![[GALLERY] 1953 Corvette 'TwelveAir' Wins the Prestigious Ridler Award at Detroit Autorama](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2024/030424_118.jpg)
In the world of hot rodding and custom cars, Detroit Autorama is the Super Bowl of the hobby. Instead of getting a Lombardi trophy, the Detroit Autorama winner receives the prestigious Ridler Award. This year that honor went to an absolutely stunning 1953 Corvette custom owned by Dave and Tracey Maxwell and built by Kindig-it Design.
To qualify for the Ridler Award, the car must be shown publicly for the very first time. Posting or sharing in-process photos or renderings online prior to the show are not permitted. Furthermore, it must start/stop and be driven into its show spot.
Early on Friday of the show, judges select the Great 8. This octet is the final group of contenders for the Ridler Award. Then, later Sunday afternoon, the lucky winner is announced. Each Ridler winner also gets $10,000 to go along with the instant-legend status.
This year’s prestigious award went to a 1953 Corvette named TwelveAir. The wildly modified Corvette was the result of five years of work by the talented team at Kindig-it Design. The win is the first for Kindig-it. Past winning builders include Chip Foose, Bobby Alloway, and other noted hot rodders.
As you’d expect on a hot rod of this level, virtually everything is hand built or custom made. The engine is an LS-based, naturally aspirated 9.2L V12. The body is completely hand built out of aluminum and based loosely on the GM Corvair show cars from the 1950’s. The curvaceous body is sprayed in a color called Infrared and is accented with Sagebrushed. This combines for a dark red or burgundy with shades of copper and even some brown depending on the light. In person, it’s a stunning color. You’ll note its different hues in our gallery below.
The suspension was inspired by Indy cars and features a clever cantilever design with the rear coilover peeking out from behind the seats. Those chairs are covered in Sienna leather as are the 3D printed instrument panel and console. We loved the custom inserts on the door panels.
The wheels are one-off 20″ up front and 21″ out back designed by Dave Kindig himself. They’re wrapped in 345-width Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires. The brake calipers are from Wilwood and the rotors are hand polished stainless steel.
As you can see, this all adds up to one truly unique custom Corvette, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. From the subtle double-bubble top, the sweeping rear roof line, to the incredible V12 engine, the TwelveAir is possibly the coolest high-end custom Corvette we’ve ever seen.
Now, enjoy our gallery of the 2024 Ridler Award winner and let us know your thoughts in the Comment section below.
Source:
Photos by Steve Burns
Related:
[PICS] Corvettes and More at the 2022 Detroit Autorama
[PICS] The Corvettes of the 2018 Detroit Autorama
[PICS] Corvettes at Autorama: 1954 Motorama Concept Tribute
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Sorry, but this is sacriledge.
Stunning. Just stunning. So outside the box thinking in that car. The V12 is inspired. Dave and team deserve this award.
Spectacular, except from the side the wheels and tires look like they belong on a bicycle or at best on a motorcycle, rather than on a car, especially one as beautiful as this. I just don’t understand the aesthetic appeal of extremely open wheels and tires with virtually no sidewall, as it almost looks as if the car has been left up on blocks after its wheels were stolen. When you have big round wheel wells like C1 Corvettes have, you need wheels and tires with substance to fill them!
Those wheels and tires do this beautiful creation no favors, they look extremely out of place. Trouble is , what wheel design would set this car off , it needs a tire with a bit more body too . What stymies me the most is that V/12 creation under the hood , who, how , where , did it comes from . The whole package is amazing , Sorry , I do not like the wheel-tire combo .
I don’t care for the stance of this car. The wheels sit way too far inside the wheel wells for my taste. It makes it look like it has wheels that are the wrong offset for the car. Not a good look for a Corvette.
Clearly there were countless hours spent creating and engineering this car, however I agree that the wheels give it a ridiculous look, sorry Dave. I’d rather go to to the Detroit Autorama to see one of the Alexander Brothers striking creations, or one of Chip Foose’s masterpieces.
To each his own.Like or dislike no one can say it’s not a beautiful vehicle. Not a Corvette but a 53′ Corvette themed hot rod. Hate the color,hate the wheels, hate whatever, I nor you will ever have the deep pockets or skills it took to build this vehicle. You may not be into resto mods or hot rods but Dave Kindig’s talent and shop is right up their with Coddington,Foose,and Alloway. One of the nicest Riddlers I have ever seen. Each year the winners go farther over the top.
Stunning is a word that somehow falls short when describing this work of art. I can see the issues being raised around the choice of wheels … but those issues aside, I’m at a loss for words.
Anyone that can afford to have something like this put together probably isn’t going to care whether or not they get an award of $10,000. This just bothers me somehow.
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