2017 Detroit Autorama Massive Muscle Car Photo Gallery

More than 800 cars packed Cobo Center for the 65th annual Detroit Autorama in 2017, one of the most significant gatherings in the hot rod and custom car world. The Ridler Award, reserved for cars debuting for the very first time in public, went to a scratch-built 1933 Ford Roadster running a 427 big block. What else was hiding among 800 cars competing for the hobby’s biggest stage?

The doors are still closed to the outside world but you have a great chance to see whatâ€™s going on behind closed doors here at the 2017 Annual 65th Meguiarâ€™s Detroit Autorama held at Cobo Hall in downtown Michigan. Itâ€™s Detroit the home of Chrysler, GM and Ford so itâ€™s a sure bet we will see plenty of underhood horsepower from the Big Three.

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Cobo Center does not usually host more than 800 cars under one roof, but that is exactly what happened when the Meguiar’s Detroit Autorama celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2017. This was not just another car show; it was one of the most important annual gatherings in the entire hot rod and custom car hobby, drawing builders and fans from across the country. Somewhere among the rows of chrome and candy paint sat a handful of cars competing for a prize so exclusive that most of them had never been shown in public before. Which one would walk away with it?

The Prize Every Builder Wants

Autorama’s top honor, the Ridler Award, went in 2017 to Renaissance Roadster, a scratch-built 1933 Ford powered by a GM big-block 427 crate engine. Qualifying for Ridler consideration requires a car to debut at Autorama without having been shown publicly before, which turns the competition into a genuine unveiling every single year rather than a rerun of cars fans have already seen on the show circuit.

Beyond the Ridler Contenders

The show floor stretched well past the award contenders. Custom builder Larry ‘VooDoo’ Grobe brought Voodoo Sahara, a heavily reworked 1954 Kaiser Manhattan with roughly ninety percent hand-built bodywork, while the Mariani Model A, a Rad Rides By Troy build making its bare-metal debut right there at the show — its SEMA unveiling and Battle of the Builders trophy were still months away — held court near the main entrance in the form of a chopped, dropped 1929 Ford Model A Tudor sedan. With boats and motorcycles mixed in among the muscle cars and hot rods, the 2017 Autorama offered something for nearly every corner of the hobby.

One of the Oldest Indoor Custom Car Shows in the Country

The Detroit Autorama traces back to the early 1950s, making its 65th edition in 2017 a genuine milestone in the custom car hobby rather than just another anniversary number. Held annually in downtown Detroit — historically the automotive capital of the world — the show carries a symbolic weight that few other regional events can match.

The Great 8 and the Path to Ridler

The Ridler Award field is narrowed down each year to a small group of finalists, commonly called the Great 8, before a single overall winner is announced. That format turns the competition into a weekend-long story rather than a single upfront reveal, with fans and builders alike watching to see which car ultimately gets crowned.

Why a Car Can Only Win Ridler Once

Ridler eligibility requires a car to debut at Autorama without having been shown publicly anywhere else first. That rule means serious builders often keep a finished car completely under wraps for months or even years specifically to preserve its shot at the award, turning every Ridler contender’s arrival at Cobo into a genuine, first-ever public unveiling.

Detroit’s Home-Field Advantage

Being held in the historic home of Chrysler, GM, and Ford gives Autorama a symbolic weight other regional custom car shows simply don’t have. Builders who want their work seen in the city most closely associated with American car manufacturing treat an Autorama debut as a different kind of statement than showing the same car anywhere else.

More Than Just Muscle Cars

Boats and motorcycles mixed in among the muscle cars and hot rods on the show floor reflect Autorama’s broad-tent approach to the custom vehicle hobby generally — it has never limited itself to a single category of vehicle, which is part of why it draws builders and fans from well outside the muscle car world specifically.

A Show That Predates the Interstate Highway System

Tracing back to the early 1950s means Autorama has been running since before the U.S. even had its modern interstate highway network, a reminder of just how long custom car culture in Detroit has outlasted entire eras of American infrastructure and automotive history.

The Judging Categories Beyond Ridler

While the Ridler Award draws the most attention, Autorama’s judging spans dozens of categories covering everything from trucks to motorcycles to period-correct restorations, giving builders working in styles far removed from high-dollar custom roadsters a real shot at recognition too.

Why Builders Travel Across the Country for This One Show

Builders regularly haul finished cars hundreds or even thousands of miles specifically for an Autorama debut, a testament to how much the show’s reputation outweighs the simple convenience of showing closer to home.

The Ridler’s Cash Prize and Its Real Value

Winning the Ridler Award carries genuine prize money, but builders and industry insiders generally agree the real payoff is reputational — a Ridler win can define a builder’s career and drive demand for future commissions far beyond whatever the trophy itself is worth on paper.

A Show That Still Feels Like an Event

In an era when plenty of automotive content lives online, Autorama’s in-person, once-a-year format — complete with a genuine reveal-day suspense around the Ridler announcement — has kept the show feeling like appointment viewing for builders and fans who could just as easily watch highlights from home.

A Show Built Around Anticipation

Keeping the Ridler finalists under wraps until show weekend, rather than revealing them in advance, is a deliberate choice that keeps fans checking in throughout the event rather than treating the outcome as a foregone conclusion decided somewhere else months earlier.

A Legacy Measured in Decades, Not Years

Few custom car shows anywhere in the country can point to 65 consecutive years of continuous operation, and that longevity alone gives Autorama a credibility with builders that a newer regional show simply hasn’t had time to earn yet.

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