2008 Ridler Award Winner
• Ferrambo Wins 2008 Ridler Award At Detroit Autorama

The Ridler Contenders
• 1932 Ford "Willet Special" Has Suprise Powerplant
•
1955 Chrysler 2 Door Hard Top Wagon
• 1941 Willys Coupe
• 1967 GMC Pick Up
• 1956 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon
• 1946 Chevrolet Custom Pickup
• 1940 Ford Coupe

The unwashed, and yet, cooler masses
• Crosley-Davidson Has A Harley V-Twin
• ViperVette Scratches Your Project Car Itch
• "Rock Bottom" Is Biggest Hot Rod At Autorama
• Golden Submarine See Progress, Body Panels
• '32 Ford Hot Rod, Now in Creamsicle Flavor
• We Like To Call This The Puppy Crusher
• Street Legal Cheetah Replicas To Hunt Cobras
• Return Of The Bubble Tops: Atomic Punk
• Freakshow, The Custom Camino From Hello Kitty Hell
• Return of the Bubble Tops: Vampyre
• Newstalgia Wheels' Steampunk Chopper
• The Larson Engineering Special
• Plymouth Rat Rod With Machine Gun Intake
• 2008 Builder Of The Year: Gene Winfield

Novel ideas don't end there. The car has been sort of a test bed for go-faster ideas seeing all kinds of changes and updates over the years. When it was originally built, it pucked the trend of a front mounted solid axle with trailing arms and instead went with a swing axle design allowing for the low stance. Since anybody who's studied chassis physics will tell you a swing axle sucks for driving dynamics, the car was again upgraded with a double wishbone and coilover setup which it still retains. Motiviation comes via a compact V6 V8 which we could not discern but was equipped with some cool parts. The open headers have a cutout valve operated by a cable which runs down the center of the exhaust pipe and can be operated from the cabin. Speaking of cabin, even though it's a cool looking ride, the driver space looks like a special kind of hell. Looking at one of the mods in particular, the big scoops behind the front suspension leading into the footwell, we're assuming that in addition to being cramped, the footwells were hotter than the fires of hades. Yikes but awesome.

Matching old and new is sometimes a delicate art. You don't want to be too retro, and you don't want to be too modern, go one way or the other and a thing just gets kitschy. This bike feels like it hit the mark just right. Based on a 1964 Harley Davidson, the bike has a custom frame with a single sided swing arm, an exposed primary, and what we're assuming are very loud wrapped pipes. This is no ordinary bike though as it has some very clever elements to it. The rear brake is a giant drum from an old Mercury wedged inside of a drag slick. The bike rides on an air suspension and the front Radir spindle mount wheel and vintage tire are suspended by way of an airbag bellows hooked up to a push-pull cable from the flap of a 747. All of that is hooked up to a standard springer suspension lever - very cool. The bike has a faux gas light hooked up to the side of the tank with a regular incandescent bulb inside to light the way. A split tank and wicker foot rests round things out. Even though we're sure this is a deathtrap in the wet, it's a really cool bike, and we may be swiping some of these ideas for our next build up.

In any case, the Vampyre is rife with snazzy design details. The low profile gives it a speedy feel, sculpted head rests visible under the canopy, thin line white walls on Torque Thrust 2's, the tiller is the bottom third of a steering wheel, welded onto rods, dipped in white rubber and bolted to the yoke. Cool. Bet this car gets some looks while cruising around in Kansas.

Yes, we know, it doesn't look like any 1964C-10 we've ever seen either, that's because it's sporting a '61 Chrysler nose and a '57 Chrysler tail along with an incredibly schizophrenic paint scheme. But still, we circle back to this brutal dichotomy of total dominating badassity spitting in the face of convention. Sitting amidst this sea of flat black and rusty hot rods is a cotton candy monster waiting to eat your lunch, but it is nigh on invisible due to its fluffy persona. If Clint Eastwood dressed up like a lady and drove this car around, the world would end, of this we are certain.

The grille alone is a piece of art, not to mention the delightful hand crafted exhaust manifolds, all the custom body work, the spectacular chrome capped fins and the immaculate flawless white interior. The classic white walled MT's mounted on old school 5 spoke Cragars really finishes this masterpiece off. We'd like to know why this car wasn't up for the Ridler Award.

The doors have been welded shut to keep things stiff, so to get in, the roof is actually hinged forward so you can just step right in - cool!. The rear suspension is pretty spectacular, its a solid axle kept in place with a stout panhard setup, a wagon style arched spring to provide compliance, and a set of very, very old oil piston dampers to quiet the chassis. We're eager to see what this thing looks like when it's all done, and we hear there are others from the same shop that are even more twisted and diabolical.

We're really feeling this hot rod - it's simple, to the point, and cool looking. How can you go wrong with a clean execution on a car that is so often overdone. Its got a cross drilled solid front axle, trailing arms, great big drum brakes, two seats and a shifter - the helmeted skull on the shifter isn't hurting either. We'll take one.

Our COTD is 13oostedwagn, who produced this comment, in response to Autorama's 1932 Ford bearing a Viper V10 and laying down 0-60 in—dear Lord—4 sec:

She's my lil' deuce coupe You don't know what she...AHH MY FLESH IS BURNING!!!

Yuk, yuk, yuk...

The slick body work is completely flawless and really impressive in person, especially that one piece grille. Now that the shape is beginning to come together, it's much easier to imagine the finished product and just how much it will resemble the original. Hopefully it will be wrapped up by the next Autorama, so we can see just how fast this Zetec powered bullet will be.

The first clue are those wheels, they stick out like an oh so sore thumb. Actually, half the problem is they don't stick out at all, they're practically lost in those wheel wells. Second and perhaps most impressive is the virtually intact digital dashboard so missed in modern vehicles. We almost thought that interior was certifiable there for a moment. We could go on and on about the specatacularness of the conversion, but we think we'll let the car speak for itself in the letter to the viewer that's posted in the gallery. Ah downstairs, the perfect mouthwash for the Ridler nominees.

Even though it's a fiberglass body, the execution is well played. The one off grille is flanked by custom headlights, and the custom "W" engraved hood stand are all pretty neat pieces. The interior is as red as an Arizona sunset and all of those wheels are deep enough to get lost in. Overall a very nice interpretation of the Willys form.

[MIRG]

Everything that isn't wood, glass or chrome is coated in a smooth layer of DuPont Hot Hues Revolutionary Yellow. Yes indeed the fellas at builders JK Customs did a hell of a job on this one, and it's a fine example of just how sick a grocery getter can really be.

With the power of 600 horses this Special is capable of over 200 mph, and with less heft than the Viper, will throw down 0-60 MPH times under 4 seconds. Not bad for a 76 year old chassis. Of course it's got all the goodies to back that up like a one off belly pan, rear splitter, Tremec 6 speed, roll hoops, a Willwood braking system and some swank satin polished vintage style kidney wheels. This is a baaaaad ride my friends.

The Ferrambo may not be the greatest name ever, but it serves up a stout 280 points on the Jalopnik scale, and for good reason. How many other tiny, bright red, two door station wagons with a mid-mounted 3.6 L V8 mill out of a Ferrari 360 Modena have you seen lately? Of Course it's stupidly well built, but the details are really what puts this car over the top. The builders at Divers Street Rods went so far as to swipe the Ferrari text and use it to call out the car's name everywhere it was tastefully necessary. Under hood there is custom fitted leather luggage instead of the original wimpy inline 6. The the seats are custom covered buckets and the rear seats... there are no rear seats, only engine. Here's something really cool, the rear windows rotate about 5 degrees open with the turn of the ignition to provide a little venting for that beastly engine. Yes indeed, Troy Trepanier may have had a cool car with last years winner, First Love, but this year's winner is a hell of a lot more Jalopnik in our book. Divers Street Rods

Jalopy Journal is proposing a new contest, with no checklists, no requirements, no politics - basically no BS - just a panel of guys, arguing the merits of cars to recognize their own most beautiful roadster. We like this idea. Conventional rodding has gotten fat and bloated, so self congratulatory over the advancement of smoothed frame rails and hidden nuts and bolt as to completely miss the spirit of the art. Hot rods aren't about who can create the most perfect rod, it's about being an individual, being creative with what you have, or following a crystalline and perfect idea to a logical end. And let's be honest here, this whole idea of the most beautiful roadster is bullocks to begin with. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that idea demands the standards of beauty be as varied as the styles of the art. By the current standard, a masterpiece like the Hemirod would never even be considered. Having said that, we salute this enterprise and hope to see it sprout revolutionary change in the hot rod scene.

Anyway, this is it. Hands down, my favorite hot rod at Detroit's Autorama show. The product of a long-gone chop shop somewhere in Ontario, this Stude has been chopped, channeled, lowered, and lightened. Man, just look at the way those skinny wire wheels in the back stick up over the bed. The devilish way those water hoses snake from the rad to the block, like a pair of horns poking out of it's head. That ivory colored steering wheel, the tilting windshield, the purposeful flathead, the subtle pinstriping... I"m in love.– Ben Wojdyla

Oh it's so good.

There's the money shot.

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Vintage rodding now is basically the same as it was when it was just rodding. You find the best parts, the rarest treasures, and put them on your ride to make it go faster or look cooler. Wondering around amidst this treasure trove of chrome and aluminum and rust and WD40, the gorgeous bits and pieces you find are sometimes astonishing. Also amazing are the clever ways people work around pieces that they either can't find or don't want to buy. What follows is a gallery of awesome parts treasures which I'm sure most are at least two or three times older than I am (check out the hand welded intake manifold - rad). – Ben Wojdyla

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Okay, so maybe it would have to be Grandpappy from the American side of the family (before coming over to Deutschland), but that's the first thing I thought when I saw this low and lean roadster. Looking at that worn paint, the zoomies, the Native American blanket seat cover and the underhung headlights. It all makes me giddy as a schoolgirl. There's just so much coolness packed into this little car. It's a wonder I didn't walk out of that place with a significantly lighter wallet and a basketcase that looked really cool. For no good reason, the craziest/coolest part of this car is the trunk if you believe it or not. Take a look after the jump.– Ben Wojdyla

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A couple of stretched out bruisers were sitting nose-to-nose in the first row of the lower level. I almost fell over when I saw em. They were raucous and unconventional, seemingly thrown together with whatever parts could be found. They were also done with so much style you had to love 'em. What's not to love about a car with gull-wing doors, whose rear axle is under the your knees, that's also called "Hemirod"? Or whose roof has more metallic sculpture than the Guggenheim museum and a dually truck axle? Nothing, that's what. – Ben Wojdyla

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I think Ralph Nader's infamous title is perhaps more apropos in this situation than in its original context. I first saw this contraption cruising Woodward during the Dream Cruise last summer, but couldn't seem to catch up to it. Now it's cornered quarry and far more dangerous than I'd thought. As mentioned, that's a blown GM 502 ci V8. The shock comes from the numbers: 700 hp and 733 lb-ft of torque. That goodness is running through a custom-built 200R4 transmission to a Ford 9" rear and 20" wide Mickey Thompsons. Yeah, that's more batshit craziness than most muscle cars with four wheels (and seat belts and a roll cage, and...). I can almost taste the sublimated June bugs just looking at it. – Ben Wojdyla

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Taking the esco downstairs is like going from Heaven to Valhalla. It's the same idea, but a completely different execution. Upon arriving in this value-added paradise I knew it was much more my speed. The main floor is packed with high-dollar artwork that will probably never see the open road, along with an insane quantity of people. Still, all that perfection and primping, pomp and circumstance for cars you know will be trailer queens is a bit disappointing. In the belly of the beast that is Cobo, the cars get driven hard and put away wet. Duct tape is allowed and creativity and McGyvering are encouraged. Here, everything pretty much falls into two categories: ricers and vintage rods. Guess which ones I care about. Get ready for the best part of the show kids. – Ben Wojdyla

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"Hmm, that's a funny start to a hot rod."
"Why is it so narrow?"
"Is that a strange car or what?"

All quotes heard while in the company of the assembled gawkers. It is in fact the beginnings of an unfaithful reproduction of what's been known historically as "the golden submarine," a 1917-era streamliner built under the masterful watch of racing legend Harry Miller. This new hotness is the baby of Taylor and Dan Webb. Like the original, this one is a bit unorthodox in its construction. Custom fitted eccentric brakes from Buell, a nicely massaged Zetec powerplant from Ford and handsomely lightened components all around. The original car could throw down 136 hp and roll to the tune of 107.6 mph. Considering the stock Zetec puts down 130 hp, and the SVT goes to 170 ponies, I'd bet it'll be fast. Based on the historical pics (below) and the changes to the design that have already been made, I can't wait to see what it looks like next year. – Ben Wojdyla

Just look at those tiny dimensions, it's going to be spectacular.

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In 50,000 years, when our mutated evolutionary relatives comb through the still radioactive debris of our civilization, in an effort to reconstruct early transportation history, they'll stumble on this 1974 Karmann Ghia and puzzle over it. Is this the long postulated early missing link between Audi and Volkswagen? The body is obviously a modified hardtop Karmann, but the powertrain is that of a two-wheel-drive A4 2.8-liter V6. But what's this? The front suspension is off of what? A Corvette? They would, of course, re-bury it and avoid causing too much controversy among the automotive archaeological community. Proof of this shame after the jump. – Ben Wojdyla

[Distinctive Replica]

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Vespa, maker of iconic scooters, apparently fancied a run at the American automobile market at one time in its life. Unfortunately a compact two seater powered by a two-cylinder power unit wasn't really what the market was asking for in 1960. These are very nice examples nonetheless. The designers of this model later found success in the sales and marketing of Micro Machines. I'm not going to lie, I thought about putting one in my pocket and walking out without paying.– Ben Wojdyla

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Sometimes, on this great journey through life, you witness something so truly breathtaking, so utterly, impossibly perfect, pure and good, it shifts the paradigm of your perception. It is deceptively easy to go right by the "First Love" exhibit in front of Detroit's Cobo hall. A passing glance will reveal nothing out of the ordinary, as slick show cars go. Look closer and you'll bear witness to high-dollar rodding nirvana. Simply put, this is, by a wide margin, the finest example of no-holds-barred custom fabrication work this Jalop has ever seen. Ever.

The details on this '36 Ford are so fine and numerous, the quality of the build so high, the execution so flawless that I cannot imagine a better example of the art. While his contemporaries are going with full chrome inboard Jag E-type suspensions, Troy and his team are giving us inboard drums and hidden discs. While the competition throws out candied colors, he goes for subtle, almost factory finishes that catch the eye like the Mona Lisa. They go with big chrome wheels, he's sporting custom-machined and painted wide fives, with a tasteful throwback hubcap. Even the hubs to match the wheels are works of art. The underbody of this car is better than most of its contemporaries' coachwork; nary a bolt, rivet, or pin is visible. The mesh below the hood has cutouts that match the car's heart shaped logo. Nothing has been overlooked, nothing is flawed. I, and many others, stood mouths agape at the craftsmanship of this car. Bravo sir, bravo. – Ben Wojdyla

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Yes, those are 30" wheels made by DUB. Yes, that's a Cadillac Caprice with a Rolls Royce schnoz. Yes, the kid after the jump is barely taller than the wheel with which he is posing as if it were Spongebob (who was incidentally posing with kids not a hundred feet away). Does that about cover it? It's becoming a challenge to bring you continuously flashier and yet so so smooth rides; the ne plus ultra seems to have a short shelf life these days. Can Spate Kreations claim this as the current winner? It's a tough call between this and the orange Caprice with clear kicks from earlier, but in the end, we all win. – Ben Wojdyla

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Yeah, that's right, I'm thumbing my nose at the establishment, giving the finger to the man, and gesturing in any other phalangically based displays of disrespect. I say this is the first C6 Corvette-based conversion that does not, in fact, suck. In pictures it may not work; our very own commenters raked it over the coals when Spinelli wrote about it back in November. But in person it works surprisingly well. I spoke with Fred Kanter, chairman of n2a (and owner of the Packard brand name - cooool!). Apparently the idea was to meld different aspects of the '57, '58, and '59 Bel Air models into something interesting but familiar. One remarkable aspect of the build process was that the entire undertaking, from purchase of Vette to carbon-fiber body #1, was only about 14 weeks. Damn impressive for the level of detail if you ask me. It even uses factory reproductions of the original headlight and taillight buckets. Come on, what's not to love about that? Sure, there are a couple of things that could be massaged. The interior could stand a bit of tarting up and the license plate spot in the rear isn't as cool as it could be. But it's a great start for such an ill-received concept. – Ben Wojdyla

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