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Al Bergler will show his 1934 Ford.
Photo provided by Linda Ashley
John Kryta and Austin Kryta will show their race car and Trans Am.
Photo provided by Linda Ashley
John Kryta and Austin Kryta will show their race car and Trans Am.
Photo provided by Linda Ashley
Kevin Dombrowski, of Shelby Township, will show his white 1960 Imperial Custom Southampton at Autorama.
Photo provided by Linda Ashley
SHELBY TOWNSHIP/DETROIT — The Detroit Autorama will be returning once again to Huntington Place next week with many Shelby Township residents showcasing their hot rods.
Detroit Autorama will be celebrating its 72nd anniversary. The event will take place from noon to 10 p.m, Friday, February 28; from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 1; and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 2.
Kevin Dombrowski is a resident who will be showcasing his 1960 Imperial Custom Southampton.
“In the late ’50s and early ’60s, the luxury car manufactures were outdoing each other to showcase what they were capable of and had lots of influence with space travel, rocket ships and many other futuristic styling cues. General Motors’ flagship was Cadillac, and these features can be seen in their cars from that same era. At Chrysler Corp., the flagship was the Imperial line. It was advertised as ‘America’s most carefully built car’ and the top luxury brand offered by Chrysler,” he said.
He said his car is powered by a 413 cubic-inch (6.8L) V-8 engine offering 350 horsepower and 470 foot-pounds of torque.
“This Imperial is loaded with advanced features for its time, including power windows, power seats, power steering, power brakes, and rear-window defogger,” he said.
His Imperial is painted in Alaskan white with blue interior and Solex blue tinted glass.
He said in 1960 only 1,498 Custom Southamptons were produced as two doors, making this a rare car with not many examples left.
“This car was originally purchased in Rutherford, New Jersey, and spent the first 19 years there until it was bought by a collector in New York, where it stayed until it found its way back to the Detroit area in September 2021,” he said.
He said he was able to obtain it in December of 2022 when he convinced the owner to sell it to him.
He said he also has a few other classic cars.
“I have a 1965 Buick Riviera, a 1947 Ford, but my collection wasn’t complete because my favorite era of cars is the big fin and chrome grilles of the ’50s and early ’60s. When this car hit the market, I couldn’t pass it up and brought it home right before a snowstorm. My wife and I had to rearrange the garage to allow this 18 1/2-foot-long vehicle to fit. Now we enjoy it and have driven it to the Gilmore Car Museum on the west side of Michigan and taken it all the way up to Cheboygan and followed the coast of Lake Huron all the way back to Shelby Township,” he said.
He said it was featured in the EyesOn Design car show in June of 2023.
“We even included it in the wedding pictures of our daughter, Paige, who was married in October of last year,” he said.
Al Bergler is another one who will be showing his 1934 Ford built to resemble an early Bonneville. It’s a salt flat race car with a 283 Corvette motor, five-speed transmission, quick change rear end. It has an extreme chopped top and it took three years to build it. Bergler was the very first winner of the Ridler Award at Autorama when it was introduced in 1964 for his Slingshot Dragster
John Kryta and his son will be showcasing their cars, a black 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, a yellow Oldsmobile 442 w-43 hemi and an orange and blue 2024 Chevrolet Chevelle.
“This year we will have the car that won the (International Show Car Association) championship, and it’s been shown at five events throughout the country and won best restored at every one of those events. We are also displaying a brand-new Trans Am concept car along with a 1978 version of the same car so people can compare the new to the old,” he said.
He said that he and his brother have been coming to Autorama for 25 years.
“We’ve had cars and displays of all different types in that time frame. We will be receiving the lifetime achievement award this year, Circle of Champions, for all the cars we have put in the show past and present,” he said.
He said they will also have Austin Kryta, who is his son, showcasing his car. He is 16 years old and he drives a full-size race car.
“He has been racing since he’s been 8 years old, and now he races with the adults. He’s the youngest driver everywhere we go, and this is his personal car,” he said.
For more information, go to autorama.com/attend/detroit.
