearing a bowtie and a lot of orange. The fairly rare '56 Chevy Handyman Wagon has undergone extensive modifications, and it shows. The bodywork amounts to over 100 modifications nad 1300 handmade parts, that's love. Under that custom engine cover is a LS1 V8 and a 4L60E transaxle. The interior is completely one off with hand formed dash and leather bits where it counts. This is a very nicely done rod, even if a bit over-done for our tastes. Kudos to the builders at Rods and Restos for a job well done. More »

1967 GMC Pick Up

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Excuse us if we didn't take much time to look into this GMC which was on the stands as a pick for the Ridler award at this years 2008 Detroit Autorama, it just didn't tickle our fancy. Sure it was built well, and everything seemed to have an appropriate level of hot roddery, but was just a little too... meh. Maybe it was the 80's era speedboat level of metal flake in the paint, perhaps the overdone front hinged hood, maybe it was just the clear lens LED tail lights, who knows. Regardless, this was one of those rods we respect for its craftsmanship, but would pass for some of the other offerings. There's just something fundamentally wrong with a truck that has the tailgate welded shut. More »

1941 Willys Coupe

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Hot rodders best be careful, or the once lusted after 1941 Willys Coupe will be the next '32 Ford of the rodding world. We know they've got a nice stout shape and wear fat racing slicks with a certain style few other cars can, but as often as we see them, you'd think they never went out of production. This particular '41Coupe is under the stewardship of Joseph Mouton Jr. who hails from New Orleans. After overlooking the massively supercharged 502 V8 mill, the car has got some real nice details throughout. More »

1955 Chrysler 2 Door Hard Top Wagon

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:15:00 EDT

Next up in the 2008 Detroit Autorama Great 8 parade is this very vibrant, very slick 1955 Chrysler 2 Door Hard Top Wagon. Even though the car looks like it was designed this way, a ton of heavy duty work went into this one. The car has been shortened 8", chopped 2", the windshield laid by by 15 degrees, the dash was hand formed out of steel, custom floor pans throughout, custom wood deck in the back, and on and on. The motivation comes courtesy of a Hemi with a one off Hillborn injection system and power is delivered to a set of 24" Foose wheels out back. More »

1932 Ford "Willet Special" Has Suprise Powerplant

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Instead of going with a top ten list like everybody and his brother, the Detroit Autorama narrows things down to 8 finalists in the hunt for the prized Ridler Award. This group of fresh hot rods live in what's called "the Great 8". We've already seen the winner of this years Ridler Award, the Ferrambo, but we're going to take a tour through the other selections for this years Great 8. This is the 1932 Ford "Willet Special". Styled after the racers of the late forties which were bodied and modified for speed as "specials", the Willet Special has something under the hood those original racers could only dream of. Scoffing at the laws of physics, the builders of this speedster have managed to wedge a Viper V10 into the narrow frame and hood line of this handsome coupe. More »

Ferrambo Wins 2008 Ridler Award At Detroit Autorama

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:30:00 EDT

After the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, we needed a little recoup time, but yesterday we were back on the beat at the 2008 Detroit Autorama. We're just going to lay the smack down right away, the winner of the 2008 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award was a car we saw last year in the building stages - a Ferrari-engined Nash Rambler dubbed "Ferrambo". The bright red lightning rod of holy-shit-that's-crazy stood out pretty strong amidst this years Great 8 as the hands down, batshit craziest entry and we love the Autorama judges for giving it the nod.
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Whose Deuce? Chip's Deuce! Foose Builds a Rat Rod?

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:02:53 EDT

One thing that bugs the snot out of us about the rodding hobby is that it's dominated by old, out-of-touch types who operate roughly eight to ten years behind the curve. F'rinstance, last year, the Detroit Autorama folks pulled a page from Rick Perry's San Francisco Rod, Custom and Motorcycle Show and designated an area for traditional rods and customs. And then they called it Xtreme. Please, somebody hand us a bag of Doritos to relieve the contents of our stomach into. In any event, Chip Foose is building a car for the '06 Xtreme display. Which means that either, depending on your point of view, rat-rodding has officially jumped the shark, or the level of competition has just been raised. More »