Shelby Township will be well represented at Detroit Autorama

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Detroit Autorama, billed as “America’s greatest hot rod show,” is back this weekend and celebrating its 70th anniversary.

The hot rod and custom car show will take place at Detroit’s Huntington Place — formerly the TCF Center and Cobo Center at 1 Washington Blvd. — Feb. 24-26.

As in past years, a number of locals will be showing their spectacular hot rods and customs among the 800 total vehicles.

Dan Dennis, of Shelby Township, will be one of the car builders exhibiting at Autorama. He brings a new vehicle to Detroit Autorama every year.

“It’s my hobby and my passion. This means I’ve built a new car from the ground up every year for 10 years. So I’ve had a new car in Autorama each year for the last 10 years. I build each car with a special theme, and this year, it is the Monster Coach, built on the theme of the Munster TV series of the 1960s,” he said in an email interview.

He said he was totally unaware that this year’s Autorama will feature the cars of the famous builder George Barris, who created the Munster Koach for the TV series. Attendees will be able to see the George Barris and Dan Dennis versions.

Dennis builds his cars almost entirely on his own.

“I build it 90% on my own, and my friends help with the rest. The base of the car is a 1922 Ford Truck with a T-bucket frame that is 100 years old. It is completely stripped down and rebuilt to my vision of the Monster Coach with elaborate pinstriping and red interior,” Dennis said.

Some of Dennis’ other cars over the years have included one based on the theme of Dorothy’s red shoes from “The Wizard of Oz” and one called the Jessica Rabbit Gold Digger car that was on the cover of many magazines, he said.

He said he considers it a privilege to be accepted into Autorama.

“I’ve been upstairs seven times and downstairs three times. Why do I do it? Because I’m 74 years old and I don’t know any better. Seriously, I enjoy the challenge. I grew up on a farm and you learn from an early age how to fix things, including cars, or else you just walk,” he said.

He said he thinks Autorama is great because it brings in an amazing scope of people and cars from across the country.

“The cars, in my opinion, are just breathtaking. They are really works of art. These are not your mom and pop cars you see at everyday cruises. These are truly the best of the best. Well worth the price of admission,” he said.

Brian Stolicki is another resident of Shelby Township who is showcasing his vehicle and who also has a special spot in Autorama. He is one of the six winners of the 2023 Next Generation Modifier competition. He is just 21 and built his own 2016 Scion FRS Coupe.

The winners of the Next Generation of Modifiers will have their own spot and six cars on view at this year’s Autorama.

Passing the hot rod custom car hobby on to the next generation is what one of the oldest hot rod clubs in Michigan, the Motor City Modified Auto Club, had in mind when it started the Next Generation Modifiers competition to debut at this year’s Autorama.

Communicating through social media and looking for the next generation of modifiers, the club reached out to 16- to 25-year-olds who had applied their car passions to their own rides. Then the club held its inaugural virtual car show on social media, which resulted in Stolicki being one of the winners.

Stolicki has been into the car scene since 2016. He grew up with a buddy who had a drag car and spent a lot of time at the racetrack when he was young.

“My mom passed away in December 2019 from cancer, and six months later, my best friend passed away. They were so proud of me when I got my first real car that I was able to modify. Their passing has been my motivation for the past three years to keep pushing myself to go further on my build and in life,” Stolicki said in an email interview.

He has been racing the car and said that with each modification he makes to the car, it gets better and better lap times. He is dedicated to the hobby.

“Autorama is a really exciting event. I think it’s a great way for enthusiasts alike to get together and show off their work and skills. I’ve been going to this event since I was a kid and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Stolicki said. 

He said what made him want to build his own 2016 Scion FRS Coupe was that the FRS was a car that he had wanted since he was in junior high school.

“To put things in short, it was a very popular car with some automotive youtubers I watched at the time and had multiple appearances in video games that I played as well. It’s a very good platform to get into if you want to get into track days/autocross — there’s a huge aftermarket support for these cars. I bought mine with the intention of making it a show car, but it slowly turned into a car that I can now enjoy on the track and street,” he said.

“I’ve had the car for three years now, I bought it completely stock, and it’s gone through multiple phases throughout the years. Currently the car has a HKS GT2 Supercharger kit on it. It has a bunch of suspension components on the car to make it handle better on the track such as coilovers, sway bars, control arms, end links, etc. It also has track tested aero from Verus Engineering. The aero helps the car produce more downforce on the track so I can get better lap times,” he said.

He said there were multiple cars that were entered in the Next Generation Modifiers competition, and he was honored that he was chosen. 

Autorama will be open from noon to 10 p.m. Feb. 24, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 25 and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 26. Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $10 for children ages 6-12. Discounted tickets of $23 and $9, respectively, are available at O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. For more information about Autorama, go to www.autorama.com or call (248) 373-1700.