Rocky Mountain Auto Show Brings Premiere Hot Rods to the Mile High

For those Colorado hot rod enthusiasts looking for a late-season exhibit of some of the country’s premiere rides, the annual “Creme de la Chrome” Rocky Mountain Auto Show, held the weekend of Thanksgiving, does not disappoint. Filled with local favorites, previous Ridler Award winners and SEMA Show cars, the Rocky Mountain Auto Show is as close to a Concours d’Elegance as the Colorado hot rod community gets.

This last weekend, we joined hundreds of enthusiasts as they descended on the Denver Convention Center to see some of the hottest hot rods in the country. And boy were we in for a treat.

Having only experienced the Rocky Mountain Auto Show through the Grey Beard Promotions website and the tails of fellow hot rod enthusiasts, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. But once we walked in the doors, we could immediately tell the type of show we had walked into- one that screamed class.

Right up front, we were welcomed by gorgeous rides, ranging from the 2011 Ridler Award winning 1956 Ford Convertible nicknamed “Suncammer” to the 1968 Ford Torino Talladega built by Rad Rides by Troy. Nicknamed “GPT Special”, we had had the pleasure of seeing this car earlier in the year at the 2013 SEMA Show, but it was certainly worth another look.

Also up front was the trophy that all the participants of the show were vying for, a one-of-a-kind 8-foot trophy designed by automotive illustrator Darrell Mayabb. While the trophy, which each show winner’s name is engraved on, is definitely a bit big to take home in the back of the winning car, smaller replicas are sent home with the winner of the show, along with a cash prize, and a show winner’s jacket.

Making our way through the show, we saw plenty of prized rides that had a good shot at taking the ultimate title home at the end of the weekend, including some of our previous feature cars like Mike Partyka’s 1931 rat rod, Brett Watson’s 1960 El Camino and 1960 Catalina, and even Bill Davis’ custom 1940 Ford pickup. Of course, we also found a number of customs we hadn’t seen before also well within the running for the show trophy.

Along with the cars, as well as custom bikes, on display, there were also a number of local vendors on site, from pinstrippers who specialize in pinstripping bags, glasses and Christmas ornaments, to photographers with the utmost skill in automotive photography.

Also exhibiting at the show we found the crew from the Georgetown Hot Rod Hill Climb showing off the cars from the 2013 event and selling merchandise to help support another year of the come-back event.

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The Rocky Mountain Auto Show also introduced a live auction to the event this year, run by Superior & Collector Car Auctions. On the floor for sale were classic Chevys, Oldsmobiles, Fords and everything in between. Bidders crowded in row after row of seating just to get a glimpse at some of the premiere cars up for grabs, some offering bids well into the upper five-figure range. Just like with larger auctions like Meccum or Barrett-Jackson, many awesome rides found new homes with avid enthusiasts while others failed to sell due to reserve prices and were slated to move on to a bigger auction stage.

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All in all, our time at the Rocky Mountain Auto Show was filled with nothing but the best rides that Colorado (and then some) had to offer. A true topping to the holiday weekend, we can’t imagine another Thanksgiving without experiencing what the Rocky Mountain Auto Show has to offer! For more sights from the Rocky Mountain Auto Show, check out the GALLERY below!