The Contender: Detroit Autorama's Ridler Runner Up

March 15, 2014
Story By
Rob Fortier

For the past 51 years, the famed Detroit Autorama has not only hosted the finest of the fine in practically all forms of automobiles, but has been the stage for the Don Ridler Memorial Award competition, considered to be top honors by many in the hot rod and custom world. As with any “high-profile” award, it doesn’t come without its controversy, and as is often the case, the talk of the town is not the prestigious winner, rather, the runners up.

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All judging criteria aside—as that’s what it’s deemed to boil down to—most of the controversial water cooler discussion revolves around personal preference. Most of it. I happened to have been a member of that so-called chit chat in many recent years, this one being no exception. Maybe it’s because, despite being a native East Coaster, my tastes are purely bred in the opposite coast’s preferential style—you know, less is more; overabundance is just that…overabundance; etc. etc. Thus, the average “show car” as defined by a typical Ridler contender, or more specifically winner, typically exceeds my personal limits of necessary style. That said, my particular style parameters are surely to the opposite extreme of many Autorama showgoers, not to mention the trained judges who painstakingly pick not just the actual Ridler winner, but reduce the overall field of contention to the Great 8 prior to final judging. Nevertheless, or more particularly maybe because of my views, my focus is not on the 2014 Ridler recipient, rather, my pick and subsequent runner up is Don Smith’s ’32 sedan. Aptly named “Y’D Open” for its B-pillarless (no post between front and rear doors) re-design and Ford Y-Block engine. As the pictures should clearly suggest, while builders Hot Rods by JSK spared no expense and skipped not a single small detail, Smith’s more-door is still quite subtle in show car terms. From the “just enough” chopped top to the custom fuel-injection, the cantilevered/quarter-elliptic front suspension to the race car-like under-dash goodies, the whole thing just makes sense. And to me, that’s what makes a real hot rod, not awards…though they are nice bragging material if you ever happen to receive them!

The Contender: Detroit Autorama's Ridler Runner Up

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