DALLAS, Texas The 51st annual O’Reilly Auto Parts AutoRama, scheduled for Feb. 18-20, in the Dallas Market Hall, will showcase an incredible collection of custom vehicles, according to event organizers. The Dallas AutoRama will also include appearances by celebrities, the legendary Bigfoot Monster Truck Car Crush and a variety of family friendly activities. The O’Reilly Auto Parts AutoRama is sanctioned by the International Show Car Association (ISCA) and is part of the Summit Racing Show Car Series.
"Local car clubs and automotive fans will appreciate the lineup of cars we’re bringing to Dallas this year," said Bob Larivee Jr., CEO of Championship Auto Shows Inc. "From vintage dragsters to priceless Resto-mods, there’s a car for even the most discerning automotive aficionado to appreciate."
Taking the stage during the Dallas AutoRama is the Roswell Rod, a "Ratical" Bubble Top, built with a cast-off ’70 Buick Skylark front frame clip. Fritz Schenck, who was inspired by "Big Daddy" Ed Roth, took on the project of modifying the unique bubble top.
Fritz designed and built the body Roth-style by stacking plaster-coated newspaper wads in a general shape until it started resembling his vision. For the interior, he made the seat buckets himself and had the seats dressed in white vinyl with Zodiac Red Flare piping, which was completed by Custom Interiors. The steering wheel is an entirely original Fritz Schenck creation.
"It’s a combination of ingenuity and innovation rolled into a small-block Chevy powered chassis," added Larivee.
Also joining the lineup at the AutoRama is the recreation of the legendary Junior Conway ’54 Coupe created by Fort Worth resident Jerry Daman. He restyled the Ford with his two sons as a tribute to Conway and to recreate a piece of history that reflects a unique time period. Before appearing at the Dallas AutoRama, the ’54 tribute car made its way to the Grand National Roadster Show, from Jan. 28-30.
Additionally, Mark Britt from Granbury is exhibiting his modified ’38 Chevrolet during the show. It features a body that is chopped, channeled and sitting on a custom tube chassis with a blower motor. The truck is also finished in "Bare Metal" with traditional "Lead" showing off the chopped roof and pinched lower body and grill work.
Donnie Anderson of Albany, Texas, and his identical twin Ronnie Anderson will both exhibit great cars during the AutoRama. Donnie will feature his ’68 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, and Ronnie will showcase for the first time a ’57 Bel Air Convertible.
The big block Camaro is red with black stripes and features a Detroit Speed four link rear end system. He lowered it 2 inches and customized the interior with four bucket seats. He included a power hydro boost brake system, chrome specialties and a Mercedes black top. The rare ’57 Bel Air is red with a custom leather interior and features a LS1 Corvette fuel-injected engine.
"We’ve been interested in cars since we were teenagers and have been collecting for more than 15 years," noted Donnie Anderson. "The Dallas AutoRama is a great venue to display really cool cars."
Joining the great collection of cars is a modified ’29 Ford Phaeton that Fort Worth resident Tom Blanton is showcasing at this year’s Dallas AutoRama. "This will be the last year that the car will exhibit at any show until the International Show Car Finals," noted Blanton.
The chrome and polished four-door roadster has a soft top and no windows with a fuel-injected blown Chevrolet engine and an interior updated with full leather and wool carpeting.
"This car was unique for its time because it was built when convertibles typically didn’t have four doors," added Blanton. "It’s one of my favorites because I can take the grandkids in it."