The Detroit Autorama is one of the premier indoor events in our hobby, and countless enthusiasts and car builders through the years have yearned to find themselves at Cobo Hall earning recognition for their efforts. Most would be thrilled with a class trophy; a select few can realistically dream of winning the Don Ridler Memorial Award, a well-recognized barometer of hot rod and custom car construction excellence. Aside from the obvious--a check for $10,000, new GM Performance Parts engine, custom trophy, and personalized jacket--the award's prestige is an acknowledgement that you have competed with the best in North America.

While there can only be one Ridler winner each year, the facility's 600,000 square feet of main floor space (plus another 100,000 square feet downstairs) will accommodate hundreds of customs, rods, musclecars, trucks, and related attractions. It's enough to draw more than 150,000 spectators and some of the coolest vehicles from the upper Midwest and beyond.

THE GREAT 8
More than 30 cars and trucks entered the competition for the 2006 Ridler Award, and by Friday evening they were whittled down to a distinguished Great 8. Finalists got special display cards so spectators could identify them and speculate on the eventual winner. Among the usual prewar roadsters and coupes, the Great 8 included a couple of '50s Chevy custom rods--Bob and Barb Delia's extremely well-detailed '59 Impala, and Larry Johnston's radically altered '50 Chevy coupe.

While the Ridler competition was more diverse and much closer than in recent years, the winner was, not surprisingly, a '30s-era Ford-based street rod. Kevin Alstott, of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, is the lucky owner of the winning '35 Ford convertible, which was built by Roger Burman and the crew at Lakeside Rods & Rides in Iowa using a handcrafted body by Marcel's Custom Metal in California.

ROTH, PINHEADS & MORE
Every year Detroit honors someone who has contributed to our hobby, and this time it was the late Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Roth started out as a pinstriper and T-shirt artist, but before long he learned he could get free booth space at car shows by having a car. So he put his incredibly creative mind to work and built wild show rods that were sure to capture people's imagination and attention.In honoring him, Autorama promoters scoured the country looking for original Roth cars, clones, and tribute vehicles. Showcased in the center of the hall were 16 Roth-inspired rides--12 originals, two clones, and two tribute cars. In addition to the original Beatnik Bandit and Druid Princess, plus Mark Moriarity's Outlaw clone and Futurian tribute car, the original Tweedy Pie T made an appearance. Built in '57, Tweedy Pie was the first Roth car to reach prominence, and contributed to the T-bucket craze that soon followed.

Roth probably would've been happy that fellow 'striper Yosemite Sam Radoff once again organized the Pinstripers' Jamboree. More than 150 talented individuals displayed their talents and created 350 panels that sold for a collective $41,775 at daily charity auctions. All art auction proceeds were donated to the Rainbow Wish Connection.

Speaking of creative cars and pinstripes, for the second year the Cobo Hall basement offered a break from high-dollar glitz by hosting dozens of hardcore traditional rods and customs. Known as Autorama Extreme, this was an event unto itself, with its own music, atmosphere, and cleverly designed trophies. Some of the hobby's top builders--including the Alexander Brothers, Troy Trepanier, and Chip Foose--got in line to hand out these fun awards. Foose even brought his own retro rod, the P-32, a '32 roadster with a Lincoln Zephyr Flathead V-12 and airplane-inspired nose.

New this year at the Autorama was Education Day, presented by the International Show Car Association, Championship Auto Shows, and the Michigan Hot Rod Association. This effort reached out to nearly 2,000 students, introducing them to the world of modified cars by giving them discounted three-day show passes and early access to the show, and treating them to tall tales and stories from luminaries like Foose and Trepanier.

Well, that about wraps it up. Best bet is to make plans for next year for one of the truly great indoor car shows. And remember, "they call it Detroit."