"Gold Digger," a stunning 1933 Ford Phaeton sporting a gleaming gold finish by PPG Industries' (NYSE:PPG) automotive refinish business, has won this year's Ridler Award. The honor, regarded as the most prestigious in the world of custom cars, was announced at the 58th Detroit Autorama at Cobo Hall. The car is owned by Tammy Ray of Dahlonega, Ga., making her the first woman to win the celebrated prize.
Ray has been a hot rod and custom car fan for 12 years. This was her second entry in the Ridler Award contest. In 2006, her car was among the "Great Eight" Ridler Award finalists but missed the big prize. This time, her entry was a success.
她说：“当他们宣布该奖项时，我非常兴奋，我真的很喘不过气。”“我们在这辆车上工作了两年半。我在佐治亚州拥有一个金矿，我希望这辆车真的是金色的。我选择了PPG涂料，因为建筑商说他喜欢将其用于易于混合颜色以获取我想要的东西。”
Gold Digger是由T＆T海关的Ted Thomas建造的涂层以创建汽车明显辐射的金色光泽。
"We've been using PPG products for almost 20 years," Thomas said. "I knew I could get the custom finish Tammy wanted with the Vibrance Collection. It's real user-friendly and gave us the rich color the car deserved."
In addition to its show-stopping exterior, Gold Digger's custom-built features include a fully independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, inboard disc brakes, brightwork and a digital dash.
Don Ridler纪念奖成立于1964年，以将底特律Autorama变成该国最重要的定制汽车展示的男子命名。该奖项被认为是对卓越定制设计的最终认可，并每年在底特律Autorama颁发。
The Ridler Award involves a series of subcompetitions. Cars must debut at the Detroit Autorama and be selected to compete - this year 33 cars made the cut. From that field, eight cars are chosen as finalists - the "Great Eight" - and receive $1,000 each. The winning car is selected from the Great Eight. The owner receives a check for $10,000 along with a special embroidered jacket and the Ridler Award trophy itself, an honor regarded as the definitive custom car reward.