Network
Don’t worry – this won’t be the only time you see this Cadi around here!
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.
This year marked the 17th year for the annual Rocky Mountain Auto Show, making this special trophy featuring the name of each year’s winner, revealed just this year at the show, that much more spectacular.
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.
The best sights and sounds of the Rocky Mountain Auto Show came down to all the details, from extreme performance engines to unique paint schemes and custom interiors.
This old roadster may not look like some of the poster cars we found at the Rocky Mountain Auto Show, but as an old salt racer, it has quite the story to tell, as we found out from its owner Scott McCann. Stay tuned as we dive into this unique car’s history in the near future!
