Detroit Autorama’s Don Ridler Memorial Award was first presented in 1964.
The award honors Don Ridler, a promoter who helped expand the Detroit Autorama during its formative years. Ridler worked with the Michigan Hot Rod Association and served as the show’s first major promoter from 1956 until his death in 1963. The following year, organizers created a best-in-show award bearing his name.
The inaugural award was presented at the 12th annual Autorama. Al Bergler won with “Aggravation,” an alcohol slingshot dragster. Since then, the Ridler has become one of the most prestigious prizes in professional custom-car building and is often described as the “Nobel Prize of Hot Rodding.”
The competition is not simply a general popularity contest. Entrants must debut a vehicle with limited prior media exposure and meet operating requirements before judges select the finalists known as the Great 8. The award is therefore distinct from Detroit Autorama’s founding year, 1953, and from later milestones such as the 1970s and 1980s winner lists.