(Words and photos by Mac’s Motor City Garage) – Courtesy of our good buddies and fellow web warriors at Mac’s Motor City Garage, here are the Pirelli Great 8 finalists that will be gunning for the Ridler Award at the 2014 Detroit Autorama this weekend.
(Editor’s note: While Chad was off shooting the new TV show he is hosting, and I was on the scaffolding at Famoso, some of the coolest cars in the country were all in Detroit for the legendary Detroit Autorama. Thanks to Bill McGuire and the team at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we have the following collection of Great 8 photos for you. We know it happened last weekend but we were in full nitro mode so we’re catching up!)
Early this past weekend, Autorama judges selected the Pirelli Great 8 for 2014. The theme this year is variety: From a group of 38 eligible cars and 15 solid contenders, they chose as their finalists three traditional hot rods, two Tri-Five Chevrolets, a radical custom, and two Pro Touring-style machines.
On Sunday evening, one of these eight cars will take home one of the most coveted prizes in the automotive world, the Ridler Award. Take a moment to check out this assortment of over-the-top machines. Do you have a favorite.? Any predictions?
Be sure to check back in at Mac’s Motor City Garage for an in-depth feature on the winning car.
Here’s the full group of eight cars that were up for the Ridler!
1932 Ford Fordor Highboy Don and Carolon Smith Mansfield, TX
1933 Ford 5W Coupe Rocky Boler Southampton, NY
1933 Ford Sedan Delivery Al and Jean Seese Lees Summit, MO
1956 Chevrolet 210 Dan Duffy Marietta, GA
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air John Sadler N. Little Rock, AR
1964 Buick Riviera J.F. Launier Osoyoos, BC
1967 Chevrolet Nova Steven Tornari Parkland, FL
1969 Camaro RS-SS Brian and Gianna Ganos Muskego, WI
In the sea of overly boring cars, the Riviera is a definite standout.
The Riviera is definitely different. Did anyone else notice they grafted a ’70’s boat tail rear window on the car?
’69 Camaros don’t normally get my attention, but I like this one, especially the tasteful grille treatment. Nice to see in blue instead of black or red.
I was thinking that was a ’64 Vette window?
For me … its the 33 Ford SW .
The ‘ Riv’ everyone seems so excited about IMO being OTT vulgar , cheap and obscene . A car one would become very sick of looking at after an hour or two . A hideous ‘ Plastic Fantastic ‘ remake of one of the most iconic designs in American Automotive history . ‘ Hot Wheels ‘ done very badly sums it up nicely . A ‘ Kit Bashed ‘ model gone wrong being another way of saying it
Now the Camaro ? Tasteful and reserved .. while still standing out .
But I’ll stick with the 33 . With the exception of the rear tires [ too low a profile for the car ] … the epitome of everything thats good about hot rods and customs
And how many cars have you shot?
Lotta shit flowing from your mouth .
Easy there, Tiger. Put your claws away. No need to get vulgar over an opinion that doesn’t agree with yours.
Truth is, a large segment of car enthusiasts are a little perplexed by this year’s Ridler selection.
With exception of the first two rods and the riviera, the other car seem dated, coulda been made ten years ago, not really my style
Just getting a car in the Great Eight would make you a winner in most other shows. It is hard to judge these cars on one photograph (or not according to some of the posts). If they all the same it would be a dull world.
I really cant wait to see more pictures of all the cars to get a real look at the workmanship these guys turn out..
Park any of em in my garage. I like them all. But since I’m supposed to pick, the 69 Camaro while nice, would be my last choice, simply because pretty much everyone has a 69 Camaro, or at least a story about one. I like the Riv,,, yellow is not my favorite color, but I like the car, especially with the 71 to 74 back window. Now that 67 Nova… Clean, discrete, and I think I see an 8 second pass, just while she is sitting there Yeah that is my choice
The Highboy or Riv would be my choice.
Lots of $$$$$ . . . Great detailing . . . incredible craftsmanship . . . but apparently few new ideas.
Only the Riviera seems to break new ground . . . and that is marred somewhat by the slavish devotion to various, tired “pro-touring” tropes . . . It would have been better without the giant “wagon wheels,” the billet, the air dam, and the Easter-egg color . . .
Too bad its not more like Bill Mitchell would have done it . . . sort of a “lost prototype” . . . .
The Riv is about the ugliest POS I have seen show up in Detroit. Let’s get back to real cars not some mismatched bunch of parts. It seems that The GNRS went through this same dilemma a few years ago.
I agree, ugly ass Riv….. They are luxury cars, not sports/performance cars.
I was lucky enough to check out all these cars in Detroit last weekend. All of them were real nice hot rods, but that Riviera had such a different presence. I was there pretty much all day Saturday and noticed a crowd of people around that car all day. It just seemed to draw people in. There are so many obvious and hidden details throughout that car that just had people trying to figure it all out. I knew right away that would be the Ridler winner. I still haven’t decided if I like it or not….
I have to agree with Mike Brooks – I saw the Riv in person. The profile of the car is just right. It gets the sporty nature of a Riv and takes it up a notch. My personal opinion is that the rear window treatment is from a ’72 boat tail, but one could easily see some early ‘Vette in that window, too. The profile is kinda Vette like. Maybe Bill McGuire’s site has the details.
BUT – the over the top engine, air intake running through the passenger compartment and needless nods to pro-touring stuff detract from the Riv. Reminds me of T-bucket stuff from back in the day where you look at it and think “oh, that will never work”
Look back at cars that have won the Riddler in recent years. Even if they were working off a tried-and-true envelope, the winners brought some serious innovation that did not seem to be present in the 7 other Great 8’ers this year. Just my two cents.
Great show and kudos to Brian and Chad for getting Bill McG in the mix. The holy trinity, you guys are (or should be)
Our own ls7gto had his hands in Rocky Boler’s 5W coupe.
After seeing the craftsmanship in that car, it is my opinion that anyone who helps with a car that makes it into the Great 8 can and should be proud.
And here you go the riv wins . go canuck motorheads.
Cannot say that I liked the style of the Riv, however the workmanship was spot on. I have met JF and he is the most self centered person that I have ever met. I would rather be a mediocre car builder and a good person than a Ridler winner and not be respected.
That Riv is the UGLIEST ridler winner ever in my opinion.
I was at Autorama and looked over all the Great 8 cars very carefully. IMO the Buick DID NOT desrve to win the Ridler – period. The first thing I noticed (from 20 feet away) is the shoddy chrome work on the cowl trim and grill/headlamp trim. It looked like someone chromed over 40 grit sandpaper. The hood was never up at all. (makes me wonder “why”) The six inch diameter intercooler stovepipe going up the windshield – down the center of the roof and into the trunk was stupid & ugly. I would never be this critical of any man’s hot rod – however this is supposed to the the “crem de la crem” of all the cars in the show – and it quite simply was not.
The real contenders for the Ridler Award IMO should have come down to the brown 33 coupe, the orange 32 coach and the awsome grey 67 Nova. These three were very deserving of this prestigious award. The show judges have succeeded in damaging the aura surrounding the “Ridler Award’s” name and reputation.
Dale Epp
After going back and looking at all the previous Ridler award winners I feel it is a shame that the Riviera won. I think it should of been between the 33 Ford Delivery, the 67 Nova (Beautiful! Car), or the 69 Camaro SS/RS. The Riv looks like some kids from highschool put all there ridiculous ideas together and made a car out of it. The fit and finish of the car is immaculate, but the design and layout its self is not worthy of the Ridler award.
Now that he has a Ridler, JF is now proclaiming himself to be the Best Car Builder in the World, at least those were his words during an interview that aired on our Kelowna BC TV channel last night. I agree with Bill’s comments, I know JF, and he has difficulty being humble with his success. Please think about your comments and how you treat the people around you…most car guys I speak to here in the Okanagan have trouble respecting you for that reason alone.