The main floor of Cobo Center measures something like 600,000 square feet, more than 10 football fields. During the Detroit Autorama, that real estate is covered with vehicles, vendors, and attractions. But show doesn’t stop there.
Take the elevator down to the basement and you enter another exhibition area, known for three days as Autorama Extreme. This subterranean show-within-a-show started in 2005 and is where you will find vintage (or vintage-styled) hot rods, customs, drag cars, and cruisers. Most of them are low- to mid-budget, owner-built, and have long histories. In many cases, they have been preserved, rather than restored—as evidenced by their weather-worn paint and people-worn upholstery. In virtually every case, the imagination, build quality, and coolness factor is impressive. STREET RODDER typically finds one of our ten Detroit Autorama Top 100 award winners in the Autorama Extreme. This year we found two.
In addition to the traditional vehicles, Autorama Extreme features live bands, tradition-oriented vendors, and two popular attractions: the Vinsetta Garage Miss Autorama pinup girl contest and Gene Winfield’s Chop Shop. Continue on for a photo tour of the action from Autorama Extreme.
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