Autorama Gets Revved Up at Shores Business

This weekend Cobo Center will be the center of the world for gearheads at the 59th Detroit Autorama, but for the past 12 months, St. Clair Shores has been the hub of planning for this turbo-charged Detroit tradition.

Hours of planning went into selecting the best chopped, channeled, dumped and decked-out hot rods, custom cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles, from across the country and Canada at a small building in the Shores.

From the outside, especially in this winter snow, it seems like the perfect place to get a snowblower fixed. But once inside, it becomes clear that repairs are only a  portion of what goes on at . Chairman Dick Forton and Co-chairmen Butch Patrico and Steve Novosel have been planning what has been called "America's Greatest Hot Rod Show."

Forton's has been Autorama Headquarters for more than a few months now with piles of applications filed in order near the large floor map of Cobo Hall showing every inch of space and which vehicle is in it.

"I've been working on Autorama since 1955 when I joined the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA). I was right out of high school and had a 1940 Ford Convertible," Forton said. "My first car was a 1935 Model A that I paid $35 for. I showed it at Autorama in 1957."

Autorama actually started in 1953 at the University of Detroit Field House as an idea of the young MHRA hot-rodders to raise money for a drag strip. In 1961, Autorama was the first public paid event to take place at Cobo Hall. Today, the event is still sponsored by the MHRA and produced by Championship Auto Shows Inc., and it is the longest running public event at Cobo Center. 

Forton went from a grunt to a judge and co-chair in the 1960s and was elected chairman for his first time in 1969. "I think I've been chair more than anyone else, about 40 times," he said.

Forton is the man behind the map who, along with his two fellow gearheads (co-chairs), qualifies all the applicants and determines where all the vehicles will be placed inside Cobo. 

Hours and hours of planning go into this show. Patrico, of St. Clair Shores, explained that they receive more than 1,000 entries for the show and have space for 900 vehicles.

"It's the crown jewel of all car shows," said Patrico. "Some invest over $20,000 just in their 20 x 20 display alone."

Patrico is also head of the judges for the Summit Show Car Series and the Ridler Award. 

The Ridler Award is the reason the Detroit Autorama is considered the greatest hot rod show of all. It is presented to the most outstanding new custom car shown for the first time anywhere. The cars compete in the Summit Show Car Series and are judged for a series of awards by a panel of experts.

"These are the awards every car owner strives for," Patrico said.

This year's Autorama features over 100 classics from Macomb County alone, including St. Clair Shores residents Paul Dwaihy, who is bringing his 1966 Plymouth Barracuda, David Kaatz bringing his 1980 AMC AMX and Daniel Claus with his 1978 Army Truck. 

The show runs noon-10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-8p.m. Sunday. Admission is $18 for adults, $5 for children 6-12 years, and children 5 and under are free. Discount tickets are available at O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. Group rate tickets are also available.

For more information go to www.autorama.com or the Michigan Hot Rod Association website www.mhraonline.org.