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Autorama 2025: Barbie’s Caddy, Transformers robot car and hot rods galore
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 28, 2025
Detroit — Forget “Barbenheimer.” This weekend, “Barbieformers” is coming to Huntington Place.
Barbie’s Pink Cadillac convertible and the “Transformer” movie-inspired Megamorph Giant Robot Car are among the headliners for this weekend’s 72nd Annual Meguiar’s Detroit Autorama presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts as it roars into town Friday through Sunday. The Hollywood duo compliment over 800 of world’s best chopped, channeled, dumped ‘n’ decked hot rods and custom cars — including competitors for hot rodding’s biggest bauble, the Ridler Award.
Autorama attracts custom builders from all over the world — including an Austrian entry this year — as well as celebrities like former “Street Outlaw” TV hosts Farmtruck and AZN and Farmtruck, “Counting Cars” TV hosts Danny Koker and Kevin Mack, and WWE Hall of Famers Team 3D.
In addition to the stars, Autorama spices the recipe with local flavor including Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who will sign autographs, a Dexter family’s 1941 Buick Special that survived Parel Harbor, an 11-year-old Macomb drag racer, a 17-year-old Madison Heights customer-builder’s AMC Gremlin, and more.
“Being that this is the Motor City, we have the most knowledgeable, passionate and dedicated hot rod/custom car fans in the world. That’s why we look forward to their reaction to this year’s Autorama,” said producer Peter Toundas, who is also president and owner of Championship Auto Shows Inc. “All of the attractions at this year’s Autorama will astound showgoers. Bu, at the heart of Autorama are the dazzling hot rods and customs competing for top awards including The Ridler.”
Austrian custom builder Knud Tiroch brought his dazzling, Sterling Silver, 1951 Mercury 951 all the way from Vienna for Autorama to compete in the Match Race and Exhibition Class. Tiroch said the United States is the epicenter of global hot rod culture.
“Hot rod and custom culture in Europe is also American Fords, Corvettes, Chevys,” he said. “We have them all. Occasionally you’ll see a modified VW Beetle. We have done shows in Oslo, Norway; Elmia Convention Center in Sweden, and Essen, Germany. And now I’m doing shows in the United States while my son runs the shop back home.”A veteran of the Red Bull Formula One racing team, Tiroch has brought racing know-how to his Mercury creation, which is slammed to the ground on a performance chassis and fortified by a full roll cage. F-16 fighter plane controls activate everything from lights to the automatic hood, while a sequential racing gearbox operates the 6.2-liter, 600-horsepower Chevy V-8 engine under the hood.
“It will hit 168 mph on the race track,” smiled the Austrian.
Directly in front of Tiroch’s exhibit are the 24 Ridler entries that will cap off the weekend’s festivities. Entries like the “Gray Madder” — a custom-built 1955 Chevy Nomad from Pekin, Illinois, that has been in the making for 10 years. Presented by Meguiar’s, the most coveted award in hot rodding is presented to the best new custom car. The world’s finest custom car builders will unveil their cars here — many of them the result of of years (and millions of dollars) in prep.
Some 30 cars qualify and will then be winnowed by judges to the BASF Great 8. The Ridler winner of the Great 8 takes home $10,000 cash, a custom trophy, and jacket.
“It’s extremely gratifying that Detroit Autorama is the home of America’s most important hot rod award,” said Toundas. ” Detroit is where hot rod/custom car shows started so we make every effort to let everyone know about this important heritage.”
Beyond the Rider, top customizers and backyard car jockeys have brought their creations to compete for awards across numerous classes in the Summit Racing Equipment Show Car Series. The 30th Anniversary of The Cavalcade of Cars is also on hand — a collection of the United States’ finest customs cars selected by legendary builder Chuck Miller.
Also a legend here is Al Bergler, 88, the first Ridler Award winner in 1964 with an Austin coupe dragster. These days, Bergler is passing on his know-how to 11-year old drag racer Aiden Thomas of Macomb who has brought his Junior Dragster class slingshot racer to Autorama. Aiden’s grandfather, Kelly Wojzik, 64, crews for his grandson.
Other Michigan entries of note include:
➤Amy and John Michalek of Dexter will showcase their 1941 Buick Special, which survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor after its owner — Amy’s great uncle — did not. He dashed from the car on Dec. 7, 1941, to a nearby Curtiss P-40 fighter plane and lost his life while fighting off invading Japanese warplanes.
➤“The Road Chief,” a completely restored 1949 Pontiac convertible owned by Mike Stowe of Boyne City that has been named one of Rod & Customs’ 100 best cars.
➤Rubbing shoulders with the male motorheads is Charlotte Davidson of Southfield and her blue 2017 Corvette.
➤Harold Sullivan of Bloomfield Hills will show off his silver 1967 “Silver Bullet” Plymouth, which terrorized Woodward years ago.
➤Artist Murray Pfaff of Royal Oak brings his D LOT! to Autorama featuring drawings of hot rods that ultimately got built. Murray also auctions auto memorabilia to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation.
Back in the celebrity aisle, Farmtruck and AZN’s latest creation is called (appropriately) The Funny Farm. This Frankenstein’s monster features opposing, 1970 C10 truck cabs welded together, then powered by twin Cadillac 500-cubic inch engines. Operation requires two drivers — facing in opposite directions — controlling independent steering, braking and drive systems
The result? All-wheel-drive, 360-degree burnouts.
Barbie’s 1970 pink Cadillac — all the way from Orlando’s Epcot Center, where it’s used as a parade car — is on the main floor with all these toys, but the eight-foot-tall Megamorph Transformer will be found in the high-ceiling Atrium.
Want more eye candy? Autorama Extreme covers Huntington Place’s 100,000-square-foot lower level featuring over 200 traditional rods, customs and bobber bikes inspired by the 1950s. There can be found one of Autorama’s youngest entrants, Nolan McCann, 17, of Madison Heights, who will has brought his custom 1972 AMC Gremlin.
The first Detroit Autorama took place in 1953 at the University of Detroit Field House as a fundraiser for Michigan Hot Rod Association’s efforts to build the legendary Motor City Dragway. The circus then moved between the Michigan State Fairgrounds and the Detroit Artillery Armory before coming to rest at Detroit’s convention center in 1961.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.