RIDLER AWARD 2016: THE RESULT!
IT WASN’T the news we were hoping for, but the winner of the 2016 Don Ridler Memorial Award at the Detroit Autorama is the 1939 ‘Olds Cool’ Oldsmobile of Billy and Debbie Thomas (above). Built by Customs & Hot Rods of Andice in Texas, the car is a stunner.
The team behind Billy Thomas’s Ridler-winning ’39 Olds
The body is scratch-built, with PPG Kona Brown paint by Charley Hutton. The rims are one-offs, the chassis is from Art Morrison and the whole deal is powered by a 455ci Oldsmobile running EFI and a custom intake.
Winner: Billy Thomas’s ’39 Oldsmobile
They reckon the only parts of the car that are actually 1939 Oldsmobile are the tops of the doors and the cowl!
Great 8: Chris Bitmead’s XBOSS Falcon
The Aussie contingent of Chris Bitmead and his XBOSS team didn’t come away empty-handed though – besides a spot in the Great Eight, an incredible achievement on its own, their XB Falcon also won the Outstanding Car of Show award. And more importantly, the car and team won the hearts of the crowd.
“The reception of XBOSS has been amazing,” Street Machine photographer Jordan Leist said. “The car is one of the favourites – if not the favourite – of the show; it has been surrounded by crowds all weekend. The amount of positive comments about the car is endless. Locals have seen it on the news and heard about it and came particularly to see it. People love the fact that it is different, the fact that it is a muscle car and has a punchy colour scheme. It has really connected with people, despite it being an unfamiliar car with the steering wheel on the wrong side!”