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.
Ms. Ray can now count two firsts to her name, she was the first woman to ever make it into the Great Eight in 2006 and now the first-ever to take home the prestigious Ridler Award with Gold Digger. The Ridler Award is given each year to the finest first-time-shown hot rod at the Detroit Autorama and is named in honor of Don Ridler, one of the shows earliest and most loved promoters.
Gold Digger is a modest proposition by modern hot-rodding standards, clocking in with just over $100k in custom work, but the final product is so cleanly executed with such classic hot-rod shapes the price couldn't matter less. The car started life as a 1933 Ford Phaeton but has been chopped, the grille laid back, a custom top created, all original interior fabricated, and a lustrous coat of gold dropped on top. Quite a handsome rod if you ask us.