- The 2025 Detroit Autorama has wrapped with the 1955 Chevrolet Nomad “Gray Madder” taking top honors.
- This year’s Autorama goes into the books as the 72nd in the show’s history.
- The Detroit Autorama sits as one of the premier custom car shows in the world, with the Ridler award cementing cars, owners, and builders in hot rod lore.
Another Detroit Autorama is in the books, and a 1955 Chevrolet Nomad was crowned the latest Ridler Award winner. Dubbed “Gray Madder,” this custom ’55 Chevy bested seven other would-be winners and gave owners Tom and Christy Bresnahan and their son Josh some serious trophy case hardware.
Built by North Carolina-based Southern Comfort Customs and Interior, this radical ’55 Chevy rides on an Art Morrison-supplied chassis with a hydraulic suspension.
Powering this Nomad is a modern LS3 mill that is mated to a 6L90E six-speed automatic transmission. Power travels to the rear wheels through a custom rear end derived from Ford’s legendary 9-inch unit.
Gray madder sits on a set of custom wheels from Evod Industries that are wrapped in Diamond Back Classic rubber. Joining a set of custom wheels is a laundry list of one-off parts and pieces that include a custom steering column, grille, and fuel tank.
Those familiar with the pomp and circumstance of the Detroit Autorama will know that the “Gray Madder” was selected from a small pool under the Great Eight banner. This year’s Great Eight, excluding this year’s winner were:
- 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by John and Kelly Ayers
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Dan Patrone
- 1957 Chevrolet owned by David Bradwell
- 1949 Pontiac Silverstreak owned by Danny Asher
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Dave and Rhonda Ralph
- 1937 Chevrolet owned by John Farrow
- 1933 Ford Roadster Pickup owned by Detroit Metal Shaping
Outside of the Great Eight finalists and the Ridler Winner, there was more variety than ever at this year’s Autorama. The top level was filled with traditional custom cars in the Cavalcade of Customs, which included the famed Larry Ernst 1951 Chevy, and a clone of the Alexander Brothers-built 1960 Ford Starliner, dubbed Adonis. Also out in force was an array of current and vintage drag racing machines, lowriders, and more.
Below the top deck, the Autorama Extreme played host to its fair share of sharp hot rods, custom cars, and vintage motorcycles. For those unfamiliar, the Autorama Extreme tends to lean more toward the traditional side of the custom car spectrum and offers a more approachable every-man look at the collector car hobby.
Sorry if you missed the 72nd edition of the Detroit Autorama. The only fix is to head to the Cobo Hall TCF Center Huntington Place convention center in downtown next year.
Have you ever experienced the Detroit Autorama? Tell us about it below.
Wesley Wren has spent his entire life around cars, whether it’s dressing up as his father’s 1954 Ford for Halloween as a child, repairing cars in college or collecting frustrating pieces of history—and most things in between. Wesley is the current steward of a 1954 Ford Crestline Victoria, a 1975 Harley-Davidson FXE and a 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie. Oh yeah, and a 2005 Kia Sedona.
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