Auto Industry News: New Ridler Winner, Updated Meyers Manx, Fresh-Faced Yenko Camaro, & Retuned Electric Growls
Custom car lovers got a treat this weekend as the Detroit Autorama rolled into town and named its 2023 Ridler Award Winner – bestowing the honor on a 1950 Mercury 2-door. In other classic car news, the Meyers Manx dune buggy gets an update, the Yenko Camaro returns, and a 115-year old motorcycle smashes auction records.
On the modern front, Ferrari and Dodge work on fine-tuning their artificial engine growls for electric power, and Subway figures a mediocre sandwich should make EV charging times more palatable.
All that and more in this week’s Auto Industry News.
Detroit Autorama
The Ridler Award, handed out each year at the Detroit Autorama, is one of the country’s most prestigious automotive awards. As expected, taking one home is an exciting prospect for any custom car lover. But taking two Ridler Awards, back-to-back? Well, that’s just the stuff of dreams.
This year, Luigi Deriggi’s stunning 1950 Mercury custom named “Maximus” took top honors, fulfilling a long-held dream for the New Jersey native. And while taking home a Ridler was a first for Deriggi, it was the second such victory for the vehicle’s builder, Bruce Harvey of Pro Comp Custom.
Harvey and his Pittsburgh-based shop built last year’s champ, “Sho Bird,” a gorgeous 1931 Chevrolet Independence. Applying the same level of meticulous craftsmanship, creativity and engineering to Deriggi’s Merc, Harvey and his team ensured that “Pro Comp Custom” will be a name well-known in the custom car community.
A quick look at the award-winning 1950 Mercury 2-Door reveals it as a very modern take on what many consider to be the ultimate classic car for customization. Pro Comp Custom dropped the Merc five inches, adding custom upgraded headlights and taillights to the body, as well as a hand-built grille, front spoiler, and custom front and rear bumpers. The Candy Root Beer paint job with airbrushed details rounds out the upgraded look.
Below the body, under the hood, and inside the cabin you’ll find:
- specialized Art Morrison chassis on air ride suspension
- polished & chromed Winters quick-change rearend
- custom 20×10 and 22×10 Chris Boyd 10-spoke wheels
- custom Kooks mandrel bent stainless-steel exhaust
- Ford Coyote V-8 topped with a Borla 8-stack fuel injection kit and mated to an AOD trans
- custom Paul Atkins interior
- custom Sparc Industries steering wheel
- custom dash with Class Instruments-built gauges
- Lokar shifter and pedals
Did you know…?
New legislation in California could make cruising the main drag a reality again. AB 436, introduced by South Bay Assemblymember David Alvarez, would amend the California Vehicle Code to repeal decades-old cruising bans. The proposal would also lift statewide restrictions on lowriders – a form of car culture that, in fact, was born in California.
“It’s time that we change these laws, they’re antiquated,” Alvarez said. “The reality is that people who are spending their time and their money — and these cars can be very expensive — they’re not individuals who are looking to do any harm.”
Meyers Manx: Digitally Remastered
As a rare snow storm finishes pummeling California, no doubt visions of warm beach days are on many people’s minds. Meyers Manx can help them complete the daydream with an updated builder kit of the classic dune buggy.
An icon of off-road adventure, the Meyers Manx was originally designed for desert racing – smashing many dunes (and records) during its heyday. It consisted of an open-top unibody shell fitted over a shortened and modified VW Beetle chassis, creating a nimble little buggy that made good work of the VW’s engine and mechanicals.
The all-new Meyers Manx Remastered Kit changes little of the original design (save for adding a locking trunk), and instead focuses on improving the builder experience.
According to the company, the new kit uses modern technology – like 3D scanning – to ensure greater precision. That means, parts should line up more accurately and make at-home assembly a bit easier. Additionally, the dash assembly is now removable and features integrated wiring tubes, making the wiring process less complicated.
Meyers Manx is taking reservations now, requiring a 50% deposit of the kit’s total $5,995 cost. Purchase gets you the buggy’s body, dashboard, and trim—finding a donor car is up to you.
Yenko Camaro Returns (In More Ways Than One)
Something else gets an update for 2023. Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) announced two new Yenko Camaros based on the latest Chevrolet Camaro platform.
The first is a 750-hp package, available on 2023 LT1, 1SS and 2SS Camaros in coupe and convertible formats with automatic or manual transmissions. Emission legal in all 50 states, power boost comes compliments of a 3.0L twin-screw supercharger that reaches over 100% volumetric efficiency. Only 50 will be built.
Those looking for even more horsepower can opt for the 1100-hp Stage-1 package or the 1150-hp Stage 2 package Yenkos – the most powerful to date. Based off the SS 1LE and only available in coupe configuration, these models feature a supercharged custom-built 6.8L V-8 engine, which SVE based on the production 6.2L LT-1. The limited-edition Stage 2 is only available with a manual transmission, and the Stage 1 with an automatic. SVE will build 50 of each.
If classic Yenko iron is more your style, then keep an eye out at Mecum’s upcoming Glendale, AZ auction where this rare 1968 RS/SS Yenko Camaro is set to cross the block.
One of a purported 64 Yenko Super Camaros built that year and one of only eleven RS/SS Yenko Camaros that year, this beauty saw plenty of pavement in her early days, being heavily drag-raced before reaching the current owners in 1980. They decided to preserve the American classic, and had drag racing veteran “Akron” Arlen Vanke rebuild the engine. Mecum Glendale runs March 28 – April 1.
Most Expensive Motorcycle Sold at Auction Is 115 Years Old
Speaking of rare auction gems, a Wisconsin barn find recently sold in January for an eyeball-popping $935,000 at Mecum Las Vegas. What’s more impressive? It’s a Harley-Davidson motorcycle — built in 1908.
The record-breaking bike – dubbed a “Strap Tank” – is the earliest Harley-Davidson model one will ever find out in the world, according to Mecum. The motorcycle got its name from the nickel-plated steel bands that “strap” the fuel and oil tanks to the frame. The design helped establish a pattern for future Harley-Davidson production, both in its styling and engineering.
This particular example is 1 of only 450 produced in 1908, and was discovered as a complete motorcycle in a barn 70 miles outside Milwaukee by David Uihlein in 1941. Uihlein held onto it for an impressive 66 years, eventually commissioning a restoration by Indiana-based collector Paul Freehill. The bike still sports the original tank, wheels, engine belt pulley, seat cover and muffler sleeve, making it an exceptionally rare find.
Ferrari & Dodge Fine-Tune Artificial Engine Noises
Returning to the present… Automakers are still working out ways to reconcile enthusiasts’ love of classic high performance ICE vehicles with the environmental pressure to reduce carbon emissions. And equipping new EVs with artificial engine growls seems to be their latest stab at a solution.
Dodge, which is replacing its legendary Challenger and Charger models with electric-powered muscle, debuted an updated version of its industry-first Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system at the Chicago Auto Show. The faux-exhaust, which creates sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber installed in the back of the car, can reach Hellcat-level screams of 126 decibels.
An impressive bit of engineering, the EV “engine” growl received a lukewarm response when it first appeared back in August on the Charger Daytona Banshee concept. While this second attempt is enjoying more favorable reviews, thanks to its improved rumble, many enthusiasts still argue that “fake is fake,” with one commenter pointing out in an online thread that “this is akin to a Model T making fake neighing sounds.”
Regardless, automakers are still throwing money at the novelty.
A recent patent filing shows that Ferrari has similar plans to create distinctive and artificial engine sounds for its upcoming all-electric supercar, due in 2025. The “reproduction device” presumably will allow the automaker to amplify electric motor(s) sounds and then direct them to the rear of the vehicle, mimicking a signature ICE Ferrari growl.
Fine-tuning engine pitch is nothing new to automotive engineering, but manufacturing it is. And while building sounds into silent EVs will literally save pedestrian lives, having them imitate the “dirty” vehicles they’re set to replace just feels wrong to many enthusiasts.
As several ICE lovers have pointed out in their responses, automakers have a chance to imagine something truly unique for what are often beautifully-crafted and highly-capable EVs – so why settle for an imperfect imitation?
Nosh & Charge
Speaking of EVs, Subway is partnering with GenZ EV Solutions to build EV charging “oasis stations” where customers can plug in while chowing down.
The pseudo-rest area will feature charging canopies with multiple ports, picnic tables, Wi-Fi, restrooms, green space and even playgrounds. As part of a multi-year plan to rollout the Subway Oasis, the companies will test pilot smaller-format, fast EV charging stations at select, new or newly remodeled restaurants across the U.S., starting this year.
The move makes sense, as charging an EV still takes anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours depending on the vehicle’s battery level and the style of charger. Folks will need something to do in that time – why not sell them a perfectly mediocre sandwich?
However, the announcement comes at an interesting time, since Subway confirmed in a statement earlier this week that its shareholders are “exploring a possible sale” of the company. They’ve hired J.P. Morgan to help conduct the process, which the Wall Street Journal estimates could value the sandwich maker at more than $10 billion.
The Engine Block is your one-stop source for any and all auto industry news. Keep an eye on our weekly round-up of enthusiast coverage, product reviews, vehicle spotlights, auto show/expo features, and more. Be sure to check back Wednesday for fun history lesson in truck bed innovations, and Friday for everything you need to know about the upcoming Mint 400.
