(WXYZ) — Detroit's Autorama is back for its 73rd year, and Huntington Place has been transformed into what can only be described as horsepower heaven — from candy-colored custom rides to fire-breathing hot rods around every corner.
This year, over 650 custom and classic cars are on display, along with several guest appearances.
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Autorama Chairman Ken Douglass said the event is built for everyone.
"This is just a terrific family fun event for everyone to come and see," Douglass said.
Douglass has been coming to Autorama for 20 years, showing off a classic hot rod that carries deep personal meaning.
"It originally belonged to my father-in-law and got passed down to my wife and I, and we've been having fun in it ever since," Douglass said.
For Douglass, the show is about more than just the cars — it's about the experience.
"This is a place where the Hot Wheels come to life, so to speak," Douglass said.
And the best part? You don't need a collector's budget to enjoy it — just a sense of adventure.
One of this year's standout moments is the President's Award, won by Len Palmeri for a car he and his father custom-built together.
"The project was a father and son project, my father built many custom cars and hand-built cars," Palmeri said.
The award-winning build is a one-of-a-kind creation decades in the making.
"It's basically a reproduction of what we thought a 1929 Mercedes would look like. It was done 57 years ago, my father and I built it," Palmeri said.
Palmeri encouraged everyone to make the trip to Huntington Place.
"Come down to the Autorama and see the cars, have fun and talk to the guys that own them," Palmeri said.
Of course, no Autorama would be complete without the legendary Ridler Award — the show's most prestigious honor, given to hand-crafted, meticulously engineered custom builds that are widely considered works of art on wheels.
I spoke with 2025 Ridler Award winner Tom Bresnahan about his custom 1955 Chevy Nomad, a build that started from almost nothing.
"This is a complete hand-built car we started basically with an abandoned car, just a body and a chassis, there was no engine, no transmission," Bresnahan said.
But the road to completing the Nomad was far from easy. Six years into the build, Bresnahan and his wife both received life-changing health news.
"We were about 6 years into the build and then I got diagnosed with cancer, so we stopped because 6 weeks later my wife got diagnosed with cancer, so we stopped and we didn't know what was going to happen," Bresnahan said.
After both beat cancer, they returned to the build and saw it through to the finish.
"After ten years and 20,000 hours later, this is what we came up with," Bresnahan said.
Every detail on the Nomad — from the interior and tail lights to the wheels and engine — is custom-made.
"Everything on this is custom-made and it takes hours and hours to do that," Bresnahan said.
For Bresnahan, the recognition at Autorama is a reflection of what the show means to the custom car world.
"It's true what they say it's the world's greatest car show and that's the truth," Bresnahan said.
Whether you're there for inspiration, nostalgia, or just to snap a photo next to the wildest custom car you've ever seen, Autorama delivers.
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